Tyler Shandro resigns as Alberta health minister, moves to labour and immigration
Tyler Shandro has resigned from his position as Alberta's embattled health minister and will now serve as the province's labour minister.
Premier Jason Kenney announced Shandro's portfolio swap with Labour Minister Jason Copping in a mid-afternoon cabinet shuffle Tuesday.
Shandro had been scheduled to appear at a Siksika flag raising ceremony in Strathmore earlier in the day but didn't show. His office would not answer questions on why he did not appear.
Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley said while news of Shandro’s resignation as health minister “is welcome,” it’s “not a solution to the urgent challenges before us.”
“Alberta is facing a crisis in our hospitals but the UCP can’t see beyond the chaotic spectacle of their own infighting,” the statement read.
“It is clear that the responsibility for Alberta’s pandemic mismanagement rests on the shoulders of every UCP member and therefore it is incumbent on them all to take responsibility and chart a more effective path on behalf of Albertans.
“A cabinet shuffle will not ease the immense pressure on our hospitals from this severe fourth wave. It won't reschedule the life-saving surgeries of thousands of Albertans. It won't recover our economy. And it won't help everyday families looking for leadership. Albertans deserve better."
University of Alberta political scientist John Church said he finds it surprising it took as long as it did for Shandro to be removed from the position.
He said Kenney is doing damage control and trying to appease the people who have been critical of his handling of the pandemic.
UCP policy VP Joel Mullan calls for Kenney to resign
An op-ed written the UCP’s vice-president of policy Joel Mullan is calling on Kenney to resign.
“In light of the choices he has made last week, I can no longer support him, and indeed believe he must resign,” Mullan said in the piece, published by the Western Standard on Tuesday.
Mullan said Kenney’s communication has been poor and very confusing since announcing his Open for Summer plan in July.
“It is foolish not to manage expectations in an uncertain environment, yet Jason Kenney has failed to do that as a matter of course,” he said.
Mullan went on to say he had supported Kenney throughout the leadership race, but that his oath lies with the party and not its leader.
“I believe the will of the membership is clear: it is time for Jason Kenney to go,” he said.
“Members now see him — as do I — as a clear threat to the future of our movement and party.”
Church, meanwhile, said the party will be in disarray if a new leader is not chosen.
“I think that Jason Kenney is unlikely to go quietly,” he said.
“Whether or not the UCP will be able to survive beyond Jason Kenney I think is a big question mark at this point.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.