Given how costly the pain meds mess was for taxpayers, and how expensive NHL playoff games are for the average citizen, this all comes across as a major slap in the face
Albertans have yet to receive a full accounting from the provincial government as to how at least $75 million was spent in late 2022 to acquire vast amounts of children’s pain medication from Turkey.
Most of that medication arrived well after a national shortage had been resolved, and a considerable amount never arrived at all. Much of the unused product that did eventually make its way here will likely go to waste.
The province has deflected blame and criticism by noting its good intention, to try to alleviate the shortage of children’s ibuprofen and acetaminophen. However, that doesn’t make it any less of a boondoggle.
While Alberta taxpayers are still wondering how so much of their money got squandered in the first place, we now get to have our noses rubbed in the fact that this whole debacle worked out very well for certain people — including some in government.
Late last year, the Alberta government ushered through some significant changes to the province’s conflicts of interest rules that make it far easier for officials to accept large gifts. When the Edmonton Oilers went on their playoff run this past spring, many — including the premier herself — took full advantage of the new rules by accepting free luxury suite tickets.
As the Oilers went deeper into the NHL playoffs, ticket prices soared — as did the value of those gifts. It may well be that no rules were broken here, but the rules are now so loose (far less restrictive than those federally or in other provinces) that it would be hard to break them if you tried.
Among those gifting tickets to cabinet ministers and government staff (but not the premier herself, apparently) was the company contracted to import the children’s pain medication in 2022. Taxpayers took a bath on that deal, but it seems the company is doing well enough to afford a luxury suite during the NHL playoffs and be able to give away tickets.
Are we to accept that the gifts to Alberta cabinet ministers and senior staff were merely borne of generosity? Let’s not kid ourselves.
There’s a reason conflict of interest and ethics law exist in the first place: access to the premier and top government officials is valuable, and currying favour with them can be even more valuable.
It’s no surprise that a company that benefited handsomely from questionable government decisions would wish to show its gratitude and remain in the government’s good books in the hopes of future such contracts. That members of cabinet would have the gall to personally benefit from this fiasco is troubling.
The terrible optics here should have been obvious but, then again, the government saw fit to change the legislation that allowed for exactly this sort of scenario. It’s not so much that they were oblivious, it’s just that none of this seemed to bother them much.
The premier now says she intends to discuss all of this with Alberta’s ethics commissioner, which just feels like a charade at this point. The government makes the rules, and so it’s up to the premier and her cabinet to decide whether they’re comfortable with this — by all accounts, they are.
Given how costly the pain meds mess was for taxpayers, and how expensive NHL playoff games are for the average citizen, this all comes across as a major slap in the face.
“Afternoons with Rob Breakenridge” airs weekdays from 12:30 to 3 p.m. on QR Calgary Radio