‘Not your government’s money’: AIMCo ‘reset’ raises concern over political influence

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed as new chair of Alberta Investment Management Corp. One seat reserved for the deputy minister of treasury board and finance.

Harper's appointment raises questions about just how much sway the government will have over the investment manager.

Sources close to AIMCo say it was clear for months that the government wanted more control.

Alberta ’s government has installed a senior bureaucrat on the AIMCo board to keep an eye on things.

The previous experiment, in 2007 and 2008 , didn’t last long.

Pension and governance experts say the board appointments announced so far could lead to significant changes.

Sources familiar with events at AIM co-investment said the organization's international expansion was a sore point for the government.

Sources say the Alberta government was consulting with AIMCo about ways to boost the size of the Heritage Fund .

But at the same time, the government appeared to be looking outside the boardroom and executive shakeup.

The leaders of nine of Alberta ’s largest unions representing hundreds of thousands of workers and retirees, wrote a letter to Smith .