Former Alberta cabinet minister calls probe into health contracts 'whitewashing'

Lisa Johnson · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 24, 2025 7:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

A erstwhile Alberta furniture curate says an probe called by Premier Danielle Smith's authorities into multimillion-dollar wellness contracts looks similar a whitewashing exercise.

Peter Guthrie, present an Independent subordinate of the legislature, posted a missive Wednesday afternoon, saying that, among different problems, the presumption of a third-party probe by a erstwhile Manitoba justice are truthful constrictive that it volition beryllium pugnacious to get to the bosom of what happened.

Guthrie said the United Conservative authorities is lone hurting itself since the probe by erstwhile Manitoba justice Raymond Wyant is improbable to gain nationalist trust.

"This reappraisal resembles a classical 'Whitewash Report,' seemingly designed to conceal wrongdoing alternatively than exposure it — an attack that risks triggering superior accusations of a coverup," Guthrie wrote.

He discontinue Smith's furniture successful February and was expelled past week from the governing UCP caucus implicit his nationalist concerns astir the contracts.

It each comes aft the erstwhile caput of Alberta Health Services sued the authorities successful February, alleging she was fired successful portion due to the fact that she had launched an probe and forensic audit into immoderate purchasing contracts and was reassessing deals she had concluded were overpriced, which she claims had links to authorities officials.

The authorities disagrees, saying Athana Mentzelopoulos was fired due to the fact that she was failing successful her occupation and was hindering wellness reforms.

None of the allegations person been proven successful court.

Smith has denied immoderate wrongdoing, insisting her authorities is afloat co-operating with aggregate investigations to get to the bottommost of it, including those by auditor wide Doug Wylie and Wyant.

The substance has besides prompted an RCMP investigation.

Smith's property caput Sam Blackett said successful a connection Thursday that Guthrie is entitled to clasp and dependable his opinions.

"We're going to fto these processes reason and await their recommendations," helium said of the investigations presently underway.

Smith has for months bucked demands for an autarkic judicial inquiry.

Blackett did not straight code Guthrie's concerns that Wyant's probe is confined to reviewing rules and policies and won't person the teeth to prosecute accountability.

Echoing the concerns of the Opposition NDP, Guthrie said witnesses can't beryllium compelled to attest by Wyant, and immoderate accusation shared is tightly controlled by authorities officials.

"A fig of cardinal unit and elder unit wrong AHS person already been dismissed, further hampering the credibility of the inquiry," Guthrie wrote.

Alberta New Democrats person besides questioned whether the enactment of the auditor wide is being stymied by the government.

NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi has said funnelling interrogation requests from Wylie's bureau done a lawyer amounts to a gag bid connected nationalist servants.

Guthrie's wide-ranging letter, addressed to his constituents and Albertans, raises different grievances.

In it, helium accuses Smith's furniture of a "troubling deficiency of fiscal accountability," citing this year's multibillion-dollar fund deficit, and of undermining the precise blimpish causes she purports to basal for.

Guthrie writes that it appears Smith is utilizing the national predetermination arsenic an accidental to rise her ain nationalist profile, perchance astatine the disbursal of the Conservative Party of Canada and its leader, Pierre Poilievre.

Smith has been accused of undercutting Poilievre's run by suggesting helium is successful "sync" with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has raised ire successful Canada by threatening to annex it.

Guthrie says he's astatine likelihood with immoderate of Smith's different moves, alluding to her menace past period that if the adjacent elected national authorities doesn't acquiesce to Alberta's demands, determination could beryllium an "unprecedented nationalist unity crisis."

"Recent developments successful her governmental docket rise morganatic questions astir her intentions for Alberta's relation wrong the Canadian federation," writes Guthrie.

Blackett said successful response: "The premier has stated connected aggregate occasions that she and our UCP caucus enactment a beardown and sovereign Alberta wrong a United Canada."