‘False, baseless and defamatory’: Smith claims she played no part in Alberta health contract allegations
Posted Feb 8, 2025 11:05 am.
Last Updated Feb 8, 2025 1:09 pm.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith broke her silence Saturday, saying she played no role in the allegations of corruption in her government, stating any claims made are “false, baseless and defamatory.”
This follows a report from The Globe and Mail that suggests former Alberta Health Services (AHS) CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos was fired for digging deeper into how certain companies were getting government contracts.
Smith says she has read multiple reports on the allegations, saying they are troubling and should be reviewed as “quickly as possible,” but added she had nothing to do with them.
“As Premier, I was not involved in any wrongdoing. Any insinuation to the contrary is false, baseless and defamatory,” she said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
According to a letter from Mentzelopoulos’s lawyer, she was allegedly pressured by UCP government officials to sign off on new deals for chartered surgical facilities, and further alleging she was fired days before meeting with the auditor general.
This also comes as the United Conservative government dismantled the board of AHS and appointed the deputy minister of health Andre Tremblay as official administrator on an interim basis at the end of January.
The Alberta NDP has asked for investigations from the RCMP, the auditor general, the ethics commissioner, and a judicial-led public inquiry.
Opposition leader Naheed Nenshi says all people named in the allegations, including Smith, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, and Tremblay, should step aside from their roles during the probes.
In her statement, Smith says it’s no secret she has been unhappy with AHS and its “quality of service”. While “difficult decisions” were made to make improvements, she doesn’t accept the results.
“It’s no secret I have been unhappy with the level and quality of service delivered by AHS and in the inability of AHS to deliver quality and timely healthcare to Albertans. I will continue to relentlessly push forward to make improvements. Although that has required difficult decisions and major change, I do not accept the current results,” she said.
“There is a widespread and deep-seated resistance to change that we must overcome.
“That’s my goal: better healthcare for all.”
Smith, meanwhile, says she is asking for an expedited review of Auditor General Doug Wylie’s findings, who is already looking into how the health ministry and AHS approve contracts, including for chartered surgical facilities.
She adds she is directing officials to be “fully transparent” with information requests from Wylie, saying it needs to be done on an “expedited basis.”
“We need to get to the bottom of this issue quickly to identify any potential wrongdoing, correct it, and address it appropriately,” she said.
AHS has not answered questions while the probe is underway but says it has halted the awarding of contracts between the parties involved.
She has also asked for AHS’s internal review to be “completed as quickly as possible” and delivered directly to her so she and her government can study it and make improvements or adjustments to the process.
Watch: Another former AHS executive concerned about contracts
Nenshi responded to her post on Saturday, saying what she is doing isn’t good enough.
“Her own office is implicated. The investigation can’t be delivered to the people being investigated. How dumb does she think Albertans are?” he said,
He reiterated the need for an RCMP investigation and public inquiry, and the need for those implicated to step aside during the inquiry.
“Former AHS staff and Board members must be freed from any gag orders,” he said.
“Albertans expect no less. Premier, it’s time to face the music.”
He added in a separate statement that an AHS inquiry that reports to Tremblay, named in the allegations, is “worse than worthless.”
“Danielle Smith would prefer to sweep this under the rug and do a quick and dirty investigation. We won’t let them get away with that,” he said.
LaGrange’s office previously told CityNews the allegations over Mentzelopoulos’ firing are false and that all recent personnel changes were part of the province’s planned transition to the newly formed Acute Care Alberta agency.
The private surgical provider named in the allegations says the claims are false.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated and edited for clarity
With files from Shilpa Downton and Michael Ranger, and The Canadian Press
