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Opinion
Health
Politics

Please Advise! How Big Is This Latest Alberta Scandal?

Seems sizable! Enough to make Danielle Smith gulp a Tylenol or two.

Steve Burgess 17 Feb 2025The Tyee

Steve Burgess writes about politics and culture for The Tyee. Read his previous articles.

Three-quarter profile of a 53-year-old light-skinned woman with shoulder-length brown hair, mouth partly open in mid-speech.
Do tell! Alberta Premier Smith says it’s all news to her. Photo via Alberta government.

Dear Dr. Steve,

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is attempting to brush off a scandal involving Alberta Health Services. Former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos alleges she was fired for launching an investigation of procurement deals and surgical contracts pushed by influential United Conservative Party staffers. Ms. Mentzelopoulos is reportedly seeking $1.7 million for wrongful dismissal.

Is Smith in serious trouble, Dr. Steve?

Signed,

Impatient

Dear Impatient,

As you know, Dr. Steve is a specialist. And his specialty is money. This is exactly the kind of clinical operation he understands.

While Canada appoints a new fentanyl czar, international drug trafficking has been thriving in Alberta, and perfectly legal too. Before the UCP government tossed her into the medical waste bin, Mentzelopoulos was looking into huge AHS contracts worth $70 million placed for Turkish drug products, some of which proved less than ideal.

Acetaminophen, procured from Turkish company Atabay and intended for use in feeding tubes, was apparently a bit thick. There's a reason they don't put beef jerky and fruitcake into those tubes. Alberta then tried to offload the stuff onto other provinces, but apparently no one was interested in acetaminophen you could probably use to caulk shower tiles.

But never mind that. The AHS contract with importer MHCare Medical went down much more smoothly. According to a Globe and Mail report, several UCP cabinet ministers and government officials attended Edmonton Oilers playoff games as guests of MHCare founder Sam Mraiche. So if you ever wondered why the team is called the Oilers, well, maybe it's because a seat in a luxury suite might just help grease the wheels. Even Connor McDavid never made a score this big.

Smith has said she only found out all this from news stories, particularly a Feb. 5 Globe report. As former premier Rachel Notley pointed out, this claim is “beyond ridiculous. The people who were investigating and/or recommended referral to the RCMP were fired by Order in Council. The premier chairs said council.”

So Smith pleading ignorance is a bit like saying, “It was only when I read the newspapers that I found out what I had for lunch.”

Even one of Smith's own cabinet ministers has called for action. That's a long shot. It doesn't usually work out well when the kids are telling Mom to take her medicine.

But it all underscores the fact that Smith and U.S. President Donald Trump share a bond. She's been the Trump-friendliest of all the premiers, always urging her provincial counterparts to negotiate fairly with the Oval Orifice. Meanwhile Trump refers to Canada's prime minister as “Governor,” an explicit and hostile denial of Canadian sovereignty. Smith wants to meet Trump halfway — maybe we'll only bend one knee at first.

Trump and Smith also seem to share similar attitudes on medical policy. Trump's approach to public health apparently focuses on self-preservation. His administration just fired over 300 staffers at the National Cancer Institute. In the fight against cancer, Trump has chosen his side. And when you consider Trump's effect on the rule of law, it's what you might call professional courtesy. Takes a cancer to know one.

Trump's new head of Health and Human Services was confirmed this week. It is of course Robert F. Kennedy Jr., favourite candidate of Big Polio. Talk about “human services” — RFK Jr. is going to be serving Americans up like sausage rolls. If Jeffrey Dahmer were still alive he'd probably be running the Food and Drug Administration.

Meanwhile U.S. Vice-President JD Vance visited Germany, delivered a Trumpy rant to a European audience and was subsequently rebuked by Germany's defence minister. Eighty years after the conclusion of the Second World War, we're watching another round of democracy versus fascism, and this time the combatants have switched sides.

But back to your question, Impatient — is Premier Smith in serious trouble? Well, something certainly is — accountability, consequences and the rule of law are all endangered in America. Do they still have a pulse in Canada? [Tyee]

Read more: Health, Politics

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