EDMONTON—In comments about the World Economic Forum (WEF), Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she finds it “distasteful” when billionaires “brag” about controlling sovereign nations’ political leaders.
The new premier was repeatedly asked to explain her views on the WEF at a press conference in Edmonton on Oct. 24, following her previous remarks about Alberta Health Services’ “partnership with the World Economic Forum.”
“I find it distasteful when billionaires brag about how much control they have over political leaders, as the head of that organization has,” Smith said following the swearing-in ceremony of her cabinet ministers.
“I think that that is offensive for people who should be directing government or the people who vote for them.”
In 2017, WEF leader Klaus Schwab said his organization has managed to “penetrate the cabinets” of governments around the world, while mentioning names of heads of governments in different countries, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“Yesterday, I was at a reception for Prime Minister Trudeau and I would know that half of his cabinet or even more than half are actually our young global leaders of the World Economic Forum,” he said.
Smith was asked to clarify her views on the WEF after she said in an interview on Oct. 21 that Alberta Health Services’ (AHS) ties to the organization serve no purpose.
“I believe that Alberta Health Services is the source of a lot of problems that we’ve had,” she said during a livestream on Western Standard’s “Question Period with Premier Danielle Smith.”
“They signed some kind of partnership with the World Economic Forum right in the middle of the pandemic; we’ve got to address that. Why in the world do we have anything to do with the World Economic Forum? That’s got to end.”
On July 2, 2020, the AHS published an article saying that it has “caught the eye” of the WEF, which invited AHS to join its “Global Coalition for Value in Healthcare” to play a role in “shaping future health care on the international stage.”
“The coalition’s goals align with those of AHS when it comes to recognizing the rights of individuals and introducing more of a social responsibility into health care,” the article said.
Smith said during her press conference on Oct. 24 that the person at the “helm” of WEF is not a doctor, paramedic, or health-care provider. Alberta should be taking its health advice from health-care expertise within the province, she added.
“I am going to continue working with front-line professionals to solve the problems that we have here. And the problems that we have here are related to emergency services, ambulances, our emergency rooms, as well as the inability to get surgical initiatives at our rural hospitals,” she said.
“That’s the focus that I want to have and all the expertise we need for that is right here in Alberta.”
Cabinet Sworn In
The new premier was speaking at a press conference outside Government House in Edmonton following the swearing-in ceremony for her new cabinet. The cabinet includes all of Smith’s United Conservative Party leadership opponents except Leela Aheer, the first to fall off the ballot in the vote count.
Former premier Jason Kenney’s finance minister Travis Toews was given his former portfolio in the new cabinet, while Brian Jean was made minister of jobs, economy, and northern development. Rebecca Schulz was named minister of municipal affairs, Todd Loewen was given the forestry, parks, and tourism portfolio, while Rajan Sawhney was made minister of trade, immigration, and multiculturalism.
Several other members of Kenney’s cabinet kept their roles, including Minister of Health Jason Copping, Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro, and Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange.
Smith also announced that she will make mandate letters, which outline ministerial priorities, public.
“I think it’s a good communication tool for the public, so that the public knows what it is that we’re working on,” she said.
“And why wouldn’t we want to tell—we’ve had such great success in checking off the list of all of the things that had been identified, so I think that we should be celebrating.”
On the federal level, Trudeau said that his government was the first to make ministerial mandates public after his party won the 2015 election.
