The province is feeling pressure over a severance package it paid a former executive for Alberta Health Services (AHS).
"You need to look at the restructuring that took place at the time. What we needed to do was to shorten the lines of communication so we made a commitment to also get rid of 100 management positions across the organization," says Stephen Duckett the CEO of AHS.
In March, Paddy Meade was dismissed from AHS. She worked just eight months of her three year contract and ended up with a payout of $1.3-million.
The Liberals say when the province is trying to save money a severance of that much just doesn't make sense.
"Taxpayers have every right to question this government as to why they continue with these lavish payouts at a time when we're restricting and eliminating access," says Hugh MacDonald, the Liberal finance critic.
According to the Liberals the severance package included a $257,500 bonus for work that was never done.
"That would employ at least four front-line workers a year," says MacDonald.
Duckett says Meade was dismissed before he came on board but he backs up the government's payout saying it's not appropriate to break contacts.
"We had legal advice on the phrasing of the contract and the entitlement to the bonus and we followed the legal advice," says Duckett.
Meade is now working in the Northwest Territories as the deputy health minister.
