“[Dr. Paul Alexander] is a conspiracy theorist whose ideas have been discredited by all reasonable people in the scientific and medical community,” NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Wednesday after addressing the Alberta Rural Municipalities conference. “The very act of suggesting that he would consult with him would destabilize our health care system,” Notley said. “It will make people on the front lines even more concerned that they cannot rely on this government to make the kinds of science-based decisions that we need to begin to restore health care services to so many Alberta families.” Notley is asking Smith to rescind the invitation to Alexander and reveal the names of the medical professionals Smith said are now advising her on public health policy. Smith’s office has refused for five days to explain why and what advice she is seeking from Alexander or who is on her health advisory team. Smith was not made available to reporters Tuesday night after winning a seat on the Legislature in a runoff election in Brooks-Medicine Hat. He also declined to speak to reporters after a speech in Medicine Hat on Wednesday morning. Her office did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday. United Conservative Party leader and Premier Danielle Smith celebrates her election victory in Medicine Hat, Alta. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press) Alexander’s issue made headlines after Smith announced it during a discussion about the response to COVID-19 at a debate between the candidates last Thursday. Smith told the audience: “I have a team of doctors who are advising me and I know they’ve already contacted Dr Paul Alexander so I’m interested to hear what he has to say.” Alexander is a one-time professor at McMaster University. He is an outspoken critic of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and the usefulness of health restrictions, while also explaining herd immunity in managing the pandemic. The NDP says the invitation is part of a troubling plan of unscientific posturing by Smith that could have profound effects on a health system that Smith has promised to overhaul by mid-January. Smith has been a vocal critic of the COVID-19 health restrictions and vaccine mandates, and has vowed that Alberta will not pursue such measures again. Last year he pushed for ivermectin to be used as a treatment for COVID-19, a treatment that has been debunked. Last month he reiterated that he is guided in his COVID-19 policy by the Great Barrington Declaration and the responses of Sweden, Florida and South Dakota. These countries and states urged to protect the elderly and vulnerable but otherwise let COVID-19 run free in society to develop herd immunity and prevent the consequences of lockdown including isolation, unemployment, domestic violence and drug abuse. It came at the expense of comparatively higher rates of COVID cases and deaths. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, called the Barrington Declaration scientifically flawed and logistically unworkable, echoing similar assessments by academics and the World Health Organization. On her first day as premier on 11 October, Smith announced that Hinshaw would be removed from her post and replaced by a group of advisers who would report to Smith. Smith also promised to reorganize Alberta Health Services’ governance structure by mid-January. He blamed the current establishment for forcing its workers to get COVID-19 vaccines and for failing Albertans when the health system came close to collapse during multiple waves of the pandemic.
Focus on health
Smith, in her election victory speech on Tuesday, promised to add more frontline staff and cut administration red tape to fix a system reeling from a shortage of family doctors, ambulance bottlenecks and emergency wait times in hourly double digit levels. Notley, in her speech to the Association of Rural Municipalities, said her party would launch a massive recruitment strategy for health professionals, with details to be released in the coming weeks. Paul McLauchlin, president of the association, said suffering in emergency rooms must first be addressed. “I’ve had people show up at the hospital in Red Deer [and sitting] for 17 hours,” McLauchlin said. “That front — we’ve got to be better.”
