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By Chris Brown

Alberta government says review turned up no evidence of emails to prosecutors over border blockade

Jan 23, 2023 | 10:37 AM

The provincial government says its review of emails did not find any records of contact between Crown prosecutors and staff in the Premier’s Office about how Coutts, Alta., border crossing blockade cases were being handled.

On Thursday, a CBC News report cited unnamed sources alleging a staffer in the office of Premier Danielle Smith sent a series of emails to Crown prosecutors last fall questioning and challenging their approach to the cases involving the blockade.

Over the weekend, Smith promised an email search to determine the legitimacy of the claims.

The province says the review was completed over the weekend, searching for any emails sent to or received by the relevant prosecutors and staff in the Premier’s Office over a four-month period. The review was conducted by the Public Service Commission and internal IT experts who looked at almost one million incoming, outgoing and deleted emails.

No further review will be conducted unless additional evidence is brought forward, says the government.

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The Alberta NDP is calling for an independent investigation into the allegations.

The premier issued the following statement:

“I am confident in the integrity and professionalism of my staff. That’s why I am grateful for the non-partisan review completed this weekend by the Public Service Commission, which found no records of contact between the Premier’s Office and Crown prosecutors.

“I have full faith that the public service conducted a thorough and comprehensive review. I would like to thank them for the seriousness with which they took this matter as well as their commitment to working non-stop over the past number days to provide Albertans with results to put their concerns to rest.

“An independent Crown prosecution service, free from political interference, is integral to the preservation of public confidence in the justice system.

“We ask the media and public to also respect their independence as they carry out their important work.”