United Conservative Party expels MLA who pushed for public probe of health contracting

An MLA and erstwhile curate conscionable removed from the United Conservative Party caucus alleges the wellness minister — and perchance the premier — withheld accusation from furniture ministers deciding the destiny of the Alberta Health Services committee of directors.

UCP caucus members voted Wednesday greeting to expel Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie, who volition present beryllium arsenic an autarkic MLA.

Inside the legislative enclosure connected Wednesday, Guthrie tabled to the clerk a February 25, 2025, letter that helium had sent to Premier Danielle Smith connected the time helium resigned from furniture arsenic infrastructure minister.

In the letter, helium said ministers attending a wellness furniture committee gathering connected Jan. 30, 2025, were "deliberately misled," which led to the authorities firing AHS committee members the adjacent day. He said helium could not abide those actions.

"If we tin normalize specified deception successful authorities concern practices, what different indiscretions whitethorn emerge?" Guthrie's missive says.

Guthrie's allegations travel aft erstwhile CEO of Alberta Health Services Athana Mentzelopoulos filed a wrongful dismissal suit against the wellness authorization and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange.

Mentzelopoulos's suit alleges she was fired successful portion due to the fact that she'd 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 auditor wide has launched a probe into the allegations, and the authorities appointed a erstwhile Manitoba justice to analyse immoderate irregularities successful AHS procurement.

Both LaGrange and AHS person denied Menzelopoulos's allegations. LaGrange said successful a connection of defence the erstwhile CEO wasn't fulfilling her mandate to restructure the transportation of wellness attraction successful Alberta. And AHS alleged Menzelopoulos was seeking a larger severance payment.

None of the allegations person been proven successful court.

Ousted UCP subordinate felt misled

Mentzelopoulos's rebuttal to the statements of defence says an AHS committee subordinate was acrophobic capable astir her findings successful December 2024 that they recommended she instrumentality the information to the RCMP. The RCMP has since confirmed it is investigating.

Then-deputy wellness curate Andre Tremblay fired Mentzelopoulos connected January 8.

LaGrange fired the AHS committee members connected Jan. 31 and replaced the committee with Tremblay arsenic authoritative administrator.

On Feb. 12, Smith said the archetypal she heard of allegations of wrongdoing successful wellness contracting was successful aboriginal February reporting by the Globe and Mail.

Guthrie's Feb. 25 missive to the premier alleges that LaGrange, and possibly Smith, knew astir procurement issues with AHS and Alberta Health successful January, earlier the AHS committee was fired, "yet you deliberately misled our reduced quorum Health Cabinet Committee (HPGCC) connected January 30th," the missive said.

"This deception resulted successful the dismissal of the AHS board."

Opposition House person Christina Gray questioned the premier astir Guthrie's missive astatine the extremity of question play successful the legislature connected Wednesday.

In response, Smith said the authorities knew the erstwhile AHS CEO had claimed antithetic backstage surgical contractors were being paid antithetic prices for the aforesaid work.

"That is the precise bosom of wherefore it is we've asked justice (Raymond) Wyant and the auditor wide to instrumentality a look astatine wherefore that is," Smith said. "Why does Clearpoint person a declaration for $3,700 per night, but Alberta Surgical Group has a declaration for $8,300, some of which really are little than what AHS charges? Absolutely. That's wherefore we're getting to the bottommost of this."

The premier besides said determination was "nothing new" successful Guthrie's letter.

Smith referred reporters to her comments successful question period.

LaGrange did not reply questions astir the substance wrong the legislative chamber.

In effect to emailed questions, Smith's property secretarySam Blackett said the Jan. 30 gathering was to alteration the assignment of an interim AHS CEO and an authoritative head for AHS.

"There was nary accusation withheld from the HPGCC applicable to this issue," helium said.

Blackett's connection said the province became alert of Mentzelopoulos's concerns successful summertime 2024 but that she did not supply substantive grounds to enactment her allegations.

A gradual separation

Guthrie, who was archetypal elected arsenic a UCP MLA successful 2019, had been serving arsenic infrastructure curate since June 2023.

He had pressured his authorities to instrumentality enactment wrong days of Mentzelopoulos's allegations surfacing. In February, helium urged the premier to determination LaGrange retired of the wellness portfolio and manus immoderate perchance transgression matters implicit to the RCMP, according to a memo obtained by CBC News.

About 2 weeks later, Guthrie resigned from cabinet, citing interest astir the government's procurement practices.

Although helium sat connected the party's backbench, Guthrie confirmed successful March helium had been barred from attending enactment caucus meetings since Feb. 26.

On Monday, MLAs voted connected an NDP question successful the legislature to telephone a nationalist enquiry into allegations astir wellness procurement. Guthrie was the lone UCP subordinate to ballot successful favour, aft earlier saying nationalist servants were being muzzled successful assorted ongoing probes.

UCP caucus members met successful Edmonton connected Wednesday morning, and voted to region Guthrie from caucus, enactment whip Shane Getson told reporters.

"He vocalized that helium was diametrically opposed to the way that we're going and that was the decision," Getson said of Guthrie.

The whip said it's OK for an MLA to disagree with the absorption the enactment was going, arsenic agelong arsenic they explicit those concerns internally.

In a quality release, the UCP caucus said Guthrie disagreed with colleagues that they should await the results of investigations by the auditor wide oregon Wyant earlier taking immoderate much action.

Guthrie told reporters that much than 60 per cent of caucus members voted to region him. He said criticizing the authorities comes astatine a cost.

"I was asking for openness, transparency, honesty, and alternatively of embracing that  . . . the authorities has done everything that it tin to impede processes," helium said.

Guthrie besides accused the bulk of his erstwhile caucus colleagues of turning a unsighted oculus to the allegations. He said astir of them person not work the tribunal documents filed successful Mentzelopoulos's lawsuit.

Getson denied UCP MLAs aren't paying attraction to the details of the case.

Guthrie volition articulation erstwhile UCP MLA Scott Sinclair, who has been sitting arsenic an autarkic since March, aft publically criticizing the government's 2025-26 budget.

Sinclair besides voted successful favour of the question calling for a nationalist inquiry, and said helium supports Guthrie.

He told reporters connected Wednesday helium was disappointed successful the premier and his erstwhile colleagues.

 "It takes a batch of courageousness and integrity to beryllium capable to deliberation astir his position," Sinclair said. "Giving up a furniture presumption successful this satellite we unrecorded in, is extremely, highly courageous."

NDP person Naheed Nenshi said Smith isn't listening to elected members and keeps them successful the dark.

"When you dainty your caucus members similar mushrooms, you mightiness find a poison one," helium said.