Premier Tony Wakeham is defending the former tourism minister after it was revealed that public funds were used to purchase souvenir keychains, which were handed out to students during a trip to Beaumont Hamel in France.
The CBC report revealed that Andrea Barbour, who was moved into the environment portfolio in August, spent over $1,000 in public funds on 150 custom yellow rubber boot keychains.
Minister Barbour wearing one of the keychains during a TikTok video posted in August (TikTok)
The yellow boot is an emblem of Barbour’s social media presence before entering politics, and the company which supplied them is believed to be tied to a former PC candidate who ran in the last election.
Premier Tony Wakeham (VOCM News)
Wakeham defends the purchase.
He says Barbour wanted to give a “token” to each of the students involved in the trip. He says she followed all government protocols and did not benefit from the transaction. He adds that “as far as rubber boots are concerned, I don’t believe that she has a patent on the use of rubber boots.”
