NDP defends itself after interference allegations from ex-AHS CEO
Posted Apr 6, 2016 4:32 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The controversial resignation letter from former Alberta Health Services CEO Vickie Kaminski was front and centre in the Alberta Legislature Wednesday afternoon, as the premier and health minister defended themselves regarding accusations of political interference.
In the letter obtained by CBC News, Kaminski said the NDP’s actions eventually caused her to leave her post, while also indicating they tried to conduct business in “voice-mode,” meaning they didn’t want to leave a paper trail of potentially damaging documents by meeting in person.
Wildrose Leader Brian Jean accused of the government of trying to take over AHS.
“Can the premier tell us what qualifications the health minister has that would allow her to micro-manage, review and vet every single health decision? Is the minister going to be the new CEO of AHS?” Jean asked.
Premier Rachel Notley defended her cabinet member, saying she was elected by the people of Alberta for a reason.
“To oversee the spending of almost 40 per cent of our budget, not to hand it over to some self-made CEO who thinks that they get to operate independent of the very people who put that number into their budget,” Notley said.
Jean then went after Hoffman over the voice-mode controversy.
“It is very clear that this government is trying to do things in secret, what agenda is the premier hiding by having her minister give political orders to top public servants without creating any records whatsoever?” Jean said.
Notley said Jean was taking her comment and blowing it out of proportion.
“There’s loads of records, absolutely loads of records,” Notley said. “To suggest that they not speak to each other is really, really quite silly.”
Another major topic was the AHS plan to change the City of Calgary’s 911 services system and that Kaminski would announce the changes after the provincial election.
Notley heavily criticized that admission.
“I would suggest that the letter’s admission that a critical decision affecting the people of Calgary was intentionally withheld until after the election, that Mr. Speaker is political interference,” she said.
Interim PC Leader Ric McIver criticized Hoffman over the voice-mode issue.
“If you stand by your actions and characterize them as being governous, rather than interference, why the attempts to keep them off the public record?” McIver asked.
Hoffman dismissed the idea there would be no records of such meetings and conversations.
“There’s times where there certainly needs to be a dialogue, where you can get much clearer outcomes and you can have the back and forth necessary to have a conversation and some people like to communicate that as ‘voice-mode,” she said. “I say I’ll give you a call.”
“That doesn’t prevent anyone from putting things in writing after the fact.”
