Opposition NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir is calling on United Conservative Party politicians from Calgary to denounce a phone call between Premier Danielle Smith and a street preacher facing a criminal trial. Smith speaks at the Canada Strong and Free Network in Ottawa on Thursday, March 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
CALGARY – Opposition NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir is calling on United Conservative Party politicians from Calgary to denounce a phone conversation between Premier Danielle Smith and a street preacher facing a criminal trial.
Smith has declined to answer questions about a leaked phone recording in which she offered to help Calgary street pastor Artur Pawlowski in his case related to a COVID-19 protest in 2022 at the Canada-United States border crossing in southern Alberta.
The NDP released a video showing the preacher at the protest calling for a revolution, bragging about how many times he has been charged, and telling the crowd there isn’t enough RCMP officers or military personnel to stop them.
Sabir says Smith owes Albertans an explanation about why such an extreme individual who’s facing criminal charges got a second of her time and why she would try to interfere in the justice system.
He says Calgary UCP politicians should explain why they support Smith if she won’t answer questions about the call.
UCP candidate Rebecca Schulz, at a news conference in Calgary, says elected officials hear from Albertans on a variety of issues every day and referred all other questions to the premier’s office.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2023.
