RAJESH ANGRAL

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EDMONTON JOURNAL: “She added that her office’s executive director, Rob Anderson, was leading correspondence with the Justice Ministry, “pushing this along.”

Despite a recording showing Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told a street pastor facing charges related to last year’s border blockade she speaks with Crown prosecutors about COVID-related cases “almost weekly,” Smith’s office is once again saying she didn’t mean to say that.

In the conversation, shared in a video posted to the Artur Pawlowski TV YouTube account as an unlisted post, later made private, the premier promised to discuss his case internally and claimed she spoke regularly with prosecutors about such cases.

During the call, Smith said she was frustrated with COVID-related charges. “It was a political decision that initiated this, but it can’t be a political decision to end it,” she said.

She added that her office’s executive director, Rob Anderson, was leading correspondence with the Justice Ministry, “pushing this along.”

Another instance of ‘imprecise language’: premier’s office

In a subsequent statement to Postmedia Wednesday, the premier’s press secretary Becca Polak said “there is absolutely no new information contained in the video,” but did not directly answer questions posed by Postmedia.

While Smith has publicly stated she asked Crown prosecutors “on a regular basis” about COVID-related court cases, she has subsequently walked that back, saying she used “imprecise language,” and had instead spoken with Justice Minister Tyler Shandro and his deputy attorney general.

Polak said Wednesday the same explanation applies to her comments made to Pawlowski.

The video comes after Smith confirmed in February she spoke with Pawlowski, saying at the time she had talked to everyone who had concerns about pandemic public health restriction enforcement orders.

Before CBC News first reported on the contents of the video Wednesday, Smith took aim at the public broadcaster in a statement, calling its story part of a “campaign of defamatory attacks” against her and her office staff. She has previously said that she has been advised by the Justice Ministry not to pursue granting legal amnesty to those charged with non-violent COVID-related charges.

“I have followed that advice. At no time have I spoken with anyone from the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service, nor to my knowledge have any of my office’s staff. Allegations to the contrary are defamatory and will be dealt with accordingly,” Smith said.

Anderson, in a series of tweets Wednesday, also called CBC’s reporting defamatory, and said he had not contacted the Crown prosecution service on the matter, nor did he recall speaking with anyone charged with ongoing COVID-related offences.

Chuck Thompson, head of public affairs for CBC, sent Postmedia a statement in response.

“We reported factually on a conversation everyone can read about or listen to themselves on our site. Our journalism speaks for itself,” he wrote.

Smith has repeatedly said that neither she nor her staff have ever communicated with Crown prosecutors, and that she has only had discussions with the attorney general and deputy attorney general about outstanding COVID-related cases.

“They advised me the Crown prosecutors would independently make their decisions on whether or not to carry on with COVID-related cases based on their assessment of whether there was a reasonable chance of conviction and whether it was in the public interest,” said Smith in January.

“I respect that independent process.”

The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service has previously told Postmedia the Crown prosecutor involved in the Coutts files did not have any recollection of receiving any emails from the premier’s office.

Premier critiques ‘tactics’ of Crown prosecutors

During her UCP leadership campaign, Smith promised to have charges related to COVID-19 violations dropped, but since taking office said she has learned she doesn’t have that clemency power.

At one point during the phone call, Pawlowski raised concerns that the Crown prosecutor in his case had dumped more than 1,000 pages of documents and hundreds of hours of testimony, forcing Pawlowski to hire an expensive legal team to comb through it all. Smith dismissed Pawlowski’s suggestion Shandro was behind the move.

“But, I have also raised it with the deputy minister, and let him know my dissatisfaction with the tactics. So, can you just leave this with me and I will make that request one more time?”

‘Deeply inappropriate’

At a news conference Wednesday, NDP Opposition justice critic Irfan Sabir said the recorded conversation raises further questions about interference in the justice system by the premier or her office, and reiterated his party’s call for an independent investigation.

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DON BRAID: “Her video call with pastor Artur Pawlowski, released Wednesday by the CBC and the NDP, steps over so many other boundaries that the initial uproar seems almost quaint.”

What on earth is the premier of Alberta doing engaging in a long conversation with a man facing serious charges, during which the accused pressures her to get his charges dropped?

It no longer matters so much whether Premier Danielle Smith directly tried to influence Crown prosecutors over COVID protest charges.

It no longer matters so much whether Premier Danielle Smith directly tried to influence Crown prosecutors over COVID protest charges.

What on earth is the premier of Alberta doing engaging in a long conversation with a man facing serious charges, during which the accused pressures her to get his charges dropped?

We knew the conversation happened earlier this year. Smith has acknowledged as much. But it’s one thing to be aware that they spoke, and quite another to hear what they said.

It makes for a breathtaking 11 minutes. Pawlowski even hints at annoyance with the premier for not getting him off the hook for his activities at the Coutts border crossing.

One issue is Smith’s extreme favouritism toward people who were facing charges brought by her own prosecution service. Others accused all over the province would be thrilled by such consideration from their premier.

Smith said she’s “frustrated” because she can’t drop charges. As a leadership candidate she promised amnesty. But, gosh darn, when she became premier she found out that’s an American thing, not Canadian.

“I thought we probably had the same power of clemency that they did in the U.S. . . . I’m not a lawyer by training,” Smith said.

You don’t have to be a lawyer to understand this. Nearly everybody in political life knows it. When did a premier ever pardon anybody?

This promise was either utter cluelessness or a cynical leadership promise she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep. Neither option is attractive.

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Online video between Danielle Smith and Artur Pawlowski raises questions over interference

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is heard speaking with outspoken Calgary pastor Artur Pawlowski in a newly-revealed video, creating questions about her influence on Alberta court cases.

On previous occasions, Smith has denied that she or a member of her staff made direct contact with Crown prosecutors in order to influence their decisions on cases involving COVID charges.

But that’s not what she said to Pawlowski. 

The video, recorded by Pawlowski – who faces charges of inciting the Coutts border dispute in early 2022 – involves a conversation between himself and the premier. Critics say it could be evidence that Smith has been interfering with the justice system — or at least involving herself more than she claimed to be.

The taped conversation starts with admiration on Smith’s part. 

“I’ve been watching your public advocacy for many years,” she said. “I’m sorry to hear what they’ve been putting you through.”

“As you are aware, I am still on house arrest, facing 10 and a half years imprisonment for my speech in Coutts,” Pawlowski responded, adding that he reached out to her “because of the promises that were never fulfilled.”

Smith told him that she didn’t have the same power of clemency that the U.S. president or U.S. governors have, but said she could “ask prosecutors (if) there is a reasonable likelihood of conviction, and is it in the public interest?

“I assure you that I have asked them that, almost weekly, ever since I got started here,” Smith said in the recording.

“There have been a number of cases that have been abandoned as they have gone through that assessment and I’m very hopeful that will be the case for more cases but there really isn’t a mechanism for me to get them to drop cases.”

ARTICLE ‘NOT TRUE’

In January, Smith’s office responded to a CBC Calgary story that stated one of her staffers challenged prosecutors on several criminal cases that were connected to the Coutts border dispute.

CTV News hasn’t yet been able to independently confirm the allegations. 

Smith’s office says the article was not true.

“The CBC published a defamatory article containing baseless allegations that Premier’s Office staff had sent a series of emails to Alberta Crown prosecutors concerning charges related to the Coutts protest and other pandemic-related matters before the courts. The CBC admitted that it had not seen any of the emails,” Smith’s office said in a statement attributed to no one in particular.

Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt said there’s a blurry line between asking questions and applying political pressure.

“Now her defenders may say she’s just asking questions,” Bratt said. “But if you ask the same question over and over again, is that pressure?”

Back in the video, Pawlowski is heard appealing to Smith about the charges, saying they could have been dealt with differently. 

“Instead of sitting down and solving the problem, we had to hire an entire legal team, which will cost over $150,000 extra to comb through this massive additional disclosure that we never had before,” he said.

Pawlowski accused Justice Minister Tyler Shandro “of playing a game” and Crown prosecutor Steven Johnson of “following directives.”

Smith continues by saying she would check on that, but said she didn’t think it had anything to do with Shandro.

“I think the issue is once the ball is rolling, these Crown prosecutors seem to be very independent and we can only ask them two questions as I mentioned to you,” she said.

“I don’t very much see this as driven by the minister, but I have also raised this with the deputy minister.”

ALBERTA NDP SURPRISED BY CALL

The Alberta NDP says it was shocked to hear about the call between the premier and a man accused by police of encouraging violent actions, including the “admiration” Smith had for Pawlowski.

“The fact that someone accused of encouraging violence against police can get the premier on the phone at all is extraordinary,” said Irfan Sabir, the NDP’s justice critic, in a statement.

“That she greets him with such admiration says a lot about who Danielle Smith is. It’s clear that interfering in Pawlowski’s case, and the cases of the other accused Coutts blockaders is a priority for Danielle Smith and the UCP.”

Sabir said he wrote to Shandro, asking for an independent investigation into the alleged interference, but has never received a response from him.

“Shandro is clearly aware of the premier’s actions, and he has failed in his duty to uphold the justice system,” Sabir said.

“Smith lied to Albertans when she said she had never contacted prosecutors, and when she said no one in her office had contacted prosecutors.”

Sabir says the solution is an independent investigation.

“One hundred per cent Albertans deserve to know what happened,” said Sabir. “And deserve to be reassured their justice system is independent of political interference. Conversations like this do put a big question mark on that independence.”

NEW STATEMENT FROM SMITH

On Wednesday morning, Smith’s office preemptively released a new statement, ahead of any new news articles. 

In it, she said the organization is continuing its “campaign of defamatory attacks” against her.

Smith said she had already addressed the Jan. 26 conversation she had with Pawlowski during a media availability on Feb. 9.

“This should come as no shock since I spent a lot of time before and during my leadership campaign talking to hundreds of Albertans about COVID-related public health orders and violations,” she stated.

Smith reaffirmed her statements that she was working with the justice minister’s office, not Crown prosecutors, on the cases.

Those discussions recommended “against pursuing amnesty” for individuals charged with non-violent, non-firearms COVID-related charges.

“At no time have I spoken with anyone from the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service, nor to my knowledge have any of my office’s staff.

“Allegations to the contrary are defamatory and will be dealt with accordingly.”

Experts point out the call wasn’t illegal, but if Smith wasn’t bluffing, it does raise questions.

“The Crown prosecutor’s office has denied that they’ve had any conversation with the premier’s office about this,” said MRU justice studies professor Doug King. “So somewhere, someone isn’t telling the truth.”

CTV News has reached out to Pawlowski for further information about his discussions with the premier.

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To me, leadership is not about being the loudest in the room, but rather it’s about listening the most closely — and acting on what matters. It’s about looking beyond to see the possibilities and expectations of tomorrow. Friends, a better future is possible.

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CBC NEWS: “Albertans are expected to go to the polls in May — Williams said that recent polling shows that health care and affordability are the most important issues to voters in the province.”

A large majority of Albertans support the idea of the government providing universal access to free birth control, suggests a new poll from a Calgary-based public relations firm. 

ThinkHQ, an Alberta public and government relations and opinion research firm, provided the poll to CBC. It found that 74 per cent of Albertans surveyed approve of the idea of free prescription birth control while only 18 per cent disapprove.

British Columbia will soon become the first jurisdiction in Canada to make prescription birth control free to its residents. Starting April 1, the province will cover the cost of oral hormone pills (commonly known as “the pill”), injections, implants, IUDs, and the morning-after pill. 

Marc Henry, ThinkHQ president, said the support shown in the poll results are surprising. 

“Getting three-quarters of a population to agree with any piece of public policy these days, it is a bit astounding. It’s very popular in Alberta,” Henry said. 

He added that approval of the idea largely crosses all demographics and regions of the province.

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley said earlier in March that if elected premier, her government would also cover contraceptives. She said it will save Albertans money, help prevent unintended pregnancies, and ensure women have more control over their lives and economic futures.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said contraception is available to Albertans who are enrolled in government-sponsored drug and supplemental health benefits. 

“The vast majority of prescription drugs are covered under private plans,” Smith said. 

Lori Williams, associate professor of policy studies at Mount Royal University, agreed that it is unusual to see the kind of consensus demonstrated by the poll among a diverse population. 

“Some people think of this as an issue affecting only half of the population, but of course it affects families, people that are trying to … have access to medication,” she said. 

She added that people can use birth control to treat a variety of health conditions and that it can often be quite expensive. Most birth control pills cost $20 a month while an IUD can cost around $500. 

Albertans are expected to go to the polls in May — Williams said that recent polling shows that health care and affordability are the most important issues to voters in the province. 

“If those continue to be the important issues, it will be a question of which party, which leader, which vision is seen as most credible and effective at achieving that vision.” 

The poll surveyed more than 1,100 people online. The sample is weighted to reflect the gender, age, and location make-up of the Alberta population, and has a margin of error of close to three per cent, 19 times out of 20.

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CALGARY HERALD: “The Alberta NDP has unveiled an economic blueprint it says would rescue the province from its boom-bust rollercoaster.”

An Alberta NDP government would balance the books while using a fixed amount of resource revenues for general revenues to rescue the province from a boom-bust roller-coaster, party Leader Rachel Notley said Friday.

Addressing reporters in what’s expected to be the decisive battleground of Calgary, where the NDP is headquartering its efforts, Notley said she would consult Albertans on what to do with the rainy-day, $18.6-billion Alberta Heritage Trust Fund, among a raft of recommendations in a report authored by former ATB chief economist Todd Hirsch.

The NDP leader said her party would operate in the black, though there was no mention of creating a provincial sales tax (PST), widely seen as political kryptonite ahead of a provincial election scheduled for May 29.

“I want to be clear that Albertans can expect a balanced budget,” said Notley, adding the blueprint would end boom-and-bust budgeting chaos.

“For too long Albertans have been on a resource revenue roller-coaster. Governments have spent resource revenues as fast as it came in only to drastically pull back spending when prices went down. It’s time to get Alberta off that roller-coaster, and this report provides the path on how we can get there.”

The report produced from consulting 37 different stakeholder groups and individuals also states her government wouldn’t exceed a debt-to-GDP ratio of 30 per cent, a figure currently at 9.9 per cent.

She said that ratio would only be a worst-case scenario, even if it would still be lower than that of many countries.

The blueprint’s most important concept is fixing the amount of resource revenues earmarked for budgeting purposes, a move that would “completely detach the government from the volatility of oil prices,” said University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe.

“I think Hirsch has done an excellent job . . . it could easily be adapted to any political party. It’s just a hard-headed look at the finances of the province.”

He said the approach shows there’s no need to implement a PST.

When the NDP took power in 2015, Alberta’s debt was $11.9 billion, a number that soared to $85.9 billion by the time the party was voted out in 2019 during a time of low energy prices.

Much of the UCP attacks on the NDP have centred on the party’s alleged economic mismanagement during its last tenure that they say drove up the debt, drove away businesses, raised taxes and cost 183,000 jobs.

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All Canadians pay into the Canada Pension Plan, and all Canadians deserve a safe retirement. Sign if you want Danielle Smith to keep her hands off your savings, and your future.

You deserve a secure future.

All Canadians pay into the Canada Pension Plan, and all Canadians deserve a safe retirement.

But if Danielle Smith gets her way, you’ll be robbed of your future. She wants to scrap your hard-earned CPP savings and start a new Alberta pension.

She’ll do it without a solid plan to replace lost earnings and bolster Alberta’s economy. Rachel Notley and your NDP are fighting back, but we need your help.

Sign if you want Smith to keep her hands off your savings, and your future.

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Seemingly from Day 1, the current government sought to hijack public pensions and mused about pulling out of the (CPP) despite widespread polling showing everyday Albertans and businesses alike don’t support that kind of dangerous move.

Alberta’s United Conservative Party-led government was challenged Monday on why affordability programs like the gas tax holiday, utility rebates and targeted cost of living measures are scheduled to end by July.

During the return of oral question period, provincial cabinet ministers were asked about inflation relief measures and why they are slated to end, with projections by provincial economists indicating high inflation and cost pressures continuing through 2023.

“These programs all start expiring right after the polls close,” Notley said. “I’ve seen jugs of milk last longer.

“No more affordability cheques, no more gas tax relief, no more rebates and Albertans will have to start paying off their deferred electricity bills,” the Opposition leader added.

Premier Danielle Smith said she did not want the provincial inflationary support to “have an implication” on the election, with it slated for May 29.

“The payments will go on until June 30,” the premier responded. “We will continue to look and hear from our constituents… and ask Albertans whether or not we continue to have the pressures.

“As we all know, leading into a winter season when you have electric charges, higher home heating bills, higher cost of gas and diesel charges, that’s why we targeted winter.”

Matt Jones, affordability and utilities minister, said the province has provided an estimated $900 of relief per household through the Affordability Action Plan and further targeted relief to families with children, seniors and vulnerable Albertans.

That includes the fuel tax holiday, utility rebates, and direct affordability payments for eligible Albertans.

“We will continue to assess inflation and cost of living and provide support to Albertans,” Jones added.

When asked why only families with children received some targeted payments, Jones said, “families with children face higher fuel, energy and fuel costs.”

“We wanted to make sure they got those benefits,” he said.

According to Jones, to date, 1.8 million Albertans have enrolled and received affordability payments, and two million homeowners will qualify for electricity rebates until April.

From January to June, Jones says the fuel tax relief will save most drivers between $200 and $400.

“Albertans are seeing significant cost reductions and savings and inflation has eased more in our province than every other province in Canada,” he added.

‘THE MONEY IS ALREADY SPOKEN FOR’

Notley claimed the reason the cost of living support will end in June and not continue long-term is “the money is already spoken for” in the proposal formerly referred to as RStar.

That plan, developed by an industry group, would enable companies to use taxpayer-funded royalty breaks to fulfill their legal obligations to clean up old oil wells. Legal experts, energy economists and the province’s own internal analysts have criticized the scheme.

The proposed program is not funded by the latest provincial budget, but “liability management” is listed as a key priority for both the ministries of energy and environment and parks.

Smith didn’t directly address the implication, instead saying if Notley was concerned about the increasing cost of living, she would oppose further federal carbon tax increases.

‘EXCESSIVE’ DAYCARE WAITING FEES

Independent MLA Thomas Dang, representing Edmonton South, asked why the province isn’t taking action on addressing rising non-refundable childcare waiting fees, which he says can be as much as $700.

“Why are these operators allowed to charge excessive waiting fees?” he probed.

Mickey Amery, children’s services minister, said fees imposed by operators, whether for-profit or non-profit, are closely monitored by the government.

“I am pleased to announce daycare in this province has decreased to an average of $22-a-day and we are slated to get to a $15-a-day daycare fee within this year,” Amery said.

“We will not waver when it comes to protecting all operators in this province, and we will continue to respect parental choice and make it accessible for all.”

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Albertans expect a balanced budget — and a balanced budget is exactly what we’ll deliver. It’s time to get off the revenue rollercoaster and present a better plan for the future.

An Alberta NDP government would balance the books while using a fixed amount of resource revenues for general revenues to rescue the province from a boom-bust roller-coaster, party Leader Rachel Notley said Friday.

Addressing reporters in what’s expected to be the decisive battleground of Calgary, where the NDP is headquartering its efforts, Notley said she would consult Albertans on what to do with the rainy-day, $18.6-billion Alberta Heritage Trust Fund, among a raft of recommendations in a report authored by former ATB chief economist Todd Hirsch.

The NDP leader said her party would operate in the black, though there was no mention of creating a provincial sales tax (PST), widely seen as political kryptonite ahead of a provincial election scheduled for May 29.

“I want to be clear that Albertans can expect a balanced budget,” said Notley, adding the blueprint would end boom-and-bust budgeting chaos.

“For too long Albertans have been on a resource revenue roller-coaster. Governments have spent resource revenues as fast as it came in only to drastically pull back spending when prices went down. It’s time to get Alberta off that roller-coaster, and this report provides the path on how we can get there.”

The report produced from consulting 37 different stakeholder groups and individuals also states her government wouldn’t exceed a debt-to-GDP ratio of 30 per cent, a figure currently at 9.9 per cent.

She said that ratio would only be a worst-case scenario, even if it would still be lower than that of many countries.

The blueprint’s most important concept is fixing the amount of resource revenues earmarked for budgeting purposes, a move that would “completely detach the government from the volatility of oil prices,” said University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe.

“I think Hirsch has done an excellent job . . . it could easily be adapted to any political party. It’s just a hard-headed look at the finances of the province.”

He said the approach shows there’s no need to implement a PST.

When the NDP took power in 2015, Alberta’s debt was $11.9 billion, a number that soared to $85.9 billion by the time the party was voted out in 2019 during a time of low energy prices.

Much of the UCP attacks on the NDP have centred on the party’s alleged economic mismanagement during its last tenure that they say drove up the debt, drove away businesses, raised taxes and cost 183,000 jobs.

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Your Pension is Yours

Your Pension is yours.  

Or at least it used to, until actions taken by the UCP government.

Shortly after the 2019 election, the UCP under Premier Kenney introduced Bill 22 with no consultation. The legislation dramatically restructured how public pensions were governed, affecting the retirement security of hundreds of thousands of Albertans. With one piece of legislation, joint governance was dismantled, and all public sector plans were prevented from leaving AIMCo, irrespective of the investment managers’ performance. These actions made Alberta an outlier relative to other provinces.

Premier, Danielle Smith issued a mandate letter to her Finance Minister. Her direction was crystal clear: step up your efforts to leave the CPP.

Albertans have paid into CPP all their working lives. The value of any one individuals’ pension is a function of how long they worked, and how much they earned. The CPP doesn’t belong to any government, it belongs to the individuals who worked for it.

The message from working people is clear: they are concerned about their retirement security, and they want more done. They want better pensions.

The problem we are trying to solve is therefore simple: what can the Government of Alberta do to support good pensions and protect retirement security? What can we do to help the private sector create good workplace pensions for Albertans? What can we do to help attract and retain talent for Alberta employers?