A lawyer says UCP leader Jason Kenney claimed thousands of dollars’ worth of secondary residence subsidies he wasn't eligible for while serving as an MP for Calgary-Midnapore.
Kyle Morrow said in a series of tweets that Kenney claimed his primary residence was in Calgary but that he actually lived in Ottawa.
Morrow made the accusations on social media this weekend and posted documents that appear to show Kenney collected secondary residence subsidies in Ottawa, from 2012 to 2015, amounting to about $900.00 a month.
The posts claim Kenney listed his mother's retirement home in Calgary as his primary address and that he also listed his address at another home in 2013, which had already been sold by his mother to another couple.
Kenney responded to the accusations on his Facebook page saying that the allegations were false.
Lori Williams is an Associate Professor of Policy Studies at Mount Royal University and she says the allegations could prompt some to raise questions about Kenney’s commitment to Alberta.
“As a cabinet minister in Ottawa, of course, he would have had to spend a fair bit of time in Ottawa but I think the bigger question for many, Albertans particularly with the anti-Ottawa sentiment right now, is that I think questions might be raised about his commitment to Alberta,” she said. “With the flurry of questions being raised about Jason Kenney’s leadership, I think this sort of adds to that mix, just kind of a drip, drip, drip that could have an impact over time.”
Kenney's office denies the accusations and notes that House of Commons administration never received a complaint about Kenney’s living expenses.
Morrow says he has received death threats over the allegations and that he has since reached out to the Board of Internal Economy and RCMP to request an investigation.
