Alberta premier shuffles cabinet, splits health portfolio

CBC17-05-2025

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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has announced an overhaul of several government ministries, creating two new health services portfolios and replacing her Indigenous relations minister.
Former health minister Adriana LaGrange has been sworn in as minister of primary and preventative health services, while former jobs minister Matt Jones is in charge of hospital and surgical health services.
Previous Indigenous relations minister Rick Wilson is now minister of mental health and addiction.
Jason Nixon, who already had continuing care added to his seniors, social services and housing portfolio, will lead a renamed ministry of assisted living and social services.
Four ministers are now responsible for each of the newly compartmentalized areas of health services, Smith told people assembled at a swearing-in ceremony in Calgary.
"With this team of ministers, we will keep our promises to shorten wait times, improve primary care, ensure Albertans' needs are being met in the most appropriate setting, and develop an even stronger focus on mental health and addiction supports," Smith said.
Wilson replaces Dan Williams, who moves to municipal affairs.
Rajan Sawhney will head Indigenous relations, while cabinet newcomer Myles McDougall, who represents the Calgary-Fish Creek constituency, assumes her former portfolio of advanced education.
Change in Speaker necessitated shuffle
Smith says the shuffle was needed to fill the vacancy left by former municipal affairs minister Ric McIver, who is taking on the role of Speaker of the assembly.
"Once you move one cabinet minister, you have to start moving a few others," Smith said Friday before the swearing-in ceremony with Lt.-Gov. Salma Lakhani.
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Nathan Cooper, the former Speaker, left the job earlier this week and is stepping down this summer as the MLA for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills to become the province's new representative in Washington.
The move created a ripple throughout ministries at the same time that Smith's government is in the midst of major health-care system restructure and separatist talk has soured Indigenous relations in the province.
Former tourism minister Joseph Schow is taking over the jobs, economy, trade and immigration file from Jones. Schow's press secretary said he will remain the government's house leader.
Cabinet expands
The shuffle puts 27 total people in cabinet, a net increase of two people and more than half of the 47-member United Conservative Party caucus.
Crestview Strategy vice-president Mandi Johnson, who previously worked for the UCP government, expected Smith to trim cabinet in preparation for a possible early provincial election call.
Dividing health duties into four portfolios makes it unclear who's in charge of the health system, and that may be purposeful, Johnson said.
"That's probably because the premier is the health minister," Johnson said. "She cares very much about the health file. She obviously wants things to move faster than they're moving."
Given the government's investment and focus on changing the addictions treatment system, Johnson said moving Wilson into that file demonstrates that he has the premier's trust.
Smith previously added child-care funding negotiations with the federal government to Jones' portfolio, and his move into health is a signal that "she wants something back on track," Johnson said.
Under McDougall, the post-secondary sector should expect to see more focus on the pushback against equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives, Johnson said.
Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi, who has previously called for LaGrange to be fired as health minister, called Friday's changes a demotion for her.
He doesn't see how splitting up health oversight will improve front-line care, he said.
"If you don't have a family doctor, if you're waiting for cancer care, if you have a friend or relative or a loved one who is in trouble with addictions and mental health, or if you have to drive by a closed emergency room to get to one, where you're waiting 15 hours, nothing announced today will help you," Nenshi told reporters.
He was also disappointed to see Smith leave Justice Minister Mickey Amery in his portfolio. Amery has acknowledged he is related by marriage and has a friendship with the owner of MHCare, a medical supply company whose relationship with the government is currently the subject of several probes.
Muhammed Yaseen, who was the minister of immigration and multiculturalism, is now an associate minister of multiculturalism.
Demetrios Nicolaides is taking on more responsibility, adding child care to his portfolio. He is now the minister of education and child care.
Andrew Boitchenko, who was previously the parliamentary secretary for Indigenous relations, is minister of tourism and sport.
Grant Hunter, who served as a minister under former premier Jason Kenney, is associate minister of water. He also takes over as chief government whip from Shane Getson.

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Medical Society of P.E.I. plans legal action over alleged breach of contract

CBC

28 minutes ago

Medical Society of P.E.I. plans legal action over alleged breach of contract

The Medical Society of Prince Edward Island plans legal action against Health P.E.I. over an update to targets for family physicians. The society says the new targets are going to drive family physicians out of the province, and said it has been "stonewalled" when it comes to consultation with the government. Health P.E.I.'s new operational guide includes key performance indicators, or KPIs, that include a requirement that each family doctor will see 24 patients a day, based on an average appointment being 15 minutes long. It also says each full-time family doctor should have a minimum of 1,600 patients on the books. Penalties can be imposed if the minimum isn't met. "Early feedback suggests these KPIs risk making family practice unsustainable, will drive physicians out of P.E.I., and deter new physicians from practicing in P.E.I.," the medical society said in a June 3 letter to its members. "MSPEI will respond to Health PEI with legal action." Dr. Krista Cassell, the society's president, said that the targets were not discussed with doctors. She said they had been feeling good about a new contract signed just last year. "This was transformational," she said. 'It was a very competitive contract. It really was the best in the country, and we were incredibly excited for this." But Cassell said it became much harder earlier this year to have productive conversations with Health P.E.I. and the Department of Health and Wellness. Then the society learned about the new guide. CBC asked for an interview with provincial officials. It received a statement from Health P.E.I. CEO Melanie Fraser. "We are working with the Medical Society of PEI and the Government of Prince Edward Island to implement the physician services agreement in a way that supports physicians and strengthens our health-care system," said Fraser. "We are committed to doing that process within the terms of the agreement." The statement also said the province "made an historic investment of $188 million in the new physician services agreement, which puts P.E.I. longitudinal family physicians amongst the top earners in the country, with a 36 per cent increase." It also cited the ability for doctors to diversify their practice, a reduction in administrative work, and "unprecedented vacation, maternity and paternity benefits." Cassell said the agreement held a lot of potential for helping a strained health-care system. "We were excited for the potential of keeping some of our physicians that … we've been losing over the last number of years. And we were excited about the potential of recruiting more." Cassell said that collaboration is key. She said that over the past decade, members of the medical society have been "good problem solvers" with the government and Health P.E.I. But in recent weeks, Cassell said, "what we found was that not only is our input not being sought or not followed, but in fact it's been quite overtly ignored." 'Critical turning point' For Green Party MLA Matt MacFarlane, this development marks a "critical turning point" in the province's relationship with family doctors. "I really don't know why government is taking this approach.... It's been completely top-down without consultation with the physician community and it imposes some pretty serious items that the doctors are really going to struggle with," MacFarlane said.