Alberta Premier Danielle Smith makes an announcement in Sherwood Park, Alta., on Tuesday, April 11, 2023. Smith won’t say what she is being investigated for by Alberta’s ethics commissioner. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
EDMONTON – Premier Danielle Smith won’t say what she is being investigated for by Alberta’s ethics commissioner.
Smith says she wants to respect the process and it would be inappropriate to comment during an active investigation by ethics commissioner Marguerite Trussler.
Smith announced Monday she is being investigated, but Trussler, by law, cannot comment on cases or confirm whether a specific investigation has been launched.
The investigation comes after the Opposition NDP asked Trussler to investigate the premier’s phone call with Calgary pastor Artur Pawlowski about his criminal case tied to a blockade at the Canada-United States border crossing at Coutts, Alta., over COVID-19 rules.
Smith is heard on the call talking to Pawlowski about his case, detailing internal Crown disputes over how such cases are being handled, and offering to make inquiries on his behalf and report back.
The NDP and legal experts say the United Conservative Party premier has violated the firewall separating politicians from individual court cases, while Smith says she had done nothing wrong because it’s her job to talk to people.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2023.
