The spring sitting of Alberta’s legislature began under the cloud of a health-care contract corruption scandal and ended with a firestorm of renewed separatist angst.
The sitting, which wrapped late Wednesday, saw Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative government pass 19 pieces of legislation. Included were bills to lower the bar for citizen-initiated referendums to take place, force those suffering from addiction into treatment without consent and to set the stage for a provincial police force.
Also passed was legislation to regulate online gambling, overhaul the provincial auto insurance scheme to something similar to a no-fault system, and strip municipal councils from having codes of conduct.
Smith’s government also passed a budget that delivers a long-promised tax cut while forecasting a $5.2-billion deficit, which might grow larger as the benchmark oil price continues to sag below the government’s prediction.
But Smith also lost three caucus members during the sitting — two for their open criticism of government and one to replace a resigning Speaker.
Two of those caucus members began the sitting in Smith’s cabinet, including former infrastructure minister Peter Guthrie.
Guthrie resigned from cabinet on Day 1 of the sitting over his colleagues’ handling of the health-care contract scandal, and he was later expelled from caucus for his continued criticism.
The allegations of government wrongdoing stem from a lawsuit filed by the former chief executive of Alberta Health Services.
Athana Mentzelopoulos alleges she was wrongfully fired for not signing overpriced health contracts for private companies — contracts she says she was pressured to sign by individuals in high places, including the premier’s office.
The allegations have prompted a number of investigations, including by the RCMP and Alberta’s auditor general, but have yet to be tested in court. The government has claimed in its defence that Mentzelopoulos was fired for poor job performance.
Longtime legislature member Nathan Cooper resigned from the Speaker’s chair after six years and on Tuesday was replaced by former municipal affairs minister Ric McIver.
Cooper will officially resign his seat in the assembly next month to become Alberta’s representative in Washington, D.C., meaning the United Conservatives will lose a fourth caucus member in as many months.
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Tourism Minister Joseph Schow is taking on the municipal affairs portfolio on an interim basis, as McIver’s new role means he’s a non-voting and non-partisan member that facilitates question period and debate.
The Opposition NDP also lost a caucus member during the sitting as third-term MLA Rod Loyola resigned to run for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals in last month’s federal election, though he was later dropped as a candidate.
The lead-up to the election campaign saw Smith in hot water when her efforts south of the border to avert U.S. tariffs led to accusations of “treason.”
Smith was heavily criticized for going to Florida in March to speak at a fundraiser with American media personality Ben Shapiro.
She was also accused by the Opposition of seeking foreign interference in Canada’s election when she told an American media outlet that she asked U.S. officials to hold off on tariffs in order to benefit her preferred party in the campaign — the Conservatives.
The final weeks of the sitting were dominated by the ripple effects of Bill 54, which was tabled the day following Carney’s election win.
The legislation reintroduces corporate and union donations to political candidates while also limiting investigations into financial contribution rule breaking by requiring investigations to occur within two years instead of three.
The legislation had initially reduced the investigation window to within one year, which led Alberta’s chief electoral officer to write a letter to all MLAs out of concern. Justice Minister Mickey Amery tabled an amendment with just hours remaining before the house was adjourned.
But the bill’s focal point has been that it drastically lowers the bar for citizen-initiated referendums, a move celebrated by leaders of a renewed Alberta separatist movement following Carney’s election.
The premier has said repeatedly that she isn’t in favour of separation, but said she’d put the question to voters as soon as next year if the required signatures are gathered.
Indigenous leaders from across the country have condemned the bill, saying a referendum on separation violates treaties.
The criticism led Amery to table another last-minute amendment that added a clause meant to reassure First Nations that treaties would be respected, though some chiefs have already said the change is meaningless.
The last bill to be approved saw Smith’s government take another step in its overhaul of the health-care system by officially shuffling workers represented by five different unions from Alberta Health Services to a different agency and the Health Ministry.
As a result, policy workers, public health inspectors and medical officers of health will be moved under the umbrella of the Health Ministry.
The Canadian Public Health Association criticized the move this week, saying it risks “undermining the effectiveness, integrity and independence of public health in Alberta” since medical officers will be required to report to government.
NDP house leader Christina Gray told reporters Thursday that the sitting should be characterized as Smith’s government sowing chaos and abusing its majority power.
“Heading into the session, our top concerns were the rising cost of living, economic fallout from (U.S. President Donald) Trump’s tariffs, growing challenges in health-care access, and the state of our education system and public safety,” Gray said.
“What the UCP delivered instead was the largest corruption scandal in Alberta’s history, and a government more interested in stoking separatist fires than solving real problems.”
Schow, who is also the United Conservative government house leader, sharply disagreed with that assessment, saying Thursday that the suite of legislation and tax-cutting budget were signs the government was continuing to follow through on its promises.
He also disagreed when asked if the scandal had impeded government action over the past few months, given it dominated question period most days.
“I don’t think anything can really put a hitch in our giddy-up,” Schow said.
“The NDP is focused on conspiracies and whatever else that they think is the issue of the day, we’re focused on long-term benefits for the province of Alberta and people who live here.”
Schow wouldn’t give details on what legislation could be expected when the house returns in the fall, but said the government planned to do some reflecting over the summer.
“It’s time to take stock of the last two years, look at the next two years and how we can finish off this mandate strong, and then towards another election where we’ll fight for Albertans and likely win,” said Schow.
