Alberta Premier Jason Kenney hires lawyers over environmentalist lawsuit threat
The Alberta government has hired a private law firm to defend Premier Jason Kenney after environmental groups threatened him with a defamation lawsuit.
Paul Champ, lawyer for the environmentalists, says he's been notified that the province has retained counsel.
“(Kenney's) counsel advises that they will review the matter and respond 'substantively' in the near future,” Champ said in an email. “We fully expect Premier Kenney will get solid advice on this matter.”
The lawsuit threat was made in a letter to Kenney last month by eight groups who allege the premier deliberately twisted the findings of a public inquiry into their activities and funding sources.
That inquiry, headed by Calgary forensic accountant Steve Allan, looked into whether environmental groups were conspiring to landlock Alberta oil by spreading misinformation about its environmental impacts. The inquiry found the groups had done nothing wrong and were within their freedom of speech rights.
But the groups say that even after Allan's report was released, Kenney continued to falsely accuse them of spreading misinformation about Alberta's energy industry in public statements, social media posts and government websites. Specific documents are referenced in the letter Kenney received.
The groups allege those statements were intended to damage their reputations and credibility in the eyes of the public.
They are asking for an apology, the posts to be taken down and the websites rewritten.
A spokesman for Kenney's office has previously said they would “vigorously respond in court if and when necessary.”
The letter had given Kenney until Nov. 30 to accede to those demands before filing a statement of claim against him. Champ said the government's move to retain lawyers from outside government will delay that filing as Kenney's lawyers review the facts and advise their client.
“Assuming the premier follows this advice, we expect to see those posts taken down with an apology,” wrote Champ.
The Allan inquiry cost taxpayers $3.5 million.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.