Madu was shuffled to the labour and immigration portfolio in 2022 after a probe into a phone call he made to Edmonton's chief of police after receiving a traffic ticket.
The probe found that Madu had not interfered in the administration of justice, but that his phone call to the chief of police created a "reasonable perception of interference".
Claims made in the op-ed were challenged by the Mayors of Calgary and Edmonton, including that the data supplied by Canadian Federation of Independent Business significantly overestimated the 10-year growth in municipal expenditures, and did not account for inflation.
Among those decisions, included the repealing of the City Charters Fiscal Framework Act which legislated provincial transfers to the Cities of Edmonton and Calgary;[10] reductions to the Municipal Sustainability Initiative, an infrastructure financing program which was reduced cumulatively by $236-million over two years from 2020–21 to 2021–22; and reduction of the Grants in Place of Taxes program by 50%, which provides municipalities with grants which off-set the property tax requisitions for provincially owned buildings.
According to CTV News, municipalities in rural Alberta raised concerns that the proposed changes would "cost them millions" by reducing the property tax base by between $108-million to $291-million.
As the first Black person to serve in the role, as well as his work experience with the legal aid system, Madu's appointment was praised for bringing "much-needed perspective".
[15] In March 2021, CBC News reported that the Lethbridge Police Service monitored the environment minister under the previous New Democratic government, among other scandals.
This prompted Madu to give an April 16 deadline to the service to "address issues of recruiting, training, oversight, discipline, transparency and communications".
[20] An investigation into the matter by Alberta Court of Queen's Bench judge Adele Kent found that Madu had not interfered in the administration of justice, but that his phone call to the chief of police created a "reasonable perception of interference.
In October 2024, the Law Society of Alberta issued a decision that Madu's conduct in the Edmonton traffic ticket incident was a breach of a lawyer's professional duties constituting grounds for sanction.