Alberta premier exploring 'pardons' for COVID-19 related fines and arrests
Premier Danielle Smith said she is receiving legal advice on how she can issue "pardons" to Albertans who received fines or were arrested for breaking COVID-19 public health restrictions.
Alberta's premier made the comments Saturday at a media availability following her address to the United Conservative Party members at their annual general meeting.
She claims since most fines and charges came from Alberta Health Services' administrative direction, the premier may be able to wade into rescinding them.
"It was a political decision to throw out the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to put those fines in place in the first place, and I think it can be a political decision to make amends and apologize for it and eliminate them," Smith said.
"The things that come to top of mind for me are people who got arrested as pastors, people who got arrested or given fines for not wearing masks," she added.
"These are not things that are normal to get fines and get prosecuted for," Smith said. "So I am going to look into the range of outstanding fines that there still are and to get some legal advice on which ones we are able to cancel and provide amnesty for."
In Canada, in most cases, the issuer of pardons is the federal parole board using the Criminal Records Act. Lieutenant-governors of Canadian provinces may issue pardons on the advice of cabinet. In the U.S., the president and most state governors can issue pardons directly for federal or state offences, respectively.
In her view, while encouraging individuals who want to get vaccinated to protect themselves is important, it was also time to stop "demonizing" people making the personal choice not to receive an immunization for COVID-19.
Smith also affirmed she is sticking to her plan to amend human rights legislation in the province to include vaccination status and linked the health care system's strain to mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies.
The vast majority of health-care workers did get vaccinated against the coronavirus and public health experts have previously said Smith's analysis of the delays plaguing Alberta hospitals has been "ill-informed."
- Alberta premier not apologizing for saying unvaccinated are 'the most discriminated group'
- Minority communities deserve apology from Smith for discrimination comments: LGBTQ2S+ researcher
- Smith says unvaccinated have been 'persecuted'
When asked if she would apologize to people who faced discrimination for not being vaccinated, Smith said she would do it then.
"I'm deeply sorry for anyone who was inappropriately subjected to discrimination as a result of their vaccine status," she said. "I am deeply sorry for any government employee that was fired from their job because of their vaccine status, and I welcome them back if they want to come back."
'HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE'
Irfan Sabir, NDP justice critic, denounced the idea of granting amnesty to Albertans charged with violating pandemic-related rules.
"It is highly inappropriate that Danielle Smith continues to threaten political interference in the administration of justice and the rule of law," Sabir said in a statement Monday.
Sabir said Albertans believe in the rule of law and expect their provincial government to "uphold it, not undermine it."
"No one in the Premier's Office should be supporting or encouraging the breaking of any laws, federal, provincial or municipal," Sabir added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.