Monday, March 3, UCP backbencher Scott Sinclair (Lesser Slave Lake) said he won’t support Budget 2025 because he’s “furious” at the amount of money for Alberta’s two major cities.
March 3, The government appointed Raymond E. Wyant, former chief judge of the Provincial Court of Manitoba, to lead an independent third-party investigation into irregularities in contracts amid an ongoing healthcare scandal. He has a $500,000 budget to report by June 30 and will be paid $31,900 a month. NDP leader Naheed Nenshi questioned the validity of the process: “He is limited to rely only on the information provided by the government itself.” Alberta’s auditor general, Doug Wylie, is also looking into contracting and procurement at the Health ministry and Alberta Health Services (AHS).
Tuesday, March 4, US President Donald Trump implemented a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods and a 10 per cent tariff on Canadian energy. In 2024 Alberta’s exports to the US totalled $162.6-billion, of which $132.8-billion were energy products.
Wednesday, March 5, Alberta announced it would stop buying American alcohol and cease contracting with US companies, including a halt on purchasing VLT machines from the US—a $100-million annual expense. About 10 per cent of liquor products in Alberta are imported from the US. In 2023–2024, $292-million in US liquor was sold in Alberta. The Canadian Association of Energy Contractors said it opposes retaliatory tariffs. The 25 per cent retaliatory tariff on US sand, for example, means $250-million a year in extra costs to Alberta’s oil and gas industry.
Thursday, March 6, The Alberta RCMP launched an investigation into AHS and allegations of political interference and potential conflicts of interest within its procurement practices.
Friday, March 7, Premier Danielle Smith said her government is planning to send its supply of unused children’s pain medication to Ukraine. The government paid $70-million to MHCare Medical for the medication in 2022 during a countrywide shortage. Alberta received only about 30 per cent of the shipment and the company that provided it is now embroiled in a contracting scandal. Alberta has been sitting on 1.4 million bottles of the medication after officials determined in 2023 that it posed serious health risks to infants.
March 7, The UCP removed MLA Sinclair from caucus after he said he would vote against Budget 2025.
