Hours after it was reported that Alberta’s justice minister had called Edmonton’s police chief to discuss a distracted driving ticket he was given, Premier Jason Kenney announced he was removing Kaycee Madu from the cabinet post, pending the outcome of a probe into the matter.
“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,” Kenney tweeted late Monday night. “In the interim period, I have asked Minister Madu to step back from his ministerial duties.
“(Energy) Minister Sonya Savage will act as Minister of Justice and Solicitor General during Minister Madu’s leave of absence.”
Earlier in the evening, Madu issued a statement about the ticket he received last year and why he called Edmonton’s police chief about it after.
“To be abundantly clear, at no point did I request that the ticket be rescinded,” Kaycee Madu said in a statement issued Monday night. “I would never do that.
“However, in that particular call, I regret raising the issue at all with the (Edmonton Police Service) Chief (Dale) McFee.”
Global News first reached out to Madu’s office for comment on the matter Monday afternoon after CBC News broke the story about both the ticket and the phone call to McFee.
Global News has obtained a copy of the ticket Madu was issued. In a section of the ticket that says “description,” an officer had written in “distracted driving- cellphone.” The ticket says the alleged offence occurred at 9:25 a.m. in a school zone.
In a statement issued to Global News, the EPS confirmed Madu was handed a distracted driving ticket on March 10, 2021. However, further details about the incident were not disclosed.
“Minister Madu had concerns about the context of the traffic stop,” an EPS spokesperson said. “To be clear, he did not ask the chief to rescind the…