Internal review of emails between province, crown prosecutors not enough: NDP, experts

While the UCP is holding an internal review to see if an email between a staffer and crown prosecutors exists, an emergency caucus meeting is being held Saturday evening.

The Alberta NDP and some experts are saying there needs to be an independent review done of the emails between the premier’s office and crown prosecutors, following allegations that a member of Premier Danielle Smith’s staff sent emails to the crown prosecutor’s office about prosecutions related to the 2021 Coutt’s blockade.

The CBC made the claim Thursday that emails had been exchanged with the premier’s office and crown prosecutors, but that the CBC had not seen them itself.

During 630 CHED’s Saturday morning show, Your Province, Your Premier, Smith said her office has an IT department looking through the emails between her 34 staff and roughly 400 prosecutors to “see if this email the CBC is referencing even exists.”

She said they should have results early next week.

“As soon as we see the emails exist, then we’ll make sure that we have a presentation to the public.”

Smith first said during a Jan. 12 news conference that she had been in touch with crown prosecutors, then denied the comment a few days later on the radio show, saying she had used “imprecise language” at the time. The latter is the story she has stuck to since.

An Alberta Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson told Global News that “neither the assistant deputy minister of the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service nor the Crown prosecutor involved in the Coutts files have any recollection of receiving any emails from the premier’s office.”

A special caucus meeting is being held early Saturday evening, with all Alberta MLAs attending.