The Alberta Liberal party has appealed an order to remove its website criticizing the province’s health minister’s decisions and calling for his resignation or termination.

The Legislature Assembly Office ordered the site be removed from the Liberal caucus website because its officials say the party used caucus funds to personally criticize Minister Ron Liepert.

The website, liepertmustgo.ca, invites Albertans to submit their experiences of the province’s health care system.

“It’s an attempt to get freer speech, especially in the health sector where people are feeling muzzled and patients are intimidated to tell their stories of how the system is broken,” says Liberal leader Dr. David Swann.

The Liberal’s appeal has gone to the member services committee, which makes decisions on the benefits and use of funds for members. If the member services committee rules in favour of the order, Dr. Swann says the party will transfer it from the caucus website to the party’s website.

Dr. Swann says the website is not a personal attack; it criticizes the job Liepert is doing. “The fact that we use his name is not unlike the use of any names, including Ask Ed, their website to get feedback on how the premier is doing.”

Ask Premier Ed, the much-mocked attempt to engage the premier with Albertans using social media tools, reportedly received about 400 questions. The liepertmustgo.ca website has received more than 450 submissions, says Swann. He plans to table some of the stories in the legislature and use them to question the government.

“Our experience is that this government likes to suppress dissent and erode democracy at every opportunity it can.”