Alberta Liberal leader David Swann is calling for a health care Integrity Commissioner. CBC

Alberta Liberals are calling for the establishment of an Office of the Integrity Commissioner to investigate and respond to concerns brought forward by health care professionals and employees.

"The Tories cannot be trusted to police themselves," said leader David Swann.

The commissioner would have the authority and power to protect whistleblowers by guaranteeing anonymity and blocking reprisals against them — even those who have signed non-disclosure agreements, he said.

The commissioner would also be granted investigative powers, as well as all the powers of a commissioner appointed under Alberta’s Public Inquiries Act, with the ability to make legally binding decisions reviewable by the courts, he said.

Swann estimates the office would cost about $3 million a year.

The position would be similar to that of the federal government’s Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner and comparable offices in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Manitoba, said Swan.