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EDMONTON — Alberta’s New Democrats are calling on Premier Danielle Smith to address Albertans directly about pressures facing the province’s health care system and have launched a petition urging the government to declare a state of emergency for hospital emergency departments.
The opposition says more than a month has passed since the death of a young Edmonton father who died while waiting for care in an emergency room, with doctors, frontline workers and patients continuing to describe unsafe conditions and overcrowding across Alberta hospitals.
The New Democrats say the premier has not provided a public update on the situation and argue only one of the government’s four health ministers has spoken to media in recent weeks, offering limited new information.
The party says Albertans deserve to hear from the premier about what actions have been taken to address emergency department pressures.
As part of its campaign, the New Democrats have launched a legislative petition calling on the government to declare a health care state of emergency. The petition is to be tabled in the legislature and is available through the party’s caucus website and at albertahealthcrisis.ca.
“If Smith and her UCP government can’t manage the responsibilities they were entrusted by Albertans to deliver on, then it’s time for a new government that will,” said Naheed Nenshi, Leader of the Official Opposition. “Alberta’s New Democrats are ready to be that government.”
The petition renews earlier demands from the opposition, including a declaration of emergency for hospital emergency rooms until sites are operating at safe capacity levels and patients are no longer being treated in hallways.
It also calls for the reinstatement of a centralized command structure for health care coordination, following the government’s restructuring of Alberta Health Services into four agencies overseen by separate ministers.
The New Democrats are further urging the government to reconvene the Alberta legislature for an emergency debate, arguing regular public updates and legislative accountability are needed while pressures persist in the health care system.
Premier Danielle Smith and her government have previously said restructuring is intended to improve accountability and patient care across the province.
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