Tyler Shandro

Tyler Shandro's tenure as Alberta's Minister of Health from 2019 to 2021 coincided with the most critical period for public health in a generation, and he spent much of it in open conflict with the very physicians his government needed to fight a pandemic. Shandro unilaterally cancelled the master agreement with the Alberta Medical Association and imposed new fee structures that physicians described as punitive. The confrontation drove some physicians out of the province and poisoned the working relationship between government and medicine at the worst possible time. Then came the incident that defined his public reputation: he drove to the home of a Calgary physician who had criticized him on social media and, while the doctor's family was present, demanded the post be taken down. Two formal complaints were filed with the Law Society of Alberta. While he was ultimately cleared of professional misconduct, the Law Society investigation itself — during a pandemic — was an extraordinary reflection of how far the minister-physician relationship had deteriorated. He was reassigned out of health in September 2021. Alberta's healthcare system did not recover from the damage done to physician relationships quickly, and the province subsequently faced nursing and doctor shortages that were exacerbated by the climate he had created. Using a position of public power to intimidate a private citizen critic — even if the Law Society found the conduct did not meet the threshold for professional sanction — is not acceptable behaviour from a health minister at any time, let alone during a public health emergency. Albertans deserved better.

Tyler Shandro was Health Minister during COVID and picked a war with Alberta's doctors at the worst possible time. He cancelled their agreement, cut fees, and according to one doctor literally showed up at his home to demand he take down a critical social media post. There were Law Society complaints about him using his position to get doctors' personal phone numbers. He got moved out of the health file in 2021. Meanwhile regular Albertans were trying to stay healthy, keep their jobs, and afford groceries during the most stressful time in a generation. The last thing we needed was a Health Minister who was more focused on punishing critics than on keeping healthcare running. Absolutely not acceptable behaviour for someone in that position.