EDMONTON—Alberta Premier Danielle Smith issued a statement Wednesday accusing CBC News of publishing a “defamatory article containing baseless allegations” suggesting that staff in her office had sent multiple emails to Alberta crown prosecutors concerning ongoing legal matters.
This concerned “charges related to the Coutts protest and other pandemic-related matters before the courts,” said the Jan. 25 statement.
“The CBC admitted that it had not seen any of the emails,” it added.
The defamation allegations stem from a Jan. 19 CBC article, headlined: “Alberta premier’s office contacted Crown prosecution about Coutts cases: sources.” The article cites an anonymous source that alleges an unnamed staffer in the premier’s office “sent a series of emails” to the crown prosecution service regarding charges laid in connection with the protest at the Coutts border and other protests….