Liberal Leader Sandy Silver wants to know why Premier Darrell Pasloski, Minister Scott Kent and Minister Currie Dixon attended a $300-a-plate Yukon Party fundraiser during a taxpayer-funded trip to Vancouver in January.
The event, billed the Yukon Party Party, included a dinner and cruise through the Burrard Inlet and “an exclusive opportunity to connect with Premier Pasloski and ministers Kent and Dixon.”
It took place during the Mineral Roundup conference, where the politicians were busy drumming up mining investment in the territory.
“The purpose of the trip to Vancouver was to promote the Yukon as a place to do business, not to promote the Yukon Party,” said Silver in the legislature Tuesday. “Mr. Speaker, why did the Premier participate in this fundraising event instead of spending time promoting the Yukon?”
Pasloski responded that the event took place during personal time, and no expenses were billed to the government as a result.
“We are not on 24/7 and there is an opportunity for personal time when we are in Vancouver, and that, Mr. Speaker, is not unheard of at all.”
The government has promised that it will make all ministerial travel expense records available to the public.
“We will be confidently showing there was no expense billed to the government as a result of anything that ministers did on their own personal time.”
(Jacqueline Ronson)