SHANDRO ‘RECKLESS’
Health minister confronts doctor at his home
Premier Jason Kenney rejected calls from the NDP opposition on Friday to remove Health Minister Tyler Shandro from cabinet after Shandro apologized for confronting a doctor at his home about a social media post.
The call for Shandro’s firing came after questions were raised on social media last week about whether the minister was involved in a conflict of interest related to virtual care.
Shandro’s wife, Andrea, operates a company called Vital Partners Inc., of which they are both part-owners. It brokers benefits plans for other companies, according to Shandro, MLA for Calgary-acadia.
Last Saturday evening, Shandro and his wife went to the home of Calgary physician Dr. Mukarram Zaidi, who lives in the same neighbourhood. The pair began yelling at the doctor on his driveway for sharing a Facebook post that alleged Shandro’s involvement in the company constituted a conflict of interest, according to Zaidi.
“They’re yelling, he’s crying,” Zaidi told Postmedia.
“He says, ‘You can’t do this, we are getting death threats. We have to move now, people know where we live. We have children,’” Zaidi recalled. “I’m like, ‘How can we resolve this in a civil way?’ He responds, ‘Delete the post.’”
Zaidi said he complied, but was “surprised and shocked” by the way Shandro handled the situation. He noted the two previously served together on a constituency association in the area.
“I’ve known him for some time. I have forgiven him and his wife. I think it’s difficult times. They acted out of character,” the physician said. “I don’t want to pursue the matter any further.”
NDP Leader Rachel Notley described Shandro’s behaviour as “bizarre, reckless and frankly intimidating.”
“He’s becoming defensive and angry,” the opposition leader said Friday.
“We are in the middle of the most pressing public health emergency, perhaps in history. When it comes to health, we need focused and steady leadership that is preoccupied solely with our response to the coronavirus pandemic and the health of Albertans. Instead, the health minister is going to the home of private citizens … and publicly threatening them.”
In a statement, Shandro said he regretted his actions. But he added he’d only “responded passionately” to defend his wife, whom he said was “subjected to an online campaign of defamation.”
“I fully expected to face attacks when I signed up to run for office — but my wife did not. That is true of any elected official’s family,” he said.
“I fully recognize the enormity of what our province and country is going through right now, and regret that this episode has become a distraction. For that, I am sincerely sorry. I am determined to continue tirelessly performing my role during this pandemic, and pledge to not get distracted by social media attacks during this extremely serious time.”
Premier Jason Kenney said questions surrounding Vital Partners Inc. were based on “completely spurious, false, disproven allegations, which have been dismissed by the ethics commissioner.”
Alberta’s ethics commissioner has said complaints about Shandro’ connection to Vital Partners Inc. don’t warrant an investigation, as the health minister’s shares are held in a blind trust.
“I think any Albertan would understand that a husband or wife will get passionate when their spouse is being attacked and even threatened and certainly defamed,” said Kenney, adding he encouraged Shandro not to “be distracted by the trolls.”
“As far as I’m concerned, that’s the end of the matter,” he said.
But one Calgary woman cited a separate instance of Shandro’s behaviour as proof the health minister isn’t sufficiently disconnected from the business.
Janice Fraser said she was threatened by Shandro over email after she reached out to Vital Partners Inc. through the company’s online “contact us” webpage on March 20. Fraser said she asserted her belief that Shandro was engaged in a conflict of interest in her message to the company.
Within an hour, she said Shandro responded from his own email address.
“Sending threatening emails to my wife is completely inappropriate and must stop,” said Shandro in the email, which was obtained by Postmedia.
“If you want to believe lies about her on social media, that’s up to you. But you can send your threatening emails to this office and this office only. Email her again and it will be referred to protective services.”
Fraser, who worked as a constituency assistant for NDP and Liberal MLAS from 2015 until last year, said she felt “threatened” by Shandro’s response.
“The fact that a minister of the Crown, in a pandemic ... would have time to respond to me about his wife within less than an hour really caused me to feel very afraid for my safety,” she said.
Fraser said she has contacted Alberta’s ethics commissioner about the email exchange.
“His behaviour proves what we’re all saying, that he is actually not neutral, he is not unbiased,” she said.
“He has taken an oath to protect the Crown in this province and to work for all Albertans. At this point, he’s only working for his own assets and his own wife.”
Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt said there’s no doubt Kenney should have fired Shandro.
“How can they not?” Bratt said. “You cannot have ministers going to people’s homes to berate them.
“Even if you say, ‘Oh, well they’re neighbours or acquaintances,’ this was in public, this was in front of his family and you also have a massive power differential because it’s the health minister versus a doctor.”
But David Stewart, a political scientist at the University of Calgary, said it may not be prudent for Kenney to shuffle his health minister out of cabinet at such a crucial time, as the province continues to cope with the ongoing COVID -19 pandemic.
“The thing going for Mr. Shandro in this circumstance is that people have a lot of other issues that they’re focusing on,” he said.
Bratt said the ongoing outbreak of the novel coronavirus only makes it more confusing why a health minister would devote attention to a Facebook post at this time.
“Flip it around the other way,” he said. “If you’re in the middle of a health crisis, what is the health minister doing pursuing personal agendas?”