As a connoisseur of political narratives, I have just one piece of advice for the New Democrats if they pick this rock up again: skip the details.
Maybe verb a noun.
Definitely ask questions.
Now that the Premier’s 100 million-dollar distraction from the AHS scandal is complete, we can get back to focusing on actual government business. Or at least the allegations of fraud in their business dealings.
Did you know that the investigation into the alleged fraud at AHS also includes money laundering?
I have so many questions.
I can’t answer them.
And neither should the opposition.
When the AHS procurement scandal first broke, there were so many moving parts and actors; the AHS CEO, the Premier, the Health Minister, Justice Minister… and the list kept growing. Not to mention the many necessarily careful placements of the word “allegedly.”
And none of the allegations have been tested in court; more than 21 months later.
I get the urge to to keep people in the loop— I’m here, aren’t I?
That’s my job, though.
The Official Opposition has a much different job.
They don’t need to provide answers about what the government is doing— their job is to force the government to respond.
Ideally, their questions become questions that everyone is asking.
We don’t know what went on.
We weren’t there.
“Where’s the money?”
That’s a good question.
When the Globe and Mail’s Carrie Tait dropped the AHS scandal into our laps in February of 2025, the allegations of fraud, corruption, deceit, and a full-blown government cover up kept many of us on the edge of our seats.
For months.
There were millions of dollars missing. There was, allegedly, a bad guy. Or more. Maybe some bad girls, too. There were people on the inside. Some allegedly helped.
It was a who’s who of whodunits.
Allegedly, it went straight up to the Premier’s Office.
Allegedly, it went deep inside the Premier’s circle.
It certainly went back further than the day we found out.
I couldn’t possibly say what was discussed between a prospective government leader and a Senior Procurement Officer from AHS and a guy who was paid more than half a billion dollars by AHS procurement…
… to procure things.
Which is weird.
How does $49 million disappear? Why would it take more than a year to act? How does someone who allegedly makes $49 million disappear keep getting more contracts? That are also suspect.
And it’s weird that during her campaign for UCP leader, Danielle Smith had a 30-minute Zoom call with the guy who allegedly signed the paperwork for a $70 million procurement deal and the guy who allegedly walked off with $49 million after not procuring the product.
And isn’t that an odd place to have been four months before it all went down?
I’d say so.
I wouldn’t say anything else though.
Because I wasn’t there.
Danielle Smith was, though.
“Why is healthcare more expensive now?”
That’s another good question.
When Danielle Smith fired the first AHS board, AHS had a maximum they would pay for certain surgeries. It was around $4,000.
Under Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, one provider— that the AHS CEO was looking into before she was fired— was being paid $8,500.
They said they didn’t make the decisions. That was a different UCP Health Minister.
So they renewed the contract that the AHS CEO was investigating.
Then, just a few months ago, someone increased the amount Alberta Health pays for surgeries; to match what they were paying on the contract the former AHS CEO was investigating.
I wouldn’t be surprised if people missed that.
Most of us were starting to pay more attention to the Premier’s ridiculously expensive public opinion poll.
The one that changed the channel from talking about alleged corruption, and fraud, and a cover up that allegedly went all the way up to the Premier’s Office.
It allegedly went deep inside the Premier’s circle.
We don’t know.
We weren’t there.
The Premier was, though.
Lest we forget…
Sure, the Health Minister eventually admitted she knew about the AHS CEO’s suspicions.
The Premier initially denied knowing anything about it but eventually admitted she was also in the loop.
Even before the Health Minister’s Deputy fired the AHS CEO.
Even before the Premier’s Chief of Staff “retired.”
Which happened before the Premier and Health Minister got approval from Cabinet to fire the AHS board.
Allegedly, they misled Cabinet about why that needed to happen.
I wasn’t there.
Alberta Tory leader Pete Guthrie was, though.
UCP House Leader Joseph Schow was pretty mad that Cabinet confidence was broken, too.
Not because the Premier and Health Minister allegedly lied— not that kind of broken confidence. No, he was mad that the Hon. Pete Guthrie didn’t keep it a secret.
Obviously.
And there were those other firings, and the judge-led inquiry…
These aren’t things the opposition needs to repeat. There’s many people who remember the details. They don’t need to get bogged down in them again.
In fact, I really hope they don’t.
The Official Opposition has questions.
They shouldn’t have answers.
Or even have speculations.
If media asks them to expand, they should be pointing the press to the Premier. And the Health Minister. And Cabinet, apparently.
They all know more about this than we do.
We weren’t there.
Premier Danielle Smith was, though.
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Smith on a spit. Turn up the heat!
I hope they’re listening. Excellent advice.