Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she won’t introduce legislation to pardon those convicted of COVID-19 public health violations because she has been advised to let the courts handle it.
Smith says she is following the direction of Justice Minister Tyler Shandro and the deputy attorney general.
“The advice (Smith) was provided was that Crown prosecutors independently make assessments on whether to proceed with prosecutions based on whether they are in the public interest and whether there is a reasonable likelihood of conviction,” said Smith’s office in a statement Tuesday.
“The premier respects this independence and the independence of the courts.”
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The United Conservative Party premier had promised as recently as October to seek redress for COVID-19 rule breakers, perhaps through amnesties and pardons, but last week said she will instead focus on letting the courts and prosecutors handle the cases.
Pardoning provisions exist at the federal level and Ottawa has used them to offer exemptions to those convicted of simple criminal possession of cannabis.
Smith could create a similar framework to pardon COVID-19 public health violators in Alberta but would need to pass a bill.
The premier’s office said she has no intention of doing that.
The issue flared up last week when Smith announced she was abandoning the possibility of pardons and was instead talking to justice officials about COVID-19 cases.
She said she reminded them aboutdepartmental guidelines, that all cases must be assessed on whether they are in the public interest and have a reasonable likelihood of…
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