Friday Focus: We Need a Public Inquiry

The corruption allegations surrounding Alberta’s healthcare contracts are getting worse, and the UCP government is doing everything it can to avoid real accountability.

Former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos has stated in her lawsuit that she was fired for investigating suspicious healthcare contracts—contracts that may have been inflated and awarded under questionable circumstances. Millions of taxpayer dollars could be at stake, funneled into private deals instead of frontline care. Instead of answering these allegations, the UCP has shut down questions and refused to take responsibility.

Premier Danielle Smith and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange insist there’s nothing to see here. But if that were true, why was the AHS CEO fired? Why are contracts being quietly suspended? Why is the government resisting calls for transparency?

A review by the Auditor General is not enough. Neither is a review that is reported to the Premier and released to Albertans at her discretion. We deserve a full public inquiry—one that is independent, transparent, and capable of exposing the full truth. Anything less is a cover-up.

We will keep demanding accountability, and we won’t let this government sweep corruption under the rug.