Former Alberta cabinet minister calls government health contract probe ‘whitewashing’

A scathing open letter from a former Alberta cabinet minister calls into question the province’s response to a bubbling scandal and its governing strategy.

A former Alberta cabinet minister says an investigation called by Premier Danielle Smith’s government into multimillion-dollar health contracts looks like a “whitewashing” exercise.

Peter Guthrie, now an Independent member of the legislature, says in a public letter, that among other problems, the terms of the third-party probe are so narrow that it will be tough to get to the heart of what happened.

Guthrie quit Smith’s cabinet and was later expelled from the governing United Conservative caucus over his public concerns about the contracts.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

Thursday, some of his constituents told CTV News they trust his judgement.

“I think it’s a good thing,” one Cochrane shopper said. “I like the guy and he seems to know what he’s talking about.

“I’m okay with it, as long as he’s still fighting for Cochrane,” another added. “It shouldn’t be just because you’re in the party, everyone has to think the same.”

One MacEwan University political science professor says it’s now up to Smith to regain the public support.

“Her challenge is to speak to the concerns and let people feel like they’re being heard - the people in her party who are maybe more upset,” Brendan Boyd said.

“Jason Kenney could afford to lose a couple (seats) and still hold the confidence of the house. That’s a bit tighter now because the majority is slimmer. So, they’re really down to wiggle room of about three or four MLAs, who if they decide to sit as independents or vote against the government, (the UCP) would be in danger of losing the confidence of the house.”

“When I look across the aisle, I see a bunch of very uncomfortable people,” Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi added. “They probably had nothing to do with the scandal, most of them, and they don’t want to be the ones holding the bag when the music finally stops.”

The former head of Alberta Health Services is suing the government, saying she was fired for investigating allegations of political meddling and questionable costs in the contracts.

The government disagrees, saying Athana Menztelopoulos was fired because she was failing in her job and was hindering health reforms.

The premier’s office says Guthrie is entitled to voice his opinions, but says it has faith in the investigation now underway by former Manitoba judge Raymond Wyant.

The RCMP and Auditor General are also investigating.

With files from The Canadian Press