Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen by AB News/Flickr – some rights reserved
Internal Alberta Agriculture documents show the UCP government and health officials prioritized the continued operation of the Cargill meat-packing plant over worker safety even as infection rates skyrocketed, a union group and an academic expert say.
The Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) obtained hundreds of pages of documents through freedom of information. CBC News also obtained an audio recording of an April 18, 2020 town hall meeting between government officials and Cargill workers.
The documents include correspondence involving senior health officials, including chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw, and emails from Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen’s office, which critics say advanced a narrative that minimized the risk of infection within the Cargill plant.
“If you look at this evidence in its totality, it is clear that keeping the plant open is more important than worker safety,” said Sean Tucker, a University of Regina professor of occupational health and safety, who reviewed the documents.