Chelsae Petrovic, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Workforce Engagement. (Government of Alberta)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

Controversy: Chelsae Petrovic

Premier names new parliamentary secretary for Health Minister Adriana LaGrange

Mar 21, 2024 | 12:09 PM

Premier Danielle Smith has named a new parliamentary secretary to assist Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange.

The provincial government says working to improve health outcomes for Albertans to ensure everyone can access the health care they need, when and where they need it, by refocusing the entire health system. They say work has been underway since fall 2023.

READ: Alberta revamps health care system, creates separate units

Government officials say consultation with Alberta health care workers has been vital from the beginning of the refocusing process, and as the system changes, to ensure they are empowered in their roles.

To help with the work, the Premier has named Chelsae Petrovic, a licensed practical nurse with more than 13 years’ experience, and MLA for Livingstone-Macleod, as the Parliamentary Secretary for Health Workforce Engagement.

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“I look forward to collaborating with Chelsae in the weeks and months to come. With her health care background, she will bring a very important perspective to our refocusing work. The voice of every health care worker is critical to understanding what is actually happening on the front lines and what needs improving. Chelsae will help us incorporate those voices to strengthen the health system for all Albertans,” said Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health and MLA for Red Deer-North.

The Government says Alberta’s health care workers perform critical, life-saving work every day and are the heart of the province’s health care system. They add that ss professionals on the front lines, they have insights and expertise that are critical to government’s health refocusing work. They state significant engagement across the province has been held over the past three months and is scheduled to continue, making the new parliamentary secretary role critically important.

“Albertans deserve a better, stronger health care system. Addressing issues that have been allowed to grow for decades is a major job. Chelsae will play a pivotal role in ensuring that we continue to hear from the hard-working men and women who serve on the front lines of health care. I am confident her work will help lead to a stronger system,” said Premier Danielle Smith.

Dr. Luanne Metz, Alberta NDP Critic for Health, issued the following statement in response to the announcement:

“Danielle Smith has shown incredibly poor judgement in appointing, as her new Parliamentary Secretary in Health, someone who blames Albertans suffering from heart attacks on their own lack of personal responsibility.

READ: Alberta UCP candidate says people who have heart attacks should be held accountable

“Chelsae Petrovic said last year, ‘maybe the reason you had a heart attack was because you haven’t taken care of yourself; you’re extremely overweight, you haven’t managed your congestive heart failure, you haven’t managed your diabetes, and there’s no personal accountability.’

“And when she was asked if she would apologize, she chose not to.

“Offensively, Danielle Smith herself said Albertans are responsible for developing cancer. The role of government should be to ensure people have public health care when and where they need it, not to judge people for their health conditions.

“Under Smith’s watch, 61 per cent of family physicians worry they may have to close their practice this year, and over 800,000 Albertans do not have access to a family doctor. Access to a family doctor is one of the most important parts of preventative care.

“Alarmingly, this week Albertans learned ‘motel medicine,’ where patients are discharged from hospitals to receive inadequate care in motels, is happening.

“Danielle Smith and Adriana LaGrange are systematically undermining public health care at every step. Appointing a new Parliamentary Secretary who blames patients for their ailments will cause more chaos in our public health care system.”

With the addition of the new role, there are now nine parliamentary secretaries assisting ministers. The province confirmed parliamentary secretaries do not receive additional compensation.