The Premier of Alberta in Canada, Jason Kenney, has asked the province’s Justice Minister and Solicitor General, Kaycee Madu, a Nigerian-Canadian citizen, to “step back” after admitting that he made a phone call to Edmonton’s police chief over a traffic ticket.
Kenney in a tweet on Monday evening stated that the Minister of Energy, that Sonya Savage, will fill in for Madu while he takes a leave of absence, noting that an independent investigator would be appointed to review whether Madu interfered with the justice process.
Madu’s suspension came as a result of the CBC report that Madu violated traffic law on March 10, 2021 and was issued a $300 ticket for distracted driving in a school zone and subsequently called the Edmonton Police Service’s Chief Dale McFee.
The Premier, who was disappointed over Madu’s interference with the rule of law said on tweeter, “Minister Madu told me that he did not ask to have the ticket rescinded, nor was it his intention to interfere in the case, and that he promptly paid the ticket. I understand that Chief McFee has confirmed that at no time did the Minister seek to have the ticket rescinded. Nevertheless, it’s essential the independent administration of justice is maintained. That’s why I will appoint a respected independent investigator to review the relevant facts and to determine whether there was interference in the administration of justice in this case”.
Madu was appointed justice Minister and Solicitor General in August.
However, reacting to the unfortunate development, Madu insists that he did not commit the offence and suggested that the issue could be linked to matters of racial profiling happening at that time.
He said, “To be abundantly clear, at no point did I request that the ticket be rescinded. I would never do that. However, in that particular call, I regret raising the issue at all with the Chief McFee. Due to the timing of the incident, I wanted to ensure that I was not being unlawfully surveilled following the controversy surrounding the Lethbridge Police Service. I also raised concerns around profiling of racial minorities that was in the media at the time”.
Alberta opposition party, NDP, justice critic Irfan Sabir noted that Madu’s actions were “wholly unnacceptable” and called for his resignation.
Sabir accused Madu of using “his position as minister to initiate this conversation, and regardless of whether he asked the chief to cancel the ticket, it is political interference for him to have discussed it all”.
