Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's chief of staff, Marshall Smith, takes a moment in his office in Edmonton, on May 23.Megan Albu/The Globe and Mail
One of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s top advisers is leaving government, roughly four weeks prior to United Conservative Party members voting on whether they approve of their leader’s time at the helm of their organization.
Ms. Smith announced Tuesday on social media that her chief of staff earlier this year informed her that he intended to “retire from public service” in October. She credited Marshall Smith for pioneering Alberta’s approach to substance-use disorders, which favours treatment and recovery above harm reduction.
Ms. Smith, who is not related to the departing chief of staff, refers to this as the Alberta Model and credits it with saving lives. However, harm-reduction advocates have frequently criticized the Alberta government for Mr. Smith’s approach, which includes pursuing involuntary treatment for some who use illicit drugs.
While the Premier insisted the departure has been in the works since January, her statement was released a day after Mr. Smith told some senior political staff members he was leaving.
“After countless achievements, the Alberta Model is gaining international recognition and sweeping Canada as the common sense approach to addressing mental health and addiction,” the statement says.
“Without Marshall’s vision and knowledge this shift would not have been possible. Countless lives have been saved and improved thanks to his commitment and service to the people of Alberta, steering our governments response to the addiction crisis.”
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Fatal drug overdoses in Alberta have dipped to 712 in the first six months of this year, a decrease of 33 per cent compared with the same time period a year ago. This translates to an average of four deaths a day, which remains well above the pre-pandemic mark of two deaths a day.
Addictions experts have said it is difficult to pinpoint the cause of the decrease in deaths this year, which has also been recorded in neighbouring British Columbia. One possible reason is the changing makeup of street drugs, such as a decrease in carfentanil levels in Alberta. Available treatment options, such as opioid agonist therapy, and naloxone distribution could also be playing a role in the reduction.
Mr. Smith did not return messages seeking comment. He initially joined the UCP government under former premier Jason Kenney.
The Premier’s office did not clarify the circumstances around his departure or if he will receive severance. According to the terms of his employment, Mr. Smith can terminate his employment contract by providing four weeks written notice. The government can waive this requirement but must still pay him his base salary during the notice period.
Mr. Smith earned about $220,000 annually. The Premier, in July, 2023, also signed off on granting him a living allowance of up to $23,160 a year, equal to the amount eligible MLAs receive to cover housing expenses when they are in Edmonton rather than their home ridings, according to Mr. Smith’s employment agreement.
Rob Anderson, the executive director of the Premier’s office, will take over as chief of staff at the end of the month, Ms. Smith’s statement said.
The UCP’s annual meeting is scheduled for the first weekend in November and, as of Oct. 1, roughly 5,400 members have registered to attend. They will vote on whether they approve of Ms. Smith’s leadership, and the Premier is facing fractured resistance from across the province.
She has raised the ire of some over an ethics controversy, first reported by The Globe and Mail, involving her, cabinet ministers, and government staff accepting luxury tickets to Edmonton Oilers games from people with ties to government. The Premier has insisted that ethics rules, which the UCP changed last year, were followed. The rules state that Mr. Smith, as chief of staff, was in charge of approving gifts, such as hockey tickets, for all political staff.
The Premier’s statement on Tuesday did not specify where Mr. Smith, himself in recovery from substance-use disorder, will land, but indicated her government will not completely sever ties.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Marshall on the Alberta recovery model for mental health and addictions and hope he has the opportunity to assist other governments across the country in building that model in their provinces,” she said. “Doing so will save lives.”
With files from Alanna Smith