Alberta’s Opposition Leader calls for a special prosecutor to oversee UCP leader investigation

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EDMONTON - Alberta's Official Opposition Leader Rachel Notley has written to both the Deputy Attorney General and the Ethics Commissioner asking for both a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation of the UCP Leadership race and to conduct an investigation into whether the Conflict of Interest Act has been violated.

Notley has raised concerns regarding the potential conflict of Premier Jason Kenney and Attorney General Doug Schweitzer.

“It is our view that the proximity of the Premier and Attorney General to this matter must present a reasonable apprehension of bias and conflict of interest” Notley said. “The public trust of Albertans in the system of justice must be maintained. The appointment of an extra-jurisdictional special prosecutor is a necessary step to ensure that goal is met.”

Duff Conacher the founder of Democracy Watch suggested today that Attorney General Doug Schweitzer’s appointment is potentially in a conflict of interest^[1], given his past candidacy for the UCP leadership and that he had called for the election to be paused due to his concerns around the security of the Personal Identification Numbers needed by UCP members to vote.^[2]

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^[1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-justice-minister-doug-schweitzer-1.5118687

^[2] https://globalnews.ca/news/3828196/2-ucp-leadership-campaigns-call-for-voting-to-be-suspended-over-pin-security-concerns-sources/