SCANDAL: Alberta’s Police Chief Was Appointed by the Same Board He Chaired

Danielle Smith’s government silently went along with the fact that the Independent Agency Police Service Oversight Board, tasked with finding the most qualified Albertan to lead the new provincial police force, chose its own chairman, Satpal Singh Parhar, for the job.

Having hidden this critical conflict of interest concerning the safety and security of Albertans has rattled critics, who are now calling for the resignation of Chief Parhar, the entire board, Minister Mike Ellis, and Premier Danielle Smith.

Last week, in our in-depth report raising national security concerns about the questionable selection of Chief Parhar—prior to our discovery that he had served as chair—Minister Ellis’s press secretary stated that the process was “independently led by the Independent Agency Police Service Oversight Board and adhered to established public sector protocols for executive-level appointments.”

This revelation shatters the credibility of that statement and raises serious questions about integrity, transparency, and accountability at every level of Danielle Smith’s government.

If this is what “established public sector protocols” look like, Albertans deserve to know how many other appointments are built on the same foundation of conflict of interest.

Chief Parhar, Premier Smith, and Minister Ellis have not responded to our media inquiry, leaving unanswered whether U.S. security agencies were consulted about this appointment—an especially pressing question given Alberta’s shared border with Montana and the persistent threat of transnational crime, including fentanyl trafficking.

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