On Monday, the premier's office circulated a communication to the media, wherein a spokesperson expressed that Danielle Smith positively acknowledges the investigation about whether Premier Danielle Smith interfered with the administration of justice tied to COVID-19 prosecutions.
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The office of the Premier of Alberta has announced the investigation will be initiated by the province's ethics commissioner.
Rebecca Polak stated in her email that Smith is engaged in complete cooperation with the commissioner and remains sanguine that this scrutiny will validate the non-existence of any form of involvement.
In response to the release of a video depicting a phone call between Calgary street pastor Artur Pawlowski and Smith, the Opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) has advocated for the initiation of an autonomous inquiry.
The Opposition NDP has been calling for an independent investigation since a video was released of a phone call Smith had with Calgary street pastor Artur Pawlowski. During the call, they discussed his criminal case just weeks before his trial in Lethbridge on Feb. 2 on pandemic-related charges was set to begin.
During her weekly phone-in radio show, "Your Province Your Premier," on Saturday, Smith presented a revised account of her motivation for reaching out to Pawlowski.
Pawlowski is presently confronted with accusations concerning criminal mischief and an infraction under Alberta's Critical Infrastructure Defence Act in connection with the Coutts border blockade incident. A verdict is scheduled to be pronounced by a judge in early May.
In a formal correspondence addressed to the Ethics Commissioner on March 31st, Irfan Sabir, the New Democratic Party's Justice Critic, communicated that the video served as the basis of his complaint. Moreover, he asserted that he was bringing forth a plausible contravention of Section 3 of the Conflicts of Interest Act.