Guthrie resigns from Alberta cabinet, citing concerns over procurement practices
Alberta’s Minister of Infrastructure, Peter Guthrie, resigned from cabinet Tuesday morning, citing concerns over the provincial government’s procurement practices and a lack of accountability...
Author: Isaac Lamoureux
Alberta’s Minister of Infrastructure, Peter Guthrie, resigned from cabinet Tuesday morning, citing concerns over the provincial government’s procurement practices and a lack of accountability within Premier Danielle Smith’s government.
Guthrie announced his resignation in a letter addressed to constituents, stating he had taken steps to address procurement inconsistencies across government departments but found little support from cabinet.
“In recent months, I have voiced concerns regarding the Government of Alberta’s procurement practices across all departments,” wrote Guthrie.
As infrastructure minister, Guthrie said he had insight into procurement processes and had recommended creating a financial oversight committee to review and advise on all major government contracts.
“If implemented, such a committee could have been instrumental in preventing some of the issues we are now seeing in Alberta Health and AHS,” he said. “Unfortunately, the majority of Cabinet does not appear to share my concerns.”
Guthrie said his resignation would allow him to continue holding the government accountable as a private member, emphasizing that Albertans expect fiscal responsibility and transparency.
“It is essential that the public has confidence in its government and its processes. We were elected to be open, transparent, fiscally responsible and—above all—honest with Albertans,” said Guthrie.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told True North that she had accepted Gurthrie’s resignation.
Despite resigning as the province’s infrastructure minister, Guthrie will remain a UCP MLA for Airdrie-Cochrane. He said he looks forward to continuing serving Albertans.
His resignation comes amid heightened scrutiny over Alberta Health Services procurement, which has led to an investigation by Auditor General Doug Wylie. Former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos, who was dismissed in January, has launched a $1.7 million wrongful dismissal lawsuit, alleging political interference in health contracts.
Mentzelopoulos claims that government officials pressured her to approve contracts for private surgical facilities and that Smith’s former chief of staff, Marshall Smith, was involved in the process. The lawsuit also raises concerns over the province’s $70 million contract with MHCare Medical, a company that secured a deal to import pain medication from Turkey.
Smith has denied any wrongdoing, stating earlier this month that the allegations should be reviewed transparently and expeditiously.
She confirmed that her government had requested both an internal AHS review and an independent audit by the auditor general while pausing all new surgical facility contracts until the findings are released.
“As Premier, I was not involved in any wrongdoing. Any insinuation to the contrary is false, baseless, and defamatory,” said Smith previously.
Smith told True North that she has also directed her senior civil service to find a third party to investigate what happened with the AHS procurement process independently from the provincial government.
She said that she also hopes to determine why AHS never brought any substantive evidence or documentation to the provincial government despite months of requests.
“I want to reiterate that I was not involved in these procurement decisions nor am I aware of any wrongdoing with regards to the issues raised by the former CEO,” Smith told True North. “My actions were straightforward: the government made a policy decision to expand surgical facilities to tackle the critical issue of wait times, and we all trusted that that direction would be acted upon and implemented by AHS.”
Auditor General Doug Wylie previously confirmed he had begun reviewing the procurement and contracting process at the AHS. His reports will be publicly available after they are tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
Let me get this straight; an AHS top executive most likely receives word she is no longer going to be employed and 2/3 days later she blows some imaginary whistle. I'm hoping the public watching this has a semblance of critical thinking left in their round shaped voids atop their neck. Look at the timing. Does one not consider that the Ndp might be involved in this smear campaign? (And if not, perhaps they should consider it).
Guthrie is a libtard mole. He doesn't want to work as an equal in the legislature. He has gottin the lieberal arrogant bug, he's better than the other comrade. He needs to work out his problem that he has, like a spoiled brat rebeling against the parents. The government has policies Guthrie, follow them!