(EDMONTON, AB): NDP Leader Rachel Notley must come clean with Albertans, now that Edmonton-South MLA Thomas Dang has formally been charged by RCMP for hacking Alberta’s vaccine records portal, Chief Government Whip and former police officer Brad Rutherford said today.
Questions have surrounded Notley since the beginning of the Dang hacking scandal, including whether she had any prior knowledge of Dang’s online activities and whether she intended to use his illegal findings for her own political gain. Notley was caught in a contradiction regarding the timeline of the investigation when she said she had no prior knowledge of Dang’s hacking activities when the RCMP investigation began in December, then admitted she knew Dang “found a flaw” in the system in September.
With serious charges now laid against Dang under the Health Information Act, Rutherford said Notley can no longer be given the benefit of the doubt and must clearly state what she knew and when she knew it.
“It’s very hard to believe Thomas Dang was acting alone when he hacked into the private health records of Albertans,” Rutherford said. “The Notley NDP is a top-down organization that will do anything in the pursuit of power, and the buck stops with Notley on everything. It’s time for Notley to come clean with Albertans about her involvement in this scandal.”
Further to Notley coming clean on her involvement in the hacking scandal, Rutherford said Dang should immediately resign his seat in the Alberta Legislature.
“Thomas Dang’s behaviour has been disgraceful, and it has culminated in these RCMP charges. It is time for Thomas Dang to resign,” Rutherford said. “Hacking into the private health records of Albertans is beyond unacceptable. These RCMP charges should mark the end of Thomas Dang’s career in Alberta politics.”
Rutherford raised questions about the vaccine hacking scandal in February, highlighting Dang’s obsession with the vaccination status of government MLAs. You can read that release here. He also sent a letter to Alberta’s Ethics Commissioner about Dang’s role on a Legislature committee. You can view that letter here.
