In early February, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith publicly urged Alberta’s auditor general to get cracking with his just-started investigation into allegations of dodgy contracts being forced on Alberta Health Services by officials with connections to her government and even her office.
“We need to get to the bottom of this issue quickly to identify any potential wrongdoing, correct it, and address it appropriately,” Premier Smith said in a Saturday morning statement on Feb. 8.
That was then. This is now, and you’d almost think Smith’s government is taking action to ensure that Auditor General Doug Wylie doesn’t discover anything too damaging.
Leastways, an email sent to thousands of AHS staff members and Health Department employees by Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of Health Leann Wagner directs employees who are contacted for an interview by the Office of the Auditor General to “please redirect the OAG to our legal counsel Rose LLP.”
“This should be done by email with a copy to me to (sic) and our legal counsel Matt Lindsey at Rose LLP,” Ms. Wagner wrote in the email, which was leaked to the Opposition NDP.
Now, to be fair, the email goes on to say that “Mr. Lindsey will coordinate all interview requests.” This seems like unusual work for legal counsel and probably something the OAG staff is quite capable of arranging itself, but it also sounds like that’ll be the government’s explanation.
NDP Justice Critic Irfan Sabir interpreted the purpose of the email in a much darker light. “The UCP continues to prevent Albertans from getting answers to the CorruptCare scandal,” he said, using the label the NDP has adopted to describe the dodgy contracts affair.
“This is a gag order on public servants, plain and simple,” Mr. Sabir said bluntly in an email sent to journalists. “Limiting the Auditor General from doing their job and speaking with government staff is a cover-up.”
The allegations first surfaced in public in a Feb. 5 Globe and Mail story about the contents of a letter from the lawyer representing Athana Mentzelopoulos, the former CEO of AHS who had been dismissed a few days before – although, despite appearances, the government insists that it didn’t fire the handpicked executive, AHS did.
Ms. Mentzelopoulos is now suing the government for $1.7 million for wrongful dismissal and her statement of claim, the government’s statement of defence, and other legal documents have been widely aired in public.
Mr. Wylie had revealed the Thursday before Premier Smith’s Feb. 8 comment that his investigation into the allegations had already begun. At that point, the NDP was already calling for a full judicial inquiry, led by an independent judge, with the power to compel testimony.
The government would like to avoid any process it cannot tightly control, obviously. And the leaked staff email certainly suggests it might go quite far to control what gets talked about.
“This is precisely what we’ve been warning about,” Mr. Sabir said yesterday in his letter to media. “There cannot be an investigation if the government is not compelled to give information as we have seen time and time again with stymied Auditor General reports.”
“The government must reverse course, release all public servants including fired AHS staff and Board of Directors from their gag orders, welcome the Auditor General’s investigation into CorruptCare, and finally, call a fully independent, judicial-led public inquiry today to get to the bottom of this scandal,” he said.
Separatist fringe party says 11 MLAs support independence referendum
A separatist fringe political party has published a list of 11 United Conservative Party MLAs and cabinet members it says support a binding independence referendum before the next provincial election.
The Republican Party of Alberta – which is presumably republican in every sense of that word – published the “MLA Independence Scorecard” on its website. Readers of this blog, I am sure, will be relieved to learn there are no members of the NDP Opposition on this list.
It’s not immediately clear how the folks at the RPA came up with the list, which does include a couple of names that that seem unlikely to be backers of such a venture. Still, Jeremy Appel, the independent reporter who broke the story, says he called them all and none responded.
So, without further ado, here they are in alphabetical order:
- MLA Eric Bouchard, Calgary Lougheed
- MLA Scott Cyr, Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul
- Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake
- Government Whip and Parliamentary Secretary Shane Getson, Lac Ste. Anne-Parkland
- MLA Jennifer Johnson, Lacombe-Ponoka
- Infrastructure Minister Martin Long, West Yellowhead
- Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver, Calgary-Hays
- Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally, Morinville-St. Albert
- MLA Chelsae Petrovic, Livingstone-Macleod
- MLA Angela Pitt, Airdrie-East
- Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney, Calgary-North West
I would be genuinely shocked if either Mr. McIver and Ms. Sawhney actually told anyone they supported a separatism referendum. And I have my doubts about ministers Long and Nally or Mr. Cyr doing anything that dumb.
As for the rest, though, nothing would surprise me. Mr. Bouchard’s claim to fame is his anti-vaxx views; Mr. Dreeshen infamously campaigned for Donald Trump and was photographed in a red MAGA cap; Mr. Getson joined at least one convoy protest in Edmonton; Ms. Johnson is the notorious poop-cookie lady; Ms. Petrovic made headlines saying heart attack victims should take responsibility for their own illness; and Ms. Pitt has mused that Alberta could someday become a semi-autonomous statelet like Austria’s South Tyrol.
As for Ms. Smith, she’s playing cute about a referendum – saying she won’t lead the charge but threatening a national unity crisis if the Conservatives don’t win the federal election and reminding her supporters they can gin up their own question using provincial referenda legislation.
Every one of them now needs to make it clear where they stand on this question.
UPDATE, 10:45 p.m., April 11, 2025: After this post was first published this morning, a spokesperson for the Republican Party of Alberta told reporter Jeremy Appel, whose scoop was noted in this story, that the list was based on public statements by the MLA. Mr. Appel said the spokesperson told him anyone on their list was welcome to ask them to remove their name. DJC
I can hear a Lacombe-Ponoka resident paraphrasing Henny Youngman: That ain’t no “lady,” that’s my MLA!
Yes, the obvious question that needs to be asked is why does the UCP government feel the need to get involved in scheduling these interviews? Surely the Auditor General and the people he wants to discuss things with can coordinate their schedules on their own. So the only plausible reason I can think of is the government desperately wants to try manage or control the process.
As for those 11, or more likely 7, separatists in the UCP, if this is something they feel so strongly about shouldn’t they now go and start or join a party clearly pursuing separatism? That is sort of what happened in Quebec, where a former Cabinet Minister later became PQ leader.
My somewhat cynical view of the current outbursts about separatism in Alberta is that they are meant to try influence the Federal election in progress and threaten the rest of the country into voting a certain way. Whether this succeeds or not remains to be seen, but I bet whatever the outcome of the election there will be less talk about separatism in a few weeks, than now.
Dave, the words, “unspoken threat” come to mind.
Mebbe it’s just me.
“threaten the rest of the country into voting a certain way”
That may well be their intent, but the effect will be to make undecided voters vote the exact opposite way that they have in mind. I think you can add them to the Danielle and Preston Sabotage Poilievre Club.
Having the UCP schedule the interviews puts me in mind of the CPC requiring that their lawyer be present when Elections Canada officials interviewed party workers about the Robo Calls scandal. Heavy Handed control of the staffers statements was the intent, and this UCP action seems to be right out of the same blue playbook to emasculate any investigation, the only difference is substituing government to ‘schedule’ government emplyees, rather than having the CPC lawyer there to ‘guide’ CPC staffers answers.
Even with their own lawyer running interference on the interviews one CPC staffer fled, sorry, “declined to be interviewed and took a teaching position” in Kuwait, a country that had no extradition agreement with Canada.
Still wonder if they found out enough about a Pierre Poutin that would make him a security risk down the road.
Something is really rotten in UCP land.
“Ms. Johnson is the notorious poop-cookie lady.” Win or lose, she could whip up a batch and serve them to Mr. Peepers on election day. Yum yum.
Oh Alberta… you never disappoint.
You miss-spelled “always” ….
DC, Great column, as always. On the Auditor General issue, the A-G is a powerful investigator. AHS’s directive is quite improper, and seems aimed at intimidation of employees to be “careful” about what they divulge to the A-G. This is a direct attack on the A-G’s investigative powers. Section 14 of Alberta’s Auditor General Act states that employees must “give to the Auditor General any information, records or explanations that the Auditor General considers necessary to enable the Auditor General to exercise or perform the Auditor General’s powers and duties under this or any other Act”. This power cannot be restricted by an improper limitation such as “but only if your employer or it’s lawyer says it’s okay.”
Dixie Dani needs to understand a basic fact. Under the constitution (which has been verified by the courts numerous times) NO employer can demand through a NDA or other means of pressure that an employee commit, or not report on, activities in their employment that they perceive to be criminal acts. This includes fun things such as wage theft, submitting to or witnessing harassment in the workplace, employer demands to cook the books, or turning a blind eye to management committing fraud etc.
She also needs to wake up and smell the electricity. Oil and gas, while they will always be a part of some energy and production needs are tanking due to emphasis on cheaper, less damaging energy supplies such as hydro. While she waves her sceptre of gas/oil over Albertans, the fact is, the world is changing and she’s stuck in the 1950’s.
So call that referendum and stop threatening the rest of us with it, Smith.
Being born on top of an oil field in Norway would mean that the general public benefits from oil/gas extraction. Doesn’t matter which city you live in, there. Which is precisely why we need to turn gas/oil/minerals/energy into Crown Corporations.
As well, we need to shore up federal laws around providing healthcare. It’s either a human right or it isn’t–and since Canada believes it is–it’s time to foundation it with legislation so that Dixie Dani and Doug The Slug cannot chip away at it by selling chunks of it off to their friends.
Lordy I so want to see a new Janet Brown poll, not one of those suspect Angus Reid hot messes. The last time I saw this level of general contempt was for Kenney. Smith is getting even more.
This commentary gives far too much credit to Ric McIver. McIver, given the opportunity, never fails to expound on his Amway-convergent views on economics and life in general.
Ric’s middle name may as well be “no rules were broken” McIver.
David, you coined a great term a while ago for Alberta’s psychic affliction: “Pequiste envy.” Smith, Manning, et al. have long been convinced that Quebec gets everything it wants by threatening separation. It’s their brain worm.
The Austrian statelet is a new (to me at least) aspirational inspiration. “Tyrol tease”?
South Tyrolia, (Südtirol) is part of Italy, not Austria. Not sure if the amount of autonomy they have is much more than our provinces (which last time I looked up details have more agency and power (especially for taxation) than the constituent countries of the UK (even after devolution gave back Parliaments to Scotland et al.)
As far as supporting a referendum goes, in fairness supporting a referendum does not mean that a politician would vote in favour of the question. For example, the Federal Conservatives, when discussions were ongoing about electoral reform and introducing some element of proportional representation, were insistent there should be a referendum – and I am pretty sure they would all have voted against it (how would they ever get a majority again with a proportional element ?). And this Alberta Republican Party never even asked any of the politicians, apparently, as has been noted. They could be interpreting a statement like ” well, if enough people really wanted to consider separation, it really should be put to a referendum” as being pro-referendum.
Marlain-a-Lago is clearly looking to identify any front line staff who spill the beans so that they can be fired. Right out of the Trump fascism playbook.
It must be difficult to pretend be fully and completely transparent and accountable to your own citizens while at the same time attempting to ensure that one’s ideological objectives are being met under the table and/or on the down-low; i.e. increased health care privatization that also coincidentally furthers the monetary interests of UCP connected lobbyists and their clients by the greasing of the privatization wheels. In that reality, doublethink, gag orders, and legal obstructionism would be simply representative of the business as usual mindset.
https://www.theprogressreport.ca/numbered-companies-tied-to-procurement-scandal
Now that this list has made the claim of support by UCP MLAs for a binding independence referendum, it is the duty of those listed to set the record straight. Do they or do they not support a referendum? If they do not refute the claim, I will vote accordingly. Wouldn’t you think that those listed would be keen to protect their reputations from spurious claims?
I also have questions for Ric McIver about the erasure of codes of conduct for municipal councils. What brought this on? Did it have anything to do with the fiasco in Chestermere involving an ex-brother-in-law?
https://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/fired-ex-mayor-candidates-chestermere-byelection
https://x.com/JeremyAppel1025/status/1910539985255641277
“UPDATE: Alberta Republican president Brittany Marsh admits her party didn’t send out a questionnaire to MLAs.”
I have always marvelled at the spelling of Ms. Petrovic’s first name. Having lived in Chelsea, QC for many years, I wondered why it was a bit hard to spell and pronounce. Could be a family name I guess.
Could Albertan politicians please stop threatening us with a good time?
It would be so entertaining to watch them fail the referendum miserably then watch them tapdancing backwards swearing they never wanted it.
Well they are just reminding staff of the “official secrets act” whereby no one “sees no evil, hears no evil or speaks no evil”. There have been many people punted for trying to embarrass the PC’s / UCP’s over the years. While most of us have very good things to say about Peter Lougheed, there was one thing that one never did and that was try to embarrass him. For his interviews, he got a list of questions beforehand and edited them to the way he liked. If a journalist asked something other or something slightly embarrassing, that was the last interview that reporter got.