Mark Joffe is no longer Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, a job in which he has been almost invisible for two and a half years.
No one seems to know exactly why. A statement to media from the government said Dr. Joffe’s contract ended Monday, after a two-week extension, and a search started at once to find a replacement.
So was he pushed or did he jump? Was his departure unexpected? That is not clear.
A variety of headline writers opted for the cautious explanation that Dr. Joffe is “out” as chief medical officer of health. (Translation: We have no idea why.)
Dr. Joffe stepped into the job back in November 2022 when Deena Hinshaw, who had held the position through the COVID-19 pandemic, was fired days after Danielle Smith became premier. As a right-wing radio talk show host during the pandemic, Ms. Smith had campaigned in the internal party election on her credentials as a vaccine skeptic, advocate of quack COVID cures, and bitter foe of public health measures.
Since then, Dr. Joffe has been criticized for having very little to say about public health and infectious diseases. He hasn’t appeared at a news conference since 2023. This, however, was assumed to suit the Smith Government.
“The province is now short one chief medical officer of health,” NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi observed tartly yesterday. “Well, some would argue we’ve been short a chief medical officer of health ever since Premier Smith took office.”
We do know that like other parts of North America, Alberta is now in the throes of a burgeoning measles outbreak – driven in significant part by the anti-vaxx sentiments promoted by Premier Smith in her radio career. There were 77 known cases in the province yesterday, which given the rate at which the disease spreads means there are a heck of a lot more.
And Dr. Joffe did make a statement published on the Alberta Government website last Friday, in which he said: “I want to remind all Albertans that these outbreaks are highly preventable. Albertans can protect themselves and those around them by ensuring their measles immunizations are up to date. Immunization with measles-containing vaccine is the single most important public health intervention to prevent measles.”
“The measles vaccine is safe and highly effective at preventing infection and complications and is readily available to eligible Albertans,” he added.
Yesterday’s statement praised Dr. Joffe for serving Albertans “with dedication and professionalism.” Alert readers will recall, of course, that when it was announced in January that Athana Mentzelopoulos had departed as CEO of Alberta Health Services, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange extended her “sincerest gratitude … for the work she has done leading Alberta Health Services.”
Ms. Mentzelopoulos is now suing AHS for wrongful dismissal. This is not to suggest anything about the reasons for Dr. Joffe’s departure, only that one cannot necessarily trust the things this government tells us.
Speaking of which, in yesterday’s statement, the government also said it “remains vigilant in its approach to measles” and wants “to reassure Albertans that public health continues to be a top priority during this transition.”
As long, presumably, as the government’s approach to measles has nothing to do with vaccinations.
With Orwellian imprecision, UCP tables ‘Compassionate Intervention Act’
Also yesterday, the Smith Government tabled what promises to be one of its most controversial pieces of legislation, Bill 53, named with Orwellian imprecision the Compassionate Intervention Act, a title worthy of the Ministry of Love.
The Involuntary Addiction Treatment Act would have probably passed muster, with the caveat that the kind of “treatment” favoured by Premier Smith’s inner party requires scare quotes because it is rejected by so many genuine experts in addiction recovery.
“If passed, the Compassionate Intervention Act would create a pathway for parents, family members, guardians, health care professionals, and police or peace officers to request a treatment order or care plan for those who, because of their severe addiction, are likely to cause harm to themselves or others,” the news release announcing the long-expected legislation soothingly promised.
It will be passed, of course, because it a signature piece of United Conservative Party legislation.
But have no doubt, Mental Health and Addiction Minister Dan Williams was not reflecting reality when he told a news conference yesterday that “this program is also not a criminal justice program. This is a health-care program.”
Make no mistake, the “compassionate intervention centres” planned under this scheme will be jails, each with 150 “secure” beds. That is to say, the beds will be in locked rooms.
One doesn’t need to be an expert in addiction treatment to understand from the controversy among actual experts surrounding this long-telegraphed plan, that the government’s repeated claims Alberta has established a “gold standard” opioid addiction treatment apparently not discovered by all the other jurisdictions that are dealing with this deadly worldwide crisis are highly tendentious.
But if it doesn’t work out, Premier Smith told the news conference, featuring a huge throng of supporters, no matter, they’ll just try something else. “You don’t know something works until you try it,” she told a reporter who asked what evidence supports involuntary treatment, “and you won’t know what your success rate is until you try it. And you won’t know what your recidivism rate is until you try it. … We’ll do the analysis to see what works, and if we need to try something new, we will try something new.”
This is the scientific method, UCP style, presumably.
Between the sweet lines of yesterday’s news release, this bill smacks of police being able to toss people into jail on a whim without a hint of due process.
This is obviously unconstitutional, but Ms. Smith has stated that her government would use Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the notorious Notwithstanding Clause, if that’s what it takes to pass or use the legislation.
Moreover while it is not clear who will own and operate the planned “compassionate intervention centres,” or how their employees will be trained, the plan smacks of union busting, health care privatization, and quackery.