Alberta minister in big trouble after accepting free playoff tickets

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Finnegan Frost
November 2, 2024 (6:57)

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Alberta infrastructure minister Peter Guthrie is currently in the hot seat for accepting free playoff tickets.

Alberta's Infrastructure Minister Peter Guthrie says he accepted free Edmonton Oilers NHL playoff tickets but that it didn't contravene government conflict-of-interest rules. Guthrie told reporters Wednesday he attended Oilers home games during the team's playoff run last spring as a guest of MHCare Medical, a medical supply and distribution company.

Although being an elected government official comes with a wide ranges of perks and benefits, accepting free gifts can often stir controversy and public scrutiny. In this particular situation, Guthrie is being called out for taking advantage of his role, exceeding his allowable "non-monetary gifts".

Danielle Smith and other members of her cabinet have also been scrutinized for accepting free playoff tickets, and the public are starting to questions regarding the new "relaxed rules" around the acceptance of free gifts.

He didn't specify how many games he attended but said he has no "business or personal relations" with Sam Mraiche, the CEO of MHCare Medical.

"That said, you know, all disclosure requirements were fulfilled with the ethics commissioner, and it will be part of my year-end member filing," Guthrie said.

As per CBC, non-monetary gifts for Alberta's elected officials used to be capped at $200 and only tickets worth up to $400 per year could be accepted. Now, both items are capped at $500, and the premier's chief of staff can also approve any ticket or gift worth more than that for staff and over $1,000 for an event, conference or meeting.

NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi weighed in on the situation, criticizing Guthrie during a press interview.

"This is a disaster," Nenshi said. "I'm calling for the premier to come clean now and tell us which ministers attended and which staff members attended, and to revise the ethics rules."

Nenshi said the NDP plans to propose a new set of rules to the governing United Conservative Party, but he didn't give details of what those rules would include.

"Not only will we be proposing them to government, we will be living by them to show government that it is possible to actually run an honest and transparent government," he said.

It's safe to say that Minister Guthrie is in serious hot water. The fact that he attended a playoff game is fine, but not being able to fully disclose how many games is definitely suspicious. In a position of power, it's important to understand your allowable perks and avoid misusing benefits.

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