Premier Alison Redford sorry but not paying back $45K for trip
Alberta premier says trip to Nelson Mandela's funeral was government business
Alberta Premier Alison Redford has apologized again for the high cost of her trip to attend Nelson Mandela's funeral, but says she will not be paying any of the money back.
Redford came under heavy criticism after it was revealed the December trip to South Africa cost $45,000.
- Harper, Canadian delegation en route to South Africa for Mandela tributes
- Redford calls $45K Mandela memorial travel costs disappointing
"It's certainly come to my attention that there were some decisions made that week without the full and complete information which didn't even follow our normal procedure in terms of trip planning. Mistakes were made. I accept responsibility for that and I apologize," said Redford in Calgary on Monday.
But the premier says she will not be paying back the money.
"From my perspective, this was a trip that was part of the Canadian delegation. It was business of the Government of Alberta and I attended on that basis."
Redford has maintained that she did not know the full cost of the trip until she returned.
She says the breakdown of the costs for the trip will be made public.