Fellow Alberta cabinet minister calls for LaGrange to be removed amid health scandal |
Infrastructure Minister Peter Guthrie said LaGrange and the top health civil servant, Andre Tremblay, should move to other jobs while the scandal is investigated, according to CBC.
Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange is facing a renewed call to step down over allegations of high-level corruption in health contracts — but this time the call is coming from one of her own cabinet colleagues.
Infrastructure Minister Peter Guthrie, in a memo this week obtained and reported on by CBC, says LaGrange and the top civil servant in health, Andre Tremblay, should be moved to other jobs while the scandal is investigated.
Guthrie’s email, reportedly sent to his cabinet colleagues Thursday, said the gravity of the allegations requires Tremblay to be moved, LaGrange shifted to another cabinet portfolio and for the RCMP to be notified if there are potential concerns of criminal behaviour.
The Canadian Press has not seen Guthrie’s email but has asked Premier Danielle Smith’s office about it. Global News has also not seen it.
In an emailed statement Friday, Smith’s office does not challenge the veracity of the memo but backs LaGrange.
“I have full confidence in the health minister to continue her important work in refocusing and reforming our health system,” the premier’s statement says.
Smith’s government and Alberta’s auditor general are investigating the allegations, which centre around a wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed this week by the former head of Alberta Health Services, Athana Mentzelopoulos.
Mentzelopoulos, in her statement of claim, alleges LaGrange fought and ultimately fired her after she balked at signing off on excessively lucrative contracts between the government and private surgery clinics.
She also alleges government interference and conflicts of interest in contracts awarded to medical supply company MHCare.
1:46 Alberta government looks to recoup $80M from children’s medicine shipment
The company was awarded a $70-million deal in 2022 to secure children’s pain medication from Turkey, but the government only received 30 per cent of the order and Alberta Health Services stopped using the medication over safety concerns.
Multiple cabinet ministers, including Guthrie, have said they accepted luxury box suite tickets to Edmonton Oilers playoff games courtesy of MHCare and its CEO, Sam Mraiche.
View image in full screen Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, front second left, and B.C. Premier David Eby, front right, watch the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers play Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series in Vancouver on May 10, 2024. Darryl Dyck/ The Canadian PressLawyers for MHCare have rejected the allegations made against the company and Mraiche.
Mentzelopoulos’s claims have not been tested in court.
Reached for comment Friday, LaGrange’s spokesperson Jessi Rampton said the minister had no comment and referred to a previous statement LaGrange issued this week in which she said many of the allegations are false while others needed to be looked into.
The nature of the internal government investigation is unclear.
On Friday, Smith announced that a top bureaucrat has been tasked with hiring an outside firm to investigate the matter “independently of government.”
Smith added that they are working “to ensure there are no conflicts between these investigations and those who have been named in the accusations.”
Smith’s spokesperson Sam Blackett did not immediately respond to questions about whether the scope of the investigation has changed. Earlier this week, Rampton said the government was hiring a third party to investigate but said the investigation was to be overseen by the government.
Critics, including the Opposition NDP, have called for LaGrange to be fired.
1:58 Alberta NDP demands investigation into allegations of widespread corruption in health contracts
They have also pointed out that it would be improper for the government to oversee an investigation given Mentzelopoulos has accused both Tremblay and LaGrange in her statement of claim of interfering with her work and getting her fired.
While serving as LaGrange’s top civil servant in the health ministry, Tremblay is also the head of Alberta Health Services, which is charged with delivering front-line care.
That job was the one Mentzelopoulos was fired from on Jan. 8, allegedly against the will of the AHS board of directors. Three weeks after she was fired, the board was fired and Tremblay was appointed the sole board member.
Three other cabinet ministers who faced questions from reporters earlier this week all said they supported LaGrange staying in the health role while the allegations are reviewed.
Grimes revealed she was not aware that her eldest son X Æ A-Xii was in public with his father Elon Musk on Tuesday and did not approve of the four-year-old being 'paraded' at political events
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
When it comes to the biggest questions about British history, there is perhaps none more frequently asked than who were the best (and worst) monarchs. YouGov asked the public for their opinion.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 monarchs. YouGov asked the public for their opinion. %23reveal) |
|
|
A lady who accused hip-hop stars Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z of sexually assaulting her when she was 13, has dropped her civil lawsuit.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Royal expert Jennie Bond has revealed that King Charles' expected visit to the US for a 'charm offensive' tour next year could be an opportunity for the monarch to 'wield power'
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Australian sensation Gout Gout is already being hailed as the future of sprinting. The teenager smashed the previous 200 meter record for a 16-year-old with a time of 20.04 seconds during the Austr…
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Mason Gooding is known for Love, Victor & Scream.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
GEORGIA Harrison has revealed all on her new ITV documentary – which explores the trauma of deep fake and revenge porn. Georgia, 30, is fronting a two-part series with ITV, called Georgia Har…
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/021325-amal-clooney-setting-powder-soc-805eb31819034ab4b5b5f7225b711ab6.jpg)
The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder is used on Amal Clooney for her red carpet skin. I also rely on the setting powder to combat oil, smooth my pores and texture, and boost my complexion. Shop the setting powder for $48.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/021325-amal-clooney-setting-powder-soc-805eb31819034ab4b5b5f7225b711ab6.jpg&description=Amal Clooney's Filter-Like Skin Is Thanks to the Pore-Blurring Powder I Swear By The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder is used on Amal Clooney for her red carpet skin. I also rely on the setting powder to combat oil, smooth my pores and texture, and boost my complexion. Shop the setting powder for $48. %23clooney) |
|
|
It's wild.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Harry served two tours in Afghanistan during a 10-year career serving as an army captain
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
Twitter (X) is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 619 million monthly active users worldwide. One of the most exciting features of Twitter (X) is the ability to see what topics are trending in real-time. Twitter trends are a fascinating way to stay up to date on what people are talking about on the platform, and they can also be a valuable tool for businesses and individuals to stay relevant and informed. In this article, we will discuss Twitter (X) trends, how they work, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are a list of topics that are currently being talked about on the platform and also world. The topics on this list change in real-time and are based on the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be localized to a Worldwide country or region or can be global, depending on the topic's popularity.
How Do Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends Work?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are generated by an algorithm that analyzes the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. When the algorithm detects a sudden increase in tweets using a specific hashtag or keyword, it considers that topic to be trending.
Once a topic is identified as trending, it is added to the list of Twitter (X) Worldwide trends. The topics on this list are ranked based on their popularity, with the most popular topics appearing at the top of the list.
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be filtered by location or category, allowing users to see what topics are trending in their area or in a particular industry. Additionally, users can click on a trending topic to see all of the tweets using that hashtag or keyword.