A senior executive at Alberta Health Services resigned earlier this year due to allegations of political interference from Premier Danielle Smith’s office. Braden Manns, who stepped down as an interim vice-president at AHS in June, claimed in his resignation letter that Smith interfered in the organization’s plan to hire the former chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, for a position related to Indigenous care. Manns accused Smith of preventing Hinshaw’s hiring, which ultimately led to his resignation.
Alberta’s Ethics Commissioner, Marguerite Trussler, is investigating the revocation of Hinshaw’s appointment, but Manns is not a subject of the investigation. Smith’s office has stated that final staffing decisions are AHS’s responsibility.
Manns’s resignation letter outlined the selection process that led to Hinshaw’s hiring, emphasizing the inappropriate involvement of Smith in her termination. Hinshaw had faced controversy for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to opposition from some right-wing supporters of the Premier.
The resignation comes amid broader changes, with the UCP government dismantling AHS into four organizations and increasing government control over policy and funding. In November, Smith fired six AHS executives and installed a new board to take over from Dr. John Cowell, whom she had appointed as AHS’s administrator after dissolving the health authority’s board in November 2022.