Lawyer asks for Phillips to be sanctioned for tweets

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on December 9, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

MLA Shannon Phillips nipped in the bud plans by reporters to ask her any questions involving the Lethbridge Police Service and police commission only minutes before a scheduled Wednesdaypress conference.
On Tuesday, the Calgary Herald reported that the lawyer for five LPS officers wants Phillips to be sanctioned by the speaker of the Alberta Legislature for tweets Phillips made before two officers involved in the so-called “meme-gate” affair were to appear before the presiding officer of a disciplinary hearing.
The Calgary Herald story said a letter sent to legislature speaker Nathan Cooper was provided to Postmedia by an officer involved on the condition his name not be used. The report states that defence lawyer Greg Dunn suggested the Lethbridge West MLA tried to influence disciplinary proceedings involving the officers.
That Dec. 1 letter quotes Dunn, according to the report, as writing “I will let the parlance and professionalism of the tweets speak for themselves, however of concern to me as a member of the Bar in the Province of Alberta is the unmitigated attack on the integrity of a statutorily regulated judicial process and its participants.”
In the letter, Dunn said Phillips’ comments are “slanderous, false and simply fall far beneath the station to which a member of the Legislature of Alberta ought to be held.”
At Wednesday’s press conference shortly before Phillips discussed the Lethbridge doctor shortage with a city man suffering from a back injury who feels the lack of a physician has impacted his ability to get quality health care, an email was sent to media stating “I will not be taking questions about my ongoing legal matters with the Lethbridge Police Service and Lethbridge Police Commission.
“I can tell you that I stand behind my actions on this matter to date, including how I referred to two disgraced former officers who have resigned due to their misconduct targeting me. Both of those officers resigned rather than face internal disciplinary processes, but they are both still under criminal investigation for what they did to me.
“The UCP Minister of Justice and I are not united on much. Premier Kenney and I do not often agree. But we all agree that targeting a sitting MLA for political reasons cannot be tolerated in a democratic society. For this reason, I have filed a complaint against the officers who sought to limit my activities as an MLA by writing to the Speaker yesterday. A democratic society cannot tolerate members of a police service who feel free to act outside their oath.
“At the end of the day, the Lethbridge Police Service needs to focus on reducing and responding to crime, which is rising in Lethbridge. And I will focus on advocating for the citizens of Lethbridge. That’s why our tax dollars go to the LPS and why the voters elected me to the legislature. I will focus on my job, and I expect all members of the LPS  — without exception — to do theirs.”

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