The Official Opposition is calling on Premier Wakeham and Minister Barbour to explain why she directed her department to spend taxpayers’ money on yellow rubber boot keychains promoting her personal brand during the Trail of the Caribou pilgrimage to Beaumont-Hamel.
The yellow boots were distributed during a student pilgrimage to First World War battlefields in France and Belgium, including Beaumont-Hamel. Normally, a more solemn token would be used for such an occasion as opposed to one representing the personal brand of a politician.
“Minister Barbour used public money to promote a symbol of her own personal social media brand, and the payment went to a former PC candidate’s account. It is unacceptable to use personal branding for the Minister during the most solemn ceremony of our province and former nation” said Tourism and Culture critic Bettina Ford.
Documents obtained from an access to information request show that Minister Barbour specifically asked for the yellow rubber boots. She should have requested items featuring any of the powerful symbols of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, World War One, or the Province, instead of benefiting her own brand directly.
The Minister was in Europe, at the cost of the taxpayer, to represent Newfoundland and Labrador at places sacred to our history. Our symbols of remembrance should have been the focus, not tokens that represent the Minister personally.
“The students travelled to learn about the sacrifice of our soldiers. The Minister should have kept the attention on them,”’ said Ford.
CBC reports the sole-sourced purchase was made from a family business operated by the children of a Progressive Conservative candidate in last year’s election, with payment going into their mother’s account. The Official Opposition also notes that the former PC candidate who received the money for this contract was also recently appointed to the Board of Directors of Marble Mountain, along with fellow PC candidate Charles Pender.
-30-