A war of words erupted Tuesday between the Education Minister and an opposition MLA, after a province-wide teleconference was held with parents – and the minister made comments which drove his opposition to call it proof of a ‘culture of corruption'.
The public spat on Twitter started after Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk responded to a question posed to him by an Airdrie parent, who had asked how the area could increase capacity in local schools – Lukaszuk said:
"I'm really itching to say it, so I will even though I know I shouldn't – the first thing you can do is actually, in Airdrie, call your MLA and ask him not to oppose me in the legislature every day, on considering new ways for funding infrastructure because that really is the problem…"
Later in the teleconference, Lukaszuk admitted that as politicians they often pick on each other – and they have ideological differences on how schools should be built.
A recording of Lukaszuk's answers is below.
On Tuesday, the Wildrose called on Premier Alison Redford to fire the Education Minister.
Later in the day, both sides took to Twitter, the Wildrose MLA for Airdrie Rob Anderson called Lukaszuk's comments ‘disgusting', and Lukaszuk responded by asking Anderson to stop opposing alternative funding.
Similar exchanges continued throughout the afternoon, before both sides met face-to-face in the legislature.
"It doesn't matter if I oppose the man on the moon," Rob Anderson said. "The point is he said if I continue to oppose him on an issue, whatever that issue is, that Airdrie will suffer because of it."
"[The] MLA for Airdrie is clearly on the Hansard opposing the idea of looking for ideas," Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk said. "I'm not sure why he is so upset about the fact that I brought it up to parents."
Later Tuesday afternoon, the parent who posed the original question told both MLAs they were missing the point in their heated exchange – the question was about the kids – and the ‘sideshow [was] blurring the real issue'.
With files from Kim Taylor and Kevin Armstrong
