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As my chief of staff for the last two years, Marshall Smith has continuously sought to advance Albertans' best interests on a daily basis in the Premier's Office. Marshall told me at the beginning of this year that he had decided to retire from public service in October of this year, following 32 years of service in various capacities. Working with Marshall has been a privilege, and for his service to Alberta, our entire province is incredibly grateful.
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Marshall came to Alberta with the intention of enacting the most extensive shift in mental health and addiction policy anywhere in the world. Marshall has experience working in the field of addiction and mental health. Alberta His model is centred on giving individuals struggling with addiction and mental health issues simple access to rehabilitation and therapy. The Alberta Model, which has achieved many successes, is becoming well-known worldwide and is widely adopted in Canada as the sensible method of treating addiction and mental health issues. Marshall's insight and understanding were essential for this change to occur. His dedication to serving the people of Alberta and leading our government's response to the addiction issue has saved and improved many lives.
June of this year saw a 53% decrease in opioid addiction-related deaths compared to June of last year.
Marshall and I will be collaborating on the Alberta rehabilitation model for addiction and mental health, and I hope he has the chance to support other national governments in establishing that model in their own provinces. It will save lives to do this.
We have been diligently working on transition preparation since January in order to maintain consistency within the Premier's Office. By the end of the month, Rob Anderson, who has been the Premier's Office executive director for the past two years, will take over as my chief of staff.
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