Alberta Premier Jim Prentice and his cabinet will be racking up a lot of frequent flier miles from now on, after the government announced they would be selling off the province’s fleet of aircraft. “The Alberta government is no longer in the business of owning aircraft,” Prentice told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 16, saying that the government “doesn’t need airplanes to access Alberta.”
The decision means cabinet ministers and their entourages will now have to fly on commercial airlines.
For more remote locations, government officials will fly on charter aircraft, but those charters would be subject to approval. This brings up two questions. First, will the Premier and his ministers be allowed to use the frequent flier miles for their personal use and secondly was it really necessary to sell off the province’s fleet of airplanes?
The first question, is of course facetious, but the second question requires a bit more thought.
Is the government’s decision to see off their charter airplane fleet the right one?
According to the opposition, it is.
The question that Alberta residents should be asking is if it reasonable for a government to have a fleet of aircraft in order for government officials to travel the province in an effective, efficient manner?
It is a hard question to answer.
According to Alberta’s auditor general Merwan Saher, the premier’s office, under Alison Redford used her office and the ‘aura of power’ to take the planes for personal gain. After the scandal broke, it was also discovered that a number of cabinet ministers had similarly misused the aircraft including leadership hopeful Thomas Lukaszuk. Nor is this scandal unique to the Redford government. As early as 1984, Alberta’s premier Peter Lougheed had to defend his use of the fleet for multiple trips back and forth from Calgary and Edmonton.
The real problem is not that the province has its own fleet of airplanes, but that they have been misused. If fleet had been used only as intended there be any need to sell off the fleet now?
The answer is most likely no. The fact is, in Alberta there are many communities that can really be efficiently reached using aircraft. Yes, the government can charter aircraft this purpose, but would it really be that more cost effective?
After, all the province already owns the planes.
Saher said in 2012 the government could have saved about $3.9 million if it would have used charter aircraft. However, if there would have been strict regulations that were actually enforced on travel, would the savings have been as great?
If Jim Prentice and the Progressive Conservative government truly decided to sell the province’s airplane fleet because it more efficient to go with other modes of transportation, then they should be applauded. However, if it is just because it politically expedience, then the residents of Alberta deserve better.
