Bell: Danielle Smith was flying high — then the crap hit the fan

Premier Danielle Smith was flying high this week.

The premier was hailed by many for focusing on diplomacy and Trump’s border concerns and standing up for Alberta and helping get Canada a 30-day reprieve from the U.S. president’s tariff.

Then there is a poll from Leger.

Among decided voters.

UCP 51 per cent. NDP 36 per cent.? That’s 15 points.

Numbers on leader approval.

Smith up 7 points to 46 per cent, nine points up on NDP leader Naheed Nenshi.

But then the news hit, courtesy of?The Globe and Mail.

The story says Smith’s government punted the boss of Alberta Health Services a couple of days before she was to meet the province’s financial watchdog to discuss an investigation.

It was a probe into purchasing contracts and deals for private surgical facilities.

The AHS boss Athana Mentzelopoulos was fired Jan. 8.

There is a Jan. 20 letter from the lawyer of the fired AHS boss to the AHS lawyer.

The letter alleges the AHS boss was fired Jan. 8 because she launched an internal investigation and forensic audit into the contracts and purchasing practices of AHS.

The letter also alleges before she was fired the AHS boss provided an update of her probe to the AHS board this past December and they recommended she go to the RCMP.

The AHS board was shown the door Jan. 31.

The AHS boss investigated the relationship between AHS and a company that facilitated a $75-million deal to import children’s pain medication from Turkey.

Another allegation from the former AHS boss is she faced pressure to sign new deals for private surgical facilities.

The allegation is she faced repeated interference from various Alberta government officials, including the premier’s former chief of staff Marshall Smith.

And this pressure came, it is alleged, when there were “significant concerns” around the “potential costs” of the new deals.

In fact, government officials made efforts to increase prices being paid to private suppliers.

Another allegation is Health Minister Adriana LaGrange was aware of the problems uncovered at AHS, and the health department on Dec. 23 instructed the AHS boss to wind up her probe and hand over the files to the government.

The province’s health ministry put out a statement Thursday.

As you know, you can’t question a statement or debate a statement.

You just have a statement. That’s why you almost never see them in my column.

The government’s statement says recent personnel and board changes at Alberta Health Services were part of a restructuring.

What about the allegations of the former AHS boss?

The government says she was not fired because of an investigation into AHS purchasing decisions.

AHS is continuing to review purchasing practices and decisions and welcomes and will cooperate with a look-see by the provincial’s financial watchdog.

The health ministry will not comment further.

What does the province’s financial watchdog say?

Again, a statement.

Doesn’t anybody talk anymore?

In a jargon-filled couple of paragraphs, the watchdog appears to be looking into the matter.

Meanwhile, Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi takes the ball and runs with it.

Nenshi says Smith should step aside and put in someone else as premier until she clears her name.

He also wants a judge-led public inquiry as well as a police investigation.

The NDP leader says these allegations are way worse than former premier Alison Redford’s flights.

Nenshi points out what is being reported are allegations at this point.

But he says, if they are true, they are big.

“This is about potential funnelling of taxpayer dollars to friends of the government. It’s about potential kickbacks.

“These allegations, I don’t know if they’re true, but they’re extraordinarily serious.

“These are by far the strongest allegations I have seen against an Alberta government. People have resigned for less.”

On Thursday, the premier does not come out and address this issue.

These are allegations.

But my mind still can’t help but go down memory lane to the days when the fired-up opposition Wildrose, led by Smith, raked the PC government over the coals day after day after day, accusing them of cronyism and corruption of the highest order.

Three years later, the scandal-ridden PC dynasty was on the ash heap of history.

Now there are these allegations, except it is Smith now leading a government facing the heat.

What do I want from the premier this day?

For starters, say it ain’t so.

rbell@postmedia.com