NDP demanding premier call back legislature to address AHS allegations

By Alexandra Noad - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on February 13, 2025.

The Alberta NDP is demanding Premier Danielle Smith call back the legislature and answer to allegations of the firing of Athana Mentzelopoulos, former chief executive officer of Alberta Health Services.

Allegations surfaced last week when the Globe and Mail reported that a letter said to be addressed to Mentzelopoulos lawyers claimed that she believes she was fired for conducting an internal investigation into procurement contracts and deals for private surgical facilities and was set to meet with the auditor-general about her findings, but two days before her alleged meeting she was dismissed.

Sarah Hoffman, shadow Health Minister for the NDP, says while these are allegations have not been confirmed yet, if they are true, it means the UCP has used tax dollars to pay their friends through contracts of more than a half a billion dollars. She adds Albertans deserve transparency and honesty from the Albertan government.

“Albertans deserve to know, if as alleged, Premier Danielle Smith and her health minister, Adriana LaGrange, did intentionally fire the CEO and Bored of AHS when they raised questions about the very serious an expensive public contracts that were given to friends of the UCP government.”

While nearly 1 million Albertans are without a family doctor and many waiting for life-changing and life-saving surgeries, Hoffman says the chaos and coverups the UCP is allegedly doing is “unethical, reckless incompetent and could very well be corrupt.”

LaGrange announced Tuesday that the UCP government is investigating themselves through a third party, but Rakhi Pancholi, deputy leader for the NDP, says she is not confident Premier Smith won’t hire someone to cover her tracks.

“As the investigation will be conducted by an undisclosed third party reporting directly to the premier, this is absurdity,” says Pancholi. “At best, this appears to be a conflict of interest, at worst, it could be one of the most egregious examples of corruption this province has ever seen.”

She adds that if the Albertan government believes they have no part to play in these allegations she should step aside during the investigation.

“Anything less is an insult to the people of the province; anything less is a coverup for corruption.”

According to Pancholi, if the premier wants to be transparent, she should take steps to prove it, one of them being reconvening the legislature immediately so this issue can be addressed in front of elected representatives of the province.

Premier Smith is currently in Washington D.C. discussing tariffs along with other premiers from the country, but Pancholi says her absence raises “some serious questions.”

“Albertans have not seen their premier for weeks, she has not stood before the public to answer for this,” says Pancholi. “Either she is hiding from Albertans or she does not believe in the gravity of these allegations and the urgency with which they need to be addressed.”

The NDP are not the only ones asking for Premier Smith to step aside. In a news release Bradley LaFortune, executive director of Public Interest Alberta, said the Alberta government should not be able to investigate itself, especially given how serious the allegations are.

“The allegations made by the former chief executive officer of AHS clearly indicate the possible criminal conduct of senior officials within the UCP government,” said LaFortune. “This could be the largest political scandal in Alberta’s history. If Danielle Smith finds these allegations ‘concerning’ as she has said, then she should welcome an RCMP with an open door.”