Alberta’s United Conservative Party has expelled MLA Pete Guthrie from its caucus after he supported an NDP motion calling for a public inquiry into allegations of political interference in medical procurements.
The UCP caucus made the announcement on April 16, two days after Guthrie voted in favour of a motion introduced by NDP health critic Sarah Hoffman. The motion called for a public inquiry into allegations made by former Alberta Health Services (AHS) CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos, who filed a lawsuit in February.
The former CEO claims she was pressured by Alberta government officials to sign new deals for private surgical facilities and that she was removed from her position because she had launched an internal investigation into AHS contracts and procurement practices. She is seeking $1.7 million in damages, citing breach of her four-year contract, of which she completed one year….