Snowbird scandal drives Canadian politicians out of search for sunshine

PA St. Barths St. Bart's Saint

Photographer: E + / Getty Images

Getting on a plane to take a winter break is a Canadian ritual. Suddenly, however, it became a mistake that is changing the career of politicians.

Three provincial ministers, including The Ontario chief of finance was forced to resign from the cabinet last week after being asked to fly to pleasant destinations during the holidays, defying his government’s guidelines to stay home because of Covid-19. About a dozen government officials who traveled abroad were accused of ethical violations, with some losing their parliamentary titles, including two members of the Justin Trudeau government.

“We have been very clear. No one should be on vacation abroad now, ”Trudeau said at a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday. “One of the things that has been very, very important in this whole pandemic for Canadians is the feeling that we are all in this together.” He said people traveling abroad are not entitled to a governmental benefit of C $ 1,000 ($ 780) for those who need to isolate themselves.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gives press conference

Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters outside his Ottawa home on January 5.

Photographer: David Kawai / Bloomberg

Canada’s travel rules are strict by the standards of most Western countries. Borders are closed to the vast majority of foreigners, and a 14-day quarantine on arrival has decreased airline traffic. Canadian authorities have discouraged non-essential travel outside the country, although they are not prohibited.

Faced with a wave of infections that threatened to overwhelm hospitals as the holiday approached in December, several provinces sent their savings back to the more rigid blocks and asked people to sacrifice family reunions for the greater good.

“I am the guy who is stealing Christmas to keep you safe,” said Manitoba Prime Minister Brian Pallister at an emotional press conference, summing up the mood across the country.

Interview with Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister

Photographer: Trevor Hagan / Bloomberg

Most Canadians squatted during the holiday. Then came the evidence that some were doing just the opposite.

O The Journal de Montreal newspaper sent a reporter to an all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, which found tourists from Quebec walking without a mask and sharing drinks and cigarettes.

That article and similar reports left the French-speaking province in a frenzy. They fueled fears that travelers would bring the virus back, in a repeat of the inopportune school holidays in March, which officials blame for the death toll in Quebec – 8,379 deaths, mostly in Canada.

In neighboring Ontario, travel became a political scandal when Finance Minister Rod Phillips was revealed to be on vacation in upscale Saint Barthelemy after his government imposed widespread business closures. To make matters worse, Phillips released pre-recorded messages on Twitter that gave the impression that he was still in the country. He resigned on December 31.

In Saskatchewan, a minister who traveled to California resigned from the cabinet on Monday.

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