WTF!
Canadian News
Good morning, it is Friday
A lot is happening right now, and there are several major developments worth your attention. Let’s get into it.
Private jets, luxury trips, and questions of accountability
We have now learned that Premier Danielle Smith and members of her staff flew on private jets and stayed in luxury hotels, all paid for by the Saudi Arabian government.
This trip took place the same night the Alberta government invoked the notwithstanding clause to end the teachers’ strike. While teachers were being told they had a fair deal, the government was accepting gifts from a foreign government worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
RCMP raids and the expanding “Corrupt Care” scandal
At the same time, the RCMP have executed search warrants at MH Care offices in Edmonton.
MH Care is owned by Sam Mirache and has been linked to what is being referred to as the “Corrupt Care” scandal. The allegations centre around the Alberta government awarding contracts to individuals with close personal and political connections.
MH Care was involved in a 70 million dollar procurement of Turkish Tylenol. Not all of the product was delivered, and much of what did arrive was reportedly unusable.
The company also holds shares in the Alberta Surgical Group, a private provider of medical services funded by the provincial government. Reporting by The Globe and Mail found that this group was charging nearly double for certain procedures, such as hip replacements, compared to public hospitals.
In total, MH Care has received approximately 600 million dollars in government contracts.
Canada joins international statement on Strait of Hormuz
Canada has signed onto a joint statement with six other countries calling on Iran to immediately stop attempts to block the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route for oil.
The statement emphasizes that disruptions to global energy supply chains pose a threat to international peace and security and calls for a halt to attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas facilities.
It does not outline how countries might respond, although Defence Minister David McGuinty has said Canada is considering providing support to regional allies if requested.
It is worth noting that the statement places responsibility on Iran but does not reference the role of the United States and Israel who started the war.
Key developments in the Middle East conflict
The situation across the Middle East continues to evolve rapidly.
Significant damage has been reported to oil infrastructure across the region, including in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iran. Experts say it could take years to fully rebuild.
Reports indicate that the United States is considering options to occupy or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island, which is responsible for the majority of Iran’s oil exports. A ground operation would place U.S. forces within range of Iranian retaliation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Iran has been heavily weakened. At the same time, Iranian missiles continue to reach central and southern Israel, sending civilians into shelters.
In Lebanon, Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah have contributed to the displacement of roughly one million civilians. A humanitarian crisis is now unfolding.
Ukraine has sent more than 200 experts to assist Gulf countries in defending against Iranian drone attacks. These are the same types of drones used by Russia in Ukraine.
Efforts by the United States and Israel to secure and reopen the Strait of Hormuz have so far been unsuccessful, meaning global energy markets remain at risk.
Canadian mother and child detained in the United States
A seven year old Canadian girl with autism and her mother have been detained at a U.S. processing facility since Saturday.
The family was returning home to Texas after attending a baby shower when they were stopped at a border checkpoint. The mother, a Canadian citizen from British Columbia who has been living in the United States for several years, presented identification including a valid visa and a Texas driver’s licence.
She was told she needed to undergo fingerprinting for further verification, she was taken for fingerprinting and did not return. Shortly after, the child was also taken by officials.
According to the family, neither the mother nor the child (she’s 7 btw) has a criminal record.
They are currently being held at the Rio Grande Valley Central Processing Center in Texas, a facility that has faced criticism in the past for its treatment of detainees.
Further RCMP searches widen investigation
As this newsletter was being prepared, additional developments emerged in the Corrupt Care investigation.
The RCMP have executed further search warrants, including at an accounting firm owned by Sam Jaber. Jaber was appointed by Premier Danielle Smith to the board of Invest Alberta in November 2023.
He has also served as chief financial officer of MH Care.
The RCMP are also reported to have attended the home of Jitendra Prasad, a former Alberta Health Services procurement official. Prasad has been named in a lawsuit filed by former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos.
Mentzelopoulos alleges she was wrongfully dismissed while investigating contracts she believed were connected to preferential treatment and political interference. According to reporting, members of the government had approached the AHS board to remove her. When the board refused, it was dismissed.
Thanks for reading, everyone.
I’m still on my week-long vacation in the UK, so I appreciate your patience as updates have been a bit lighter than usual. I’ll be back early next week and we’ll return to our regular schedule.
I do have a question for you all. How many of you feel up to date on the Corrupt Care scandal, and how many of you do not?
It’s a story with a lot of moving parts, and understanding the full scope of it takes some context. Would it be helpful if I put together a full explainer from the beginning up to where things stand now?
Let me know.
As always, thank you for being here and for supporting my work.
Cole
Ontarioan who has followed some, but would love a full deep dive on it from beginning to present.
You do such good work and I'm sorry you aren't just taking a vacation.
We are have had such a massive shift to private hc in Ontario and from what I can tell, no one here is talking about it..doing anything about it.. there is a healthcare coalition that I've gone to the legislature with but it feels so far gone at this point. I say all the time "Where's the Cole of Ontario?" ♥️
TRUST is the watch word, I see Danielle with a “jaundice eye”. NO I have not heard enough of the corrupt care scandal
What is the status of Mentzelopoulos’s case, it appears to have gone to ground?