Federal Conservative MP Jason Kenney is facing a possible ethics probe after his Calgary Midnapore constituents complained to the Ethics Commissioner that Kenney was engaging in provincial politics while still drawing his MP salary.
Kenney is busy running a “unite the Right” truck tour while neglecting his duties as an MP, according to his constituents.
“Kenney can’t have the cake and eat it.” John Miller who resides in the riding of Calgary-Midnapore said. “He either serves as an MP or quits and stop drawing an MP salary. Why should we pay him $12,500 a month over the summer for his road trip?”
Mr. Miller pointed out that according to the House of Commons Procedure and Practice, one of the responsibilites of a Member of Parliament is to solve consituents’ problems.
“The summer recess is a time for Parliamentarians to spend more time with their constituents,” Mr. Miller said. “The MPs in the other ridings are busy talking to the people who elected them, but Mr. Kenney has gone AWOL.”
Meanwhile, an Airdrie, AB resident has launched a petition demanding that that Kenney be stripped of his MP salary while he runs his Alberta PC leadership campaign.
“Jason Kenney is running campaign for provincial politics while sitting as, and collecting a salary as a Member of Parliament,” petitioner Jarrah Elhalabi writes. “Although Mr. Kenney has shown an inability to recognize that using his office to serve the people of his riding does not mean using his position as a platform to pursue his personal interests as ong as he has been an MP, we have, and we demand an end to his final crooked act as a crooked Federal Politician.”
“We are no longer going to subsidize his personal ventures with unethically diverted public funds,” Mr. Elhalabi adds.
“Conflict of interest,” Dawn Anderson, of London, Ontario, wrote in support of the petition. “If you need to take a leave to pursue other career opportunities that’s fine but your salary from your MP job should also be suspended until you are back to the job.”
Kenney was not available for comment.
