Alison Redford announced on Wednesday that she is resigning her seat as Calgary-Elbow MLA and politicians across the province are responding to the news.

Premier Dave Hancock said Redford has done the right thing by taking responsibility for her actions and that “As she said in her own statement, a lot of good was done for Albertans and Alberta and that is why this turn of events is so unfortunate.

Ric McIver, MLA for Calgary-Hays and PC Leadership contender, issued a statement on Redford’s resignation saying she “made a difficult but necessary decision.”

Another leadership candidate, Jim Prentice, posted a statement on his Facebook page saying, “Alison Redford did the right and honourable thing today by resigning as a Member of the Legislative Assembly.”

The third candidate for the PC Leadership, Thomas Lukaszuk, was in Calgary on Wednesday morning speaking at the Chamber of Commerce and is also expected to comment on Redford’s resignation.

The NDP’s Deron Bilous said in a statement that “with today's announcement, it's clear that the PCs hope that Ms. Redford can serve as the scapegoat for the mess made by this entitled 43 year-old government.”

Alberta's Liberal Leader, Raj Sherman, posted a statement to the party's website saying "Former premier Alison Redford’s resignation as the MLA for Calgary-Elbow is both long overdue and a sad ending to a career which once held so much promise."

While the Alberta PCs may be distancing themselves from Redford, the opposition Wildrose Party said Wednesday the entire party is to blame for the spending scandal, which stems from a "culture of entitlement."

"With Ms. Redford no longer in caucus, the PCs will attempt to convince Albertans that all of their problems were her fault and hers alone," Wildrose MLA Kerry Towle told reporters during a news conference.

"But the fact is not a single one of them had the guts or the integrity to stand up to her," she continued. "By remaining silent in the face of such abuse, each and every one of them must wear Ms. Redford's record."

A $45,000 taxpayer-funded trip to South Africa for Nelson Mandela's funeral caused public furor and led to a series of revelations over Redford's travel expenses. She eventually paid back the money spent travelling to the December funeral.

After the 49-year-old stepped down as premier, she stayed on as MLA for her Calgary riding. But controversies about her lavish spending continued.

Last week, Redford denied any personal wrongdoing after part of the AG report was leaked to the media. It was reported that false passengers were booked on government flights, making it possible for Redford to fly alone.

Shortly before her resignation, Redford admitted to flying her daughter and her daughter's friend on a handful of flights and paid back the equivalent airfares. She also admitted taking a government plane to a family funeral in Vancouver and bringing a plane in to fly her back from a Palm Springs vacation.

(With files from ctvnews.ca)