Guthrie resigns as Alberta infrastructure minister over government contract procurement processes
Posted Feb 25, 2025 9:42 am.
Last Updated Feb 25, 2025 8:25 pm.
A minister in Danielle Smith’s government is resigning his position in the wake of the Alberta Health Services (AHS) procurement scandal.
Peter Guthrie, who had been serving as Alberta’s Minister of Infrastructure, announced the news on social media Tuesday.
The minister made headlines earlier this month when he called for Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange to be shuffled to a different portfolio following allegations of high level corruption in health contracts. Guthrie also called for interim Alberta Health Service CEO, Andre Tremblay, to be moved from his position.
Guthrie says his decision to step down stems from his concern for the government’s procurement practices in all departments, and the apparent lack of concern amongst his colleagues.
“As Minister of Infrastructure, I had line of sight into these processes and took steps to address inconsistencies and recommend improvements as part of my fiduciary duty,” reads a letter signed by Guthrie and posted to X.
He explains efforts he suggested to combat the problem — the introduction of Bill 13 and proposing a Financial Oversight Committee — would have been “instrumental in preventing some of the issues we are now seeing in Alberta Health and AHS.”
“Unfortunately, the majority of cabinet does not appear to share my concerns,” Guthrie continued. “For this reason, I have decided to step down and return to caucus as a private member, where I can continue to voice my concerns and hold Cabinet accountable with honesty and integrity.
“It is essential that the public has confidence in its government and its processes. We were elected to be open, transparent, fiscally responsible and — above all — honest with Albertans.”
The controversy at hand stems from a a $1.7 million wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed by former Alberta Health Services (AHS) CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos, who claims she was fired for digging deeper into how certain companies were getting government contracts.
Auditor general Doug Wylie has confirmed he’s begun investigating procurement and contracting processes at AHS and the department of health. He says that includes looking into chartered surgical facilities, medications and COVID-19 personal protection equipment.
Guthrie was first elected as MLA for Airdrie-Cochrane in 2019, and was re-elected in 2023. He was sworn in an Minister of Infrastructure in 2023. Prior to that, he managed the energy portfolio.
He is one of multiple cabinet ministers who have admitted they accepted luxury box suite tickets to Edmonton Oilers playoff games courtesy of MHCare and CEO Sam Mraiche.
MHCare was awarded a $70-million deal in 2022 to secure children’s pain medication from Turkey, but the government only received 30 per cent of the order and AHS stopped using the medication over safety concerns.
Guthrie will return to caucus as a private member.
Premier accepts resignation, reiterates lack of involvement
Smith confirmed her acceptance of Guthrie’s resignation, saying his concerns about Mentzelopoulos’s allegations are being investigated.
“We have pledged our government’s full cooperation and support to the Auditor General to expedite his review so we can have answers as soon as possible,” she said. “I have also directed our senior civil service to retain a highly credible third party with a strong legal background capable of investigating this matter independently of government so we can understand exactly what occurred with regard to the AHS procurement processes in question.”
The premier once again repeated she was not involved in the procurement decisions in question, and is not aware of any wrongdoing with regard to allegations made by the former CEO.
“My actions were straightforward: the government made a policy decision to expand surgical facilities to tackle the critical issue of wait times, and we all trusted that that direction would be acted upon and implemented by AHS,” Smith said.
Opposition continue calls for health minister’s resignation
The NDP said following the news the resignation announcement made Tuesday should have been that of LaGrange.
Opposition Leader Christina Gray also once again called for the premier to step aside while her government “is investigated for the worst corruption scandal Alberta has ever seen.”
She accused Smith of trying to sweep the scandal under the rung, again demanding a judicial-led public inquiry into the matter.
