Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she distrusts World Economic Forum, province to cut ties

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she is cancelling a health consulting agreement involving the World Economic Forum — an agency at the centre of global domination conspiracy theories — because she won't work with a group that talks about controlling governments.

"I find it distasteful when billionaires brag about how much control they have over political leaders," Smith said at a news conference Monday after her new cabinet was sworn in.

"That is offensive…the people who should be directing government are the people who vote for them.

"Quite frankly, until that organization stops bragging about how much control they have over political leaders, I have no interest in being involved with them."

The United Conservative Party premier said she is in lockstep with federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who has stated he and his caucus will having nothing to do with the World Economic Forum.

The deal with Alberta Health Services sees the province share ideas with health researchers at Harvard University and the Mayo Clinic under the forum's umbrella.

The high-profile conference of global political and business leaders has been the focus of conspiracy theories from both sides of the political spectrum.

A decade ago, it was accused by the left-wing of conspiring to cut pensions and slash environmental programs.

It became the focus of attacks from the right during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the it promoted a "great reset," calling for ideas on how to better organize global society post pandemic.

That started online conspiracy accusations, unproven and debunked, that the forum is fronting a global cabal of string-pullers exploiting the pandemic to dismantle capitalism and introduce damaging socialist systems and social control measures, such as forcing people to take vaccines with tracking chips.

Smith, on a livestream interview Friday, announced the deal was ending but didn't say why. At a news conference Saturday, she declined to respond to two questions on the forum.

The premier was asked by a reporter Monday if she has concerns about the forum "because you accept the online conspiracy theory that WEF is a front for a global cabal of world leaders bent on using the pandemic to destroy capitalism and install a socialist dysfunctional dystopia."

Smith declined to answer.

"I think it makes sense to make health decisions based on health experts," she said.