On Sunday, Liberal MP Alexandra Mendes doubled down on defending a summer trip she took with her husband to Portugal in July on Twitter.
Mendes tweeted that she “did what [she] needed to do, when the circumstances allowed it” after receiving flak for travelling abroad to settle a deceased relative’s estate.
Mendes made the trip abroad despite the Public Health Agency of Canada’s advice not to leave the country.
According to an official statement, Mendes claimed that it was “essential” for her and her husband to travel to the country at the time after her mother in-law’s death.
“In July, as lockdown measures began to be lifted in Quebec, Canada and Europe, and with some airlines re-establishing flights, my husband and I decided to go to Portugal,” wrote Mendes.
“Prior to my departure, I had advised the Whip and the Speaker’s office of the House of Commons.”
In response to one Twitter user claiming that Mendes did not have to be there in person to settle the business, Mendes replied by saying “Let me know how you can close down a home 5,000 km away!”
Mendes joins a large list of provincial and federal politicians who have violated their own coronavirus rules and advice.
Similarly, Saskatchewan cabinet minister Joe Hargrave admitted to flying to California in order to finalize the sale of his home on December 22, despite the existing public health orders.
