Alberta Justice Minister who called police chief about traffic ticket ordered to "step back" from duties
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is asking Justice Minister and Solicitor General Kaycee Madu to “step back” from his duties after Madu reportedly contacted Edmonton’s police chief to discuss a distracted driving ticket.
CBC News first reported that Madu was fined for distracted driving in Edmonton in March 2021. CBC has obtained the ticket, which shows that Madu was fined $300 on March 10, 2021, for being on his cellphone while driving in a school zone.
According to CBC, shortly after he was fined, Madu called Edmonton’s chief of police, Dale McFee, to discuss the ticket with him.
“Minister Madu did contact me via the telephone concerned about a ticket. But just to be very, very clear, he never asked to get out of the ticket,” McFee told CBC News in December. CBC writes that McFee said he didn’t know exactly what was on the ticket.
CBC says that, according to court records, Madu paid his ticket in full before the end of that week.
Kenney addressed the allegations on Twitter, writing that he conveyed his “profound disappointment” to Madu about Madu’s decision to contact the Edmonton Police Chief after receiving a ticket for a traffic violation.
“Minister Madu told me that he did not ask to have the ticket rescinded, nor was it his intention to interfere in the case, and that he promptly paid the ticket,” says Kenney. “I understand that Chief McFee has confirmed that at no time did the Minister seek to have the ticket rescinded.”
Kenney notes that it’s important that the “independent administration of justice is maintained,” and will be appointing an independent investigator to review the facts and determine whether there was “interference in the administration of justice” in this case.
Minister Madu told me that he did not ask to have the ticket rescinded, nor was it his intention to interfere in the case, and that he promptly paid the ticket.
I understand that Chief McFee has confirmed that at no time did the Minister seek to have the ticket rescinded.
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— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) January 18, 2022
In the meantime, Kenney has asked Madu to “step back” from his ministerial duties.
Alberta’s opposition justice critic, Irfan Sabir, has called on Madu to resign, writing in a tweet that “regular Alberta drivers do not have the ability to call their police chief and discuss traffic tickets.”
“Madu used his position as minister to initiate this conversation,” continued Sabir, “and regardless of whether he asked the chief to cancel the ticket, it is political interference for him to have discussed it all. There is a long-standing precedent that prohibits this kind of behaviour.”
THREAD – Minister Kaycee Madu must resign. It is wholly unacceptable for the Attorney General to engage with senior law enforcement regarding a penalty levied against him. 1/4https://t.co/zzjyGhUatv#ableg #abpoli
— Irfan Sabir (@MLAIrfanSabir) January 17, 2022
Energy Minister Sonya Savage will act as the province’s Minister of Justice and Solicitor General during Madu’s leave of absence. Madu has been the Justice Minister and Solicitor General of Alberta since August 25, 2020.