Alberta NDP, law professor say Smith’s phone call may jeopardize criminal trial
A phone call between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and a Calgary pastor where they discussed his criminal trial raises questions about whether she has compromised the case, the Opposition NDP said Friday.
The call centres around Pawlowski’s looming criminal trial for his role in a protest over COVID-19 health measures that blocked the United States-Canada border-crossing at Coutts, Alta., in January 2022. The blockade paralyzed Alberta’s main U.S. border-crossing for more than two weeks. Pawlowski’s lawyer, Sarah Miller, declined to comment on whether the Smith phone call could affect the case. The trial wrapped up in February and Pawlowski now awaits a verdict from the judge.
The United Conservative Party premier has called the charges politically motivated. On the call with Pawlowski, she tells him she is regularly questioning justice officials over whether the cases were still winnable or in the public interest to pursue.In it, Smith is heard commiserating with Pawlowski over her government’s “document dump” trial tactics. She offers to make inquiries on his behalf and laments her lack of authority to dispose of the cases directly.
He is also charged under the Alberta Critical Infrastructure Defence Act with wilfully damaging or destroying essential infrastructure.On Friday, Smith delivered a speech in Edmonton to municipal leaders but declined to take questions afterward from reporters.
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