EDMONTON—Premier Danielle Smith said she has looked into offering amnesty to Albertans who were charged with violating pandemic restrictions but is unable to do so within the parameters of Canada’s justice system.
Smith said she has to let “the process play out” in the courts without political interference.
The premier addressed the issue on Jan. 16, on the Shaun Newman podcast.
“Because we’ve been so influenced by the [United States], I think that some people think that the premier has the same power as they do in the States of clemency or offering pardons,” she said.
“That’s not the case in Canada,” which has a different criminal justice and legal system, she said. “Once things have been handed over for prosecution, politicians have to be hands-off.”…