Alberta premier resists calls from Opposition to pull lawyers from health probe process

Lisa Johnson · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 7:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says hiring lawyers to funnel requests from the auditor wide isn't meant to obstruct an probe into multimillion-dollar wellness contracts — it's astir helping get to the truth.

The authorities has instructed nationalist servants to interaction a lawyer to co-ordinate if auditor wide Doug Wylie requests an interrogation arsenic portion of his probe.

The Opposition NDP's person successful the legislature, Christina Gray, said Monday the argumentation suggests a coverup is afoot, and challenged the premier to assistance what the NDP calls a "gag order."

It was the archetypal accidental for the NDP to inquire questions straight to Smith since the authorities directive was revealed successful a leaked interior email past week.

The United Conservative premier said the NDP is twisting the truth, and determination is nary gag order.

Smith said the argumentation is the champion mode to assistance Wylie cod the thousands of records helium needs and co-ordinate perchance hundreds of interviews to get to the bottommost of allegations of questionable contracts.

"There's a ample fig of documents to co-ordinate, and that's the champion method to bash so," she said.

"The auditor wide tin inquire immoderate employee, erstwhile oregon current, immoderate questions helium likes arsenic helium is doing the investigation. We judge our relation is to assistance successful being capable to facilitate that access," she said.

Gray said that's "ridiculous" and the authorities falsely stated that the process is modular and the auditor wide endorsed it — a assertion that past week was challenged by the auditor wide himself.

"Does the premier recognize however corrupt this looks?" Gray asked.

Investigations

Smith said she learned precocious past week that Alberta Health hired an extracurricular lawyer to help, and she has directed her justness curate to marque definite unit and officials are afloat co-operating with Wylie's investigation.

Multiple investigations person been launched, including 1 by the RCMP, since the erstwhile caput of Alberta Health Services launched a wrongful dismissal successful February claiming she was fired because she'd launched an probe and forensic audit into assorted contracts, among different issues.

The authorities and AHS person said Athana Mentzelopoulos was fired due to the fact that she was failing successful her occupation and was moving to halt mandated wellness reform.

Allegations from either broadside person yet to beryllium tested successful court.

The wellness ministry did not instantly respond to The Canadian Press connected Monday to clarify whether authorities employees are besides being instructed to guardant requests from erstwhile Manitoba justice Raymond Wyant arsenic portion of his abstracted probe into wellness contracts.

The premier is besides getting renewed pushback from 1 of her ain caucus members.

Former infrastructure curate Peter Guthrie, who had stepped down from furniture implicit the government's handling of the scandal, said helium remains nether a UCP caucus gag order.

He utilized the regular tabling of reports to accidental successful the legislature that having lawyers progressive successful the auditor general's reappraisal amounts to the "muzzling of authorities officials."

Guthrie, who present sits arsenic UCP backbencher, told reporters it is "obstructionist."

"I would similar to spot radical consciousness escaped to beryllium capable to stock their thoughts with the auditor wide without feeling that (there) whitethorn beryllium retribution for them," helium said.

Guthrie besides said helium agreed with the NDP, and different critics, who person called for a afloat judicial nationalist inquiry.

"If we person thing to hide, we should instrumentality that path," helium said.

The NDP continued its propulsion for that enquiry Monday, telling reporters they would impulse UCP MLAs to enactment it successful a ballot successful the house.