Public Interest Alberta repeated its call for the resignation of Adriana LaGrange as health minister, and spread the message through the Red Deer-North MLA's riding on Thursday.
Public Interest Alberta (PIA) gathered about 125 people from Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer and other areas and tried to pass on their message to LaGrange before setting out to distribute 15,000 flyers to residents.
"There is a paper sign on the door saying the office is not open today, so we weren't able to deliver the message to her," said PIA executive director Brad Lafortune, outside LaGrange's office, where her staff were inside.
"We thought it would be respectful to say we're in your riding, talking to your constituents about our concerns about health care and what we think you should do."
He added LaGrange cancelled a meeting with PIA six months ago, and contacting her has been difficult.
But he said PIA will continue to make people aware of Alberta's health care chaos, if they aren't already aware.
"I think most Albertans, whether you're in Red Deer or a bigger city or you're in rural Alberta, you feel it. You go to an ER — it's closed. Or if it's open, it's a 12-hour wait time. If you go to the hospitals, you see people in the hallways. This is not normal. They said they were going to fix health care. No one believed it, but no one thought it was going to be this bad."
"It's really quite appalling how much gas lighting there is from the premier, from this health minister, when it comes to the quality of health care."
A statement from the Health Minister's office said LaGrange remains focused on strengthening Alberta’s health care system and delivering on the real priorities of the people of Red Deer North and all Albertans.
“Public Interest Alberta is a blatantly partisan activist group led by the former Chief of Staff to the leader of the official opposition. They do not represent the views of all Albertans and are once again engaging in the same predictable political antics," the statement said.
PIA said LaGrange is to blame for hospital understaffing and doctor shortages across the province, in addition to the corruption allegations by former Alberta Health Services CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos who claims she was dismissed for looking into high-level government interference and over-payments on multimillion-dollar contracts.
A former Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Manitoba was appointed to lead an independent, third-party investigation into the procurement processes used by the Government of Alberta and Alberta Health Services. An interim written report is to be delivered by May 30, and a final written report and recommendations by June 30.
Alberta’s auditor general Doug Wylie and the RCMP are also investigating.
But LaFortune said a full public inquiry is still needed that is completely separate from any government interference or involvement.
PIA has regularly been rallying outside LaGrange's Red Deer office in recent months, and the gatherings are set to continue.
"This isn't the way a health care system should function. We need to have a big reset and we need to get back to basics. People should be able to have access to good quality health care when they need it, where they need it.
"Adriaina LaGrange, she needs to go."
