(Edmonton) Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called for an investigation to be launched this weekend into whether members of her staff contacted Crown prosecutors regarding court records related to the station blockade Coutts, Alberta border crossing.
Mme Smith said the emails of 34 employees at her firm and 400 prosecutors will need to be checked, but she expects to have results early next week.
On Thursday, CBC News reported that a staff member at M.me Smith sent a series of emails to Crown prosecutors last fall challenging their approach to ongoing prosecutions of protesters who blocked the Coutts border crossing.
CBC News built its report around testimony from an anonymous source, but did not review the emails in question.
“CBC says they don’t have the emails and they haven’t given us any names. So I’ve asked our independent utility to review the emails,” Ms.me Smith on Saturday during his radio show.
“We have an IT department that can review all emails received by Crown prosecutors and compare them with what was sent by all my staff. That way, we can verify if what the CBC wrote is true, ”she explained.
“As soon as we have the answer, we will ensure that the results are public,” she confirmed.
Mme Smith also reiterated that she has not contacted any Crown attorneys about the matter, nor has she instructed any of her staff to do so.
“It’s a serious allegation,” agreed Mr.me Smith.
“If a member of our staff has indeed been in contact with a Crown prosecutor, we should obviously take the appropriate measures. »
The RCMP have laid charges against several people involved in the blockade at the Coutts border crossing, which occurred a year ago. Demonstrators then gathered there for three weeks to protest against health restrictions linked to COVID-19. Charges range from mischief to conspiracy to commit murder.
Police alleged that a group present at the protest were notably prepared to use force against officers if the blockade was broken.
In a statement, the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service maintained that “neither the assistant deputy minister of the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service nor the Crown attorney involved in the Coutts case remember receiving emails from the Prime Minister’s office.
For its part, the NDP opposition has once again called for an independent investigation to shed light on these allegations.
The party recalls that the Prime Minister has made numerous contradictory statements on the discussions she has had with senior justice officials on the way in which they have managed cases related to non-compliance with health measures.