'I had no ill intent': Smith apologizes for ethics violation while NDP demands RCMP investigation

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith rose in the legislature Tuesday to offer an apology for her ethics violation. It came more than six months after the phone calls that landed her in trouble.

The apology was over a Jan. 6 conversation Smith had with her justice minister regarding a pending COVID-19 case against a controversial Calgary pastor.

Last month the province's ethics commissioner, Marguerite Trussler, publicly announced Smith broke the rules during that call.

"Although I had no ill intent, the ethics commissioner found it was improper for me to contact the minister of justice in the way I did and I apologize to all members of the assembly and to all Albertans for the error," Smith said.

"I've asked my minister of justice to develop guidelines for an appropriate way to receive his legal advice on various legal matters and I look forward to receiving that advice."

In her report, Trussler also determined it was "improper" for Smith to discuss an ongoing criminal case with the accused, Artur Pawlowski. He was later found guilty of mischief.

There was no evidence found, however, that Smith or anyone in her office contacted Crown prosecutors directly about the case, Trussler said, prompting Smith to declare victory on that point.

On May 18, after the provincial leaders debate, a reporter asked Smith if she was sorry for breaking the rules but she did not apologize.

"It was a mistake. I'm not a perfect person. People know that," Smith said before eventually walking away from reporters.

On Tuesday, an Opposition MLA accused Smith of lying in the legislature.

"She claimed to have not been aware of the division of powers between government bodies, and refused to acknowledge her deliberate actions to ensure the criminal charges facing a known practitioner of hate speech were dropped," Irfan Sabir wrote in a statement.

"The conclusions reached in the Ethics Commissioner’s report are clear. Ms. Smith knowingly and deliberately attempted to interfere in the justice system."

Sabir called for an RCMP investigation into the matter "to determine the severity of this interference, and ensure that the public can have full faith in the independence and impartiality of Alberta’s legal system."

Smith said in the legislature that she will accept the recommendations in Trussler's report and order MLAs to take mandatory training on the "structure of Canadian government and the roles of the three branches of government."

Trussler did not initially recommend sanctions against Smith but said she reserves the right to do so in the future.

Smith's UCP went on to win 49 seats in the May 29 vote, but she has already told Jennifer Johnson she will not be allowed to sit with the party because the new MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka previously compared trans kids to feces in food.

Alberta's legislature has now been adjourned until October.