A Canadian lawmaker was among 13 men arrested Monday in St. Paul during a prostitution sting.
Michael Allen, a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Fort McMurray, Alberta, has resigned from the Tory Caucus, reports Fort McMurray Today.
But Allen will continue to sit in the Alberta legislature as an independent. He was in St. Paul for the Council of State Governments' Midwestern Legislative Conference, which ran from Sunday through Wednesday.
He had responded to an ad placed by undercover cops on the Backpage.com website.
Allen said in a statement:
"I apologize to my family, my friends, my constituents, my colleagues, my staff, and to all Albertans for the embarrassment I have caused in failing to live up to the standards expected of me and the standards I expect of myself."
Steve Young, a Tory official, said Allen's resignation was accepted:
"Like all Albertans, it is our expectation that all members of the Legislative Assembly conduct themselves with the highest ethical and moral standards. There should never be a time where those standards are in question."