Ontario Senator Vern White confirms he travelled overseas last month
Senator says he is in quarantine in Finland
Another Canadian politician — Ontario Sen. Vern White — says he travelled abroad last month as governments and public health officials were urging Canadians to shun unnecessary foreign travel.
"Yes, I have travelled to Finland with my family to visit my spouse's parents," White told CBC News.
White said he's currently in quarantine in Finland. The senator said he and his family left Canada on Dec. 28 and they are following Finland's pandemic guidelines by undergoing a 10-day quarantine and securing two COVID-19 tests.
Senate Opposition Leader Don Plett spent part of the Christmas holidays in Mexico. Earlier this week, a Senate spokesperson said the Manitoba senator was "following the 14 days quarantine guidelines after having travelled briefly to Mexico on personal travel."
CBC News has contacted all sitting senators by email and phone to ask if they have travelled outside of Canada since the COVID-19 caseload started to spike after Labour Day.
White and Plett are among multiple Canadian politicians who left the country over December in the face of government advisories against travel abroad because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Quebec Sen. Rosa Galvez responded to CBC's query, saying she hasn't travelled outside the country recently. She took aim at Plett.
"I'm appalled that the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Donald Plett, travelled to a resort in Mexico when he berated the prime minister for going to a close-by cottage this summer," she said. "His party leader should remove ... his leadership role exactly as it was done with members of Parliament that don't follow the health recommendations."
