Dr. Swann: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This government clearly needs to deal with the rich sense of entitlement that has been created among senior executives in Alberta Health Services.

The fact that bonuses larger than the average Albertan earns in a year were handed out at a time when the health care system was in turmoil is something the Premier should be very concerned about.

To the Premier: how bad would the performance of the health care system need to be in order for no executive bonuses to be handed out?

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, we just entered into a long-term funding agreement with Alberta Health Services. The minister is now in the process of entering into negotiations for performance-based measures like improvement in access, quality of care, and many others. The minister is on top of the file, and he’ll take the questions with respect to the bonus issue.

Dr. Swann: Well, again, Mr. Speaker, given that the ’09-10 bonuses have yet to be determined for Alberta Health Services and the performance of the health care system in the last year has been nothing if not appalling, will the Premier commit here and now that no executive bonuses to Alberta Health executives will be paid out in ’09-10? Yes or no, Mr. Premier?

Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, this issue comes under my purview, and I want to tell the House that Alberta Health Services has responsibility for this particular part of this file. It deals with employee packages, some of which are inherited from previous local health authorities in the province and perhaps some of them that were created under the new Alberta Health Services. Nonetheless, the entire system is under some review by the Alberta Health Services Board.

Dr. Swann: Well, again to the Premier, Mr. Speaker. Your skin is on the line, Mr. Premier. Are you or are you not going to stop this executive largesse to Alberta Health Services executives?

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

Mr. Zwozdesky: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I indicated yesterday very clearly what the process is going forward with this matter. We are having this discussion between myself and the Alberta Health Services Board on looking into how that review can result in a system that everybody feels very proud of. We have an excellent group of people who are working very hard to deliver health services, and they were delivering them during the worst economic downturn in Alberta’s history since 1930. They are working very hard right now, I can assure you.

The Speaker: Second Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition.

Provincial Public Image

Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Alberta’s reputation in this country and abroad is suffering. While the Premier touts local newspaper articles on the Alberta train as a success in advertising Alberta to the world, the Premier continues to take actions that damage Alberta’s reputation for environmental and democratic stewardship. To the Premier. The rest of the world is taking notice.

If a few positive articles in B.C. and Alberta newspapers on the Alberta train count as $70 million worth of success, the cost of 70 Super Bowl ads by the way, then what is the value of all the negative publicity around the world from this government’s mishandling of tailings ponds, cancer rates in Fort Chip, and policies like . . .

The Speaker: The hon. the Premier.

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, a lot of work has been done with respect to the environmental file in all of the oil sands development. There is more to be done, and we are very adamant in working with the ERCB that we deal with tailings ponds. Although there is no evidence of any seepage – and I must say that water has been monitored in the Athabasca River since 1971 – these are issues that we are dealing with, and over time we are going to move to dry tailings ponds, which will remove a lot of the site of the tailings ponds presently.

Dr. Swann: Well, Mr. Speaker, in reference to another move that damages Alberta’s reputation as a modern democracy, did the Premier or anyone else from his office instruct the PC majority members on the Public Accounts Committee today to restrict and limit the authority of the chair of Public Accounts?

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I’m not aware of what happened at Public Accounts this morning. If there was a matter that the chair or the opposition is unhappy with, there’s a way of bringing it forward. There is a process. Usually those matters are dealt with by the Speaker of the Assembly.

Dr. Swann: Again to the Premier: does the Premier recognize that all of this bad publicity, backtracking, and backroom shenanigans such as we saw today in Public Accounts have effectively cost Alberta taxpayers $25 million? That is the price of negating the government’s bloated $25 million greenwashing campaign.

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, the government of Alberta will have a parallel process in terms of working with other jurisdictions around the world to get the facts out with respect to all oil and gas development in the province of Alberta. The fact that we do have the most stringent environmental rules and regulations, the fact that we’re the first jurisdiction in Canada to actually be able to measure carbon, the fact that we have a carbon levy, the fact that we’ve set money aside in a carbon levy fund to deal with issues especially tied to research, we are leading the nation if not, indeed, North America in this area.

Alberta Hansard, April 14, 2010

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