CALGARY, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation slammed Premier Jason Kenney for spending over $16,000 of taxpayers' money on a charter plane trip to Saskatoon.

“Kenney’s massive charter flight expense is a misuse of tax dollars at the worse possible time,” said Franco Terrazzano, Alberta Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “How can Kenney look taxpayers in the eye right now and tell them he dropped thousands of dollars on a charter flight to Saskatoon?”

The Alberta government spent $16,764 of taxpayers’ money on a charter flight from Calgary to the to the Council of Federation meeting in Saskatoon last July. Only five of the 16 passengers on the Sunwest charter flight were employees of the Government of Alberta.

The Alberta government has projected a $8.7 billion deficit this year. By the end of 2022 the Alberta government will have added over $30 billion to the total debt tab.

“Albertans didn’t vote for Kenney to waste tax dollars on fancy charter plane rides,” said Terrazzano. “Albertans voted for Kenney to clean up the culture at the legislature and this is the same old frivolous culture that has plagued taxpayers for years. Kenney needs to fix this culture immediately.”