UCP's Jason Stephan sworn in after returning from family trip to Africa
Speaker Nathan Cooper, Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani, and Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan on July 5, 2023. (Source: Jason Stephan/Facebook)
The re-elected MLA for Red Deer-South was sworn in at the Alberta legislature Wednesday, about two weeks after he missed the initial ceremony in favour of a trip to Africa.
Following a May 29 vote, MLAs who were confirmed as elected were sworn in on June 20, but the UCP's Jason Stephan was not there.
The next day a spokesperson for the party said Stephan was away on a "pre-planned family trip."
The NDP said his absence was "extremely disrespectful" to his constituents and all Albertans, arguing all MLAs should be at the ceremony "barring an emergency."
In a June 23 Facebook post, Stephan clarified that the trip was to Africa and was a wedding gift to his son and daughter-in-law.
He said "we have done nothing wrong" and insisted the delayed swearing-in did not impact his ability to serve his constituents.
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