Alberta’s NDP have introduced whistleblower legislation to protect health care workers who report wrongdoing or misuse of public funds from retaliation.
Last week’s auditor general’s report on the UCP’s failed attempt at privatizing diagnostic lab services with DynaLIFE revealed that AHS staff felt “discouraged from voicing concerns due to fear of repercussions.”
“This government has created a systemic culture of silencing health-care workers. And when workers are silenced, patient care suffers, working conditions deteriorate, and lives are put at risk,” said Edmonton‑Manning MLA Heather Sweet, who tabled Bill 204, the Publicly Funded Health Entity Whistleblower Protection Act.
If passed, the bill will create a dedicated whistleblower protection framework for Alberta’s health-care system. It will ensure that any worker employed by a publicly funded health entity — whether in AHS, one of the new agencies, or a contracted facility — can report wrongdoing or misuse of public funds without fear of retaliation.
The NDP said by expanding coverage beyond the current Whistleblower Protection Act, the proposed bill would close gaps left by the UCP’s health care restructuring and guarantees consistent protections across all publicly funded health organizations.
“Alberta’s health care system is already under extreme strain, and nothing is more dangerous than a culture that scares frontline health care workers into silence,” said Dr. Paul Parks, president of the Alberta Medical...
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