UCP under fire after large party held hours after government pleads with Albertans to reduce contacts

Hours after asking Albertans to hold off on attending large gatherings, members of Alberta’s UCP government were seen attending a Christmas party in Edmonton on Tuesday.

According to sources CityNews spoke with, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Health Minister Jason Copping were not present at the party, though some other familiar faces were seen.

BREAKING: Hours after Premier Kenney, HM Copping & CMOH Hinshaw requested Albertans limit Holiday gatherings, the UCP held a Christmas party w/ over 200ppl at the Parlour Italian Kitchen & Bar in #Edmonton. Copping & Kenney were NOT In attendance. (1/4) #abpoli #ableg #COVID19AB pic.twitter.com/pXZqERv2oD

— Saif Kaisar (@StaySaif) December 22, 2021

Around 200 people were allegedly in attendance at the gathering, with Justice Minister Kaycee Madu and Minister Dale Nally both seen.

The event was held at The Parlour Italian Kitchen & Bar with restaurant staff confirming the entire venue had been bought out.

While the event was held by a large group, no COVID-19 protocols or restrictions were broken during the event.

On Tuesday, both Kenney and Copping pleaded with Albertans to consider making changes in their day-to-day lives over the holidays to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and the new Omicron variant.

“These (new capacity limits) are largely focused at avoiding super spreader events by reducing contacts in large settings, like major events, large capacity venues and certain discretionary activities where there is a high risk of transmission,” said Kenney.

“While these changes look at reducing contacts in large settings, it’s important to remember that small everyday actions can have an important impact as well. And that is why we are appealing to Albertans to reduce their number of daily, in-person contacts by half over the coming weeks.”

READ MORE:

Omicron now dominant strain in Alberta, capacity limits reintroduced

The new capacity limits are set to come into effect on Friday at 12:01 a.m.

Another large event was planned for Wednesday night in Calgary, but not long after this story broke, the UCP cancelled the event.

BREAKING: The UCP has cancelled its Christmas party planned in #Calgary tonight after a lot of online backlash over their Christmas party held in #Edmonton last night. #yyc #yeg #abpoli #ableg #COVID19AB — Full statement from UCP: pic.twitter.com/DUIZMLosx8

— Saif Kaisar (@StaySaif) December 22, 2021