Alberta’s Opposition New Democratic Party is calling for a public inquiry into Premier Jason Kenney and his government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
Sarah Hoffman, who is deputy leader for the NDP, says an independent review is necessary to look into the United Conservative government’s decision to end isolation requirements, contact tracing and asymptomatic testing.
She says it’s also needed after reports the government won’t release a report into the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro says on Twitter that the interim report will now be released later this week.
Kenney is to speak today at an unrelated news conference in Calgary — the first time he has held a news conference since the changes were made to COVID-19 protections.
Alberta is one of the first jurisdictions in Canada to announce it will lift isolation requirements this month for people who test positive for COVID-19, even as cases continue to grow.
“It is clear that Albertans can no longer trust their own government to keep them safe,” Hoffman said Tuesday.
“A full public inquiry is necessary because it allows Albertans to understand what happened over the course of this pandemic and to plan for the future, so we don’t repeat the same poor decision-making process again.”
—The Canadian Press
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