(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Troy Gillard

After stepping down from treasury board…

Red Deer-South MLA issues apology for Arizona trip

Jan 5, 2021 | 9:36 AM

The MLA for Red Deer-South is now apologizing for “exercising poor judgement” when he travelled to the United States last week.

“In discussing my resignation with the Premier, we both agree that I exercised poor judgment when I travelled to Arizona on December 31,” Jason Stephan said in a statement issued Tuesday, a day after he gave up his position on the province’s treasury board.

“This includes a realization that I failed to see my travelling to Arizona could be hurtful to the very individuals and families I have been seeking to serve, and who have made such huge sacrifices, including with the additional restrictions imposed over the Christmas holidays.”

“To those individuals and families, I am very sorry and apologize for my poor judgement.”

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Stephan initially did not apologize after his stateside trip was confirmed over the weekend, saying instead that he supported “individuals and families having the freedom to choose for themselves whether they travel or not, provided they are respectful of others in doing so.”

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Stephan remains part of the UCP caucus and as Red Deer-South MLA as of Tuesday morning. His office confirms that he is now back in Red Deer and self-isolating as required.

His resignation from the Treasury Board was announced in a Facebook post Monday by Premier Jason Kenney, who said he had also accepted the resignation of Municipal Affairs Minister Tracy Allard following her trip last month to Hawaii and asked his chief of staff Jamie Huckabay to step down after flying to the United Kingdom. Jeremy Nixon is no longer parliamentary secretary for civil society. Tanya Fir, Pat Rehn and Tany Yao lost their legislature committee responsibilities.

Kenney said he had listened to an angry public in recent days and acted.

“By travelling abroad over the holidays, these individuals demonstrated extremely poor judgment,” Kenney wrote.

“Albertans have every right to expect that people in positions of public trust be held to a higher standard of conduct during the COVID-19 pandemic.”