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Two Liberal MPs Kamal Khera and Sameer Zuberi are among the Canadian politicians who recently travelled abroad despite the implementation of the strict travel restrictions in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday (Jan 4), the two Liberal MPs announced they have decided to step down from their government and House of Commons positions. Brampton-West MP Kamal Khera will resign from her post as a parliamentary secretary, while Pierrefonds-Dollard MP Sameer Zuberi will resign from his multiple committee roles.
Chief government whip Mark Holland has confirmed in a statement that Brampton MP Kamal Khera and Montreal MP Sameer Zuberi had departed from the country without his knowledge.
In a statement posted on Twitter on early Monday, Kamal Khera said that she was dealing with the loss of her father in September and then the death of her uncle a few weeks later. She travelled to attend a small memorial held in Seattle, Washington.
She further informed that the memorial was set up for those who were unable to attend the funeral and was attended by less than 10 people. She flew on December 23 and returned to Canada on December 31.
Her statement read, “Although the purpose of my travel is deemed essential under the circumstances, I have decided to step aside from my duties as parliamentary secretary to the minister of international development in an effort to ensure my choices do not distract from the important work of our government to continue battling the pandemic.”
Kamal Khera was the first federal politician in Canada to obtain a positive COVID-19 test result in March.
Meanwhile, MP Sameer Zuberi, who represents the Quebec riding of Pierrefonds-Dollard, also said in a statement posted on Twitter that he along with his family travelled on December 18 to visit his wife’s ill grandfather in Delaware, US. He also came back to Canada on December 31.
“I recognize that travel during this period, when so many are limiting interactions with loved ones, was an error in judgment. As a result, I will be stepping down from my committee roles,” his statement read.
The resignations of Liberal MPs Kamal Khera and Sameer Zuberi took place in the midst of a series of revelations about Canadian politicians and recent vacation trips. Several Canadian politicians were subject to public scrutiny after leaving the country over the holidays, despite public health advisories to avoid non-essential travel during the COVID-19 outbreak.
