The Alberta Bar Association heard a number of allegations on Tuesday surrounding suggestions that Alberta’s Minister of Justice has violated a legal code of conduct.
Tyler Shandro faces three complaints dating back to his time as state health minister early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Calgary doctorsaid he was visited at his home by the minister and his wife in March 2020 at a public hearing that posted a photo of Shandro on social media with captions related to the privatization of health care. and the Alberta Medical Association over charges.
The caption on Shandro’s photo and speech bubble reads: we’re going to be rich ”
Shandro’s wife, Andrea, is a co-founder of Vital Partners, a health insurance agency.
Dr. Mukharam Zaidi testified that he went out of his house to meet Shandro and explained that the minister was very upset. doctor Please remove the post immediately as his family has received death threats.
“I see Shandro and his wife standing on the sidewalk. He was crying, he was emotionally charged. His wife was hugging him,” Zaidi said. .
“He said, “You can’t do this to us. increase. And he said “please delete your post”. ”
Zaidi said he felt Shandro was visiting on behalf of the United Conservative government and not as a private person, and complied.
of doctor He is a UCP member and activist and said he had known Shandro for some time.
Zaidi told the panel later that he had left the matter behind, but was contacted by a CBC journalist who told him what had happened.
Under investigation by Shandro’s lawyers, doctor It said it did not plan the initial posting or media interviews as a strategy to discredit the minister during rate negotiations.
“I wanted to draw attention to the fact that this is a conflict of interest for the incumbent health minister and that his actions will benefit the business,” he said.
After the story surfaced, Shandro released a statement confirming the meeting.
“The attack on the mother of a loved one and children deeply disturbed me. Like any husband, I responded passionately to protect my wife,” he wrote. .
Shandro In a statement, he said he knew Zaidi was a decent and respectable man.
“When I saw my neighbor, a longtime political acquaintance, posting something on social media and encouraging attacks on my wife, I spoke to him and pleaded with him to stop spreading this false information. Did.”
Shandro will step down as Health Minister in September 2021. He briefly served as Labor and Immigration Minister before being appointed to the judicial portfolio in 2022.
Shandro’s attorney, Grant Stapon, told the hearing that the conversation between Shandro and Zaidi was private.
“These communications should be judged on the basis of Minister Chandlo’s non-lawyer conduct and in his personal capacity,” Stapon said.
“He was not practicing law. He was not acting as a politician. He was acting in his personal capacity.”
Zaidi said the encounter made her uneasy.
“I’m not really scared. This was a very scary situation.”
The two doctors also alleged that Chandlo used his position as health minister to obtain personal cell phone numbers and contact them outside of normal working hours.
Dr. Lauralee Dukeshire said she was practicing medicine in the red deer area when she was with another patient. doctor I tried to attend an announcement at the hospital by Shandro and former Prime Minister Jason Kenny.
She testified that she yelled at Shandro and Kenny as they left and asked why he didn’t stop and talk to the doctor. said.
Dukeshire said he was surprised to receive a voicemail on the phone a few days later from Shandro, who said he had obtained his phone number from Alberta Health Services.
“He said I was welcome to call back to discuss my concerns. My first thought was how did he know who I was and how did he track me down? That’s it, she said.
“My first reaction was disbelief and a little bit of fear. I felt like I was saying that I could find you.
Hearings will continue until Thursday.
