Alberta has 32 Conservative MPs and just one NDP MP in Ottawa.  

But that one is calling out the 32 over what she says is a dismal attendance record for virtual House of Commons COVID-19 committee meetings.  

Banff-Airdrie MP Blake Richards is one of the Conservatives with a low percentage of attending the meetings.

Heather McPherson is the NDP member representing Edmonton-Strathcona in Ottawa.  After the House of Commons adjourned in March because of the pandemic, McPherson's party agreed to join the government in waiving normal Commons procedures in May for a period of four months.  Both the Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecois voted against having virtual sittings, saying they wanted more parliamentary oversight.

Between May 27th and June 18th, there were 14 of the virtual meetings.  McPherson sat in on every one of them.  She says, however, that Conservative attendance wasn't quite as stellar. 

The 32 members sat in on just 42 percent of the meetings.  Richards was in attendance for just three out of the 14 meetings which means he was there for 21 percent of them

McPherson says she doesn't understand why the Tories aren't taking part in the meetings but that she thinks Alberta MPs need to be there fighting for Albertans.  She says Alberta needs all the help it can get. 

The chair of the Alberta Conservative Caucus Len Webber insists the party isn't boycotting the meetings.  He says many MPs are simply busy with other meetings.  Webber is one of four Conservatives who have yet to sit in on a meeting. 

Minutes from the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic from the House of Commons show Webber, the MP for Calgary Confederation, Calgary Heritage MP Bob Benzen, Ron Leipert who represents Calgary Signal Hill and Edmonton Riverbend MP Matt Jenneroux have all attended zero out of 14 meetings.