Brian Jean strikes a pose for photographers after Wednesday's United Conservative Party leadership debate flanked by (L to R) fellow candidates Rebecca Schulz, Danielle Smith and Leela Aheer, at the HALO Hanger in Medicine Hat. -- NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Two leading candidates to become Alberta premier now say that conventional medicine should be part of cancer treatment, but they won’t clearly state whether they favour the advice of the medical establishment regarding COVID-19.
The opposition NDP called that dangerous, and even an opponent in the United Conservative Party race said the stance is confusing, and Albertans are owed an explanation on decisions that seem contradictory.
Danielle Smith fended off attacks at the party’s leadership debate Wednesday in Medicine Hat after her comment during a podcast interview suggested avoiding an advanced cancer diagnosis was a matter of personal responsibility and alternative therapies may be more effective.
She walked back those comments stating they were misunderstood, while fellow contender Brian Jean, whose son died of cancer in 2015, called the comments hurtful and wrong.
Both, however, skirted questions in a post-debate scrum about whether medical doctors who should be listened to on matters of cancer are the experts on the coronavirus.
“We need to have a discussion about early detection, early treatment (of cancer) and some ways we can bring in nutrition and exercise for better outcomes,” Smith told reporters when asked whether if speculating on cancer cures was similar to relying on speculative cures for COVID-19.
Smith says her mother-in-law also died of cancer after receiving an initial diagnosis that was already at an advanced stage. She repeated her hope to “marry” alternative practices with established medicine to reduce cost and produce better outcomes.
“I need to hear from Danielle Smith tonight that she won’t give bad medical advice or cancer advice again, because she’s hurt a lot of people,” said Jean late in the debate.
Later, to reporters he said alternative medicine has its place, but would not detail his own view of the medical communities advice on COVID.
“I think (naturopaths) certainly have their calling, and are excellent. Alternative medicine should be what we look at under a doctors advice. Doctors look at a lot of different things and we need to be open-minded about health care,” he said. “The last few years have been enormously uncomfortable for Albertans to say the least.”
The province, AHS and Chief Medical Officer Deena Hinshaw have been criticized over the past 30 months for both too quickly and too slowly lifting protective measures against the deadly infectious respiratory disease.
A lawsuit brought by the Alberta Federation of Labour last month regarding the school reopening plan revealed documents that show cabinet chose the most aggressive timeline options to lift restrictions despite data showing cases might still rise and that schools were major points of transmission affecting the larger community.
Both Smith and Jean has lambasted the government and AHS for not ending so-called lockdowns – like capacity restrictions and public-places masking – sooner, stating it is a matter of fundamental rights.
Leadership opponent Leela Aheer said the government lost trust of Albertans because it appeared to lack empathy and understanding.
“When leading Albertans, we need to have the best information around the table and not dismiss science because it doesn’t fit our ideology or wishes,” she wrote in an email to the News. “It is dangerous to have a decision maker in the premier’s office who dismisses evidence which doesn’t fit their world view.”
Travis Toews, who was finance minister and a member of the so-called COVID cabinet, said the government was operating in uncertain times and made decisions it felt best.
“I can’t break cabinet confidence, but I’m a rancher from rural Alberta, so you can imagine the perspectives I brought to the table and I represented my constituents responsibly around the table,” he told reporters following Wednesday’s debate.
“There were a lot of divergent views and those were very hard days and difficult decisions were made. I felt more effective at the table than on the outside.”
NDP opposition health critic MLA David Shepard said that Smith’s comments on cancer treatment were cover “to lay blame for rising health costs (which) displays an incredible lack of empathy from someone hoping to be premier.”
“It is even more outrageous considering her own penchant for sharing anti-vaccine misinformation has likely contributed to the same excess COVID-19 hospitalizations that have prevented early cancer diagnosis and surgical intervention for thousands of Albertans,” he wrote in a comment to the News.
