MAD AS HELL: Ousted MLA Peter Guthrie takes online swipe at Danielle Smith

Alberta MLA Peter Guthrie has taken an online swipe at Premier Danielle Smith over what some call the “CorruptCare” scandal.

On Feb. 25, Guthrie resigned from cabinet, citing government-wide procurement issues. He accused Smith and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange of misleading a health cabinet committee.

Guthrie called for LaGrange’s removal and a public inquiry into AHS contract allegations raised by fired AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos.

There are many allegations that comprise the “CorruptCare” scandal, as spoken of by the NDP and Guthrie — none have been tested in court. Mentzelopoulos is suing the province for $1.7 million for wrongful dismissal. In its statement of defence, the province said she was fired for several reasons, including performance issues.

The United Conservative Party placed Guthrie on a 30-day caucus probation, which extended into April, restricting his participation. On April 14, he supported an NDP motion for a public inquiry, which failed. His continued criticism led to his expulsion from the UCP caucus, after which he released his resignation letter and now sits as an independent next to the NDP in the legislature.

“Last Thursday, I rose in the house to hold Danielle Smith accountable for misleading the health cabinet committee and hiding key details leading to the firing of the AHS board — her own appointees,” wrote Guthrie on X on Tuesday.

“She failed to mention a 10-page letter from the former AHS CEO, notification of the auditor general, an AHS report on Tylenol, and a probe into surgical facilities. Withholding information from cabinet is unacceptable and must not be normalized.”

Responding to Guthrie’s questions in the legislature about an alleged lack of disclosure, LaGrange said in part, “The member opposite is misguided, misinformed, and has misinterpreted the context of that meeting.”

In a statement provided to the Western Standard, Smith’s press secretary, Sam Blackett, said: “MLA Guthrie is mistaken. The meeting was for the purpose of enabling the appointment of an interim CEO and official administrator of AHS to support the transition of AHS to a hospital-based service provider and the standing up of Acute Care Alberta. There was no information withheld from the HPGCC relevant to this issue.“

"The termination of the former CEO of AHS was not related to this meeting in any way. Related to procurement matters, the statement of defence filed by the government is clear that the province became aware that the former CEO was conducting an investigation into procurement matters at AHS in the summer of 2024.“

"The province repeatedly asked for substantive information and details and then, when no details were provided, directed the former AHS CEO to share the results of her investigation so they could be addressed in a timely fashion. However, the former CEO never provided the minister with any substantive details about the findings of her investigation despite repeated requests by the minister for those details.”

Blackett concluded, “The reasons for the termination of the former CEO of AHS were clearly not related to her investigation of this matter and are outlined in the statement of defence, including specifically under paragraph 17 of that document.”