It appears the Alberta NDP doubled down on Thursday, saying it will not apologize to Premier Danielle Smith following a retraction from CBC News of a report over her contacting prosecutors over the Coutts blockade..On Thursday, Alberta NDP Justice, Public Safety & Emergency Services Critic Irfan Sabir issued a statement and said “I’m not issuing an apology.".Sabir noted that Smith was found to have violated the Conflicts of Interest Act. .“Danielle Smith herself was caught on tape admitting to being in contact with Crown prosecutors and putting pressure on them to drop the charges against Artur Pawlowski, a known extremist who was later convicted of inciting violence against police during the illegal Coutts border blockade,” Sabir said..“I am reissuing my demand over the past several months for a fully independent investigation into all matters of UCP political interference in our justice system.”.Sabir said on Twitter "Let me be crystal clear — I’m not issuing an apology."."We have also written to the RCMP requesting they investigate these serious matters and have received a response stating they will examine what we have put forward, along with all other information, and take appropriate action," Sabir said.."Trust in our justice system has been eroded and this Premier is to blame. If she has nothing to hide, she will agree to an independent investigation today.".Smith told reporters on Thursday CBC News defamed more than just her.."I can tell you it wasn't just me," Smith said.."They were defaming my previous office staff. They were defaming the independent members of the nonpartisan public service. They were defaming the crown prosecutors, they were causing lack of trust in the process of administration of justice.".Smith admitted the false report created "turmoil" in the UCP caucus.."I think they ultimately created distrust in the media. Because the general public look to the media as a trusted source, yes, to hold government to account, but also to be printing information that's true," Smith said.."And they didn't in this case, and I wish that they had corrected the record more quickly, but at least they have. As for the NDP, they're clearly political and I'll just leave it to the to the public to judge.".READ MORE: Smith says matter with the CBC story now closed, asks NDP to acknowledge their error.UCP Chief Government Whip Shane Getson released a statement on Thursday evening. He is calling on Notley to do the "right thing" and apologize for making false allegations that the premier and her staff tried influencing Alberta Crown prosecutors..“For the past several months, Rachel Notley and the NDP have been promoting false allegations that the premier and her staff attempted to influence Alberta Crown prosecutors. These allegations have now been debunked," Getson said..“As is often the case, Notley didn’t wait to learn the facts before she spread misinformation. She put political expediency ahead of the truth and worked to erode trust in government..Getson noted nobody expects politicians to be perfect, but they expect them to take accountability when they get something wrong.."Notley got this wrong," Getson said..“An apology is the least Notley can do to help repair this situation, which she helped create.”.On Wednesday evening, Smith tweeted "Journalism is an integral part of our society."."All I've ever asked for is fair, accurate and balanced coverage. After months of the CBC reporting interference between my office and Crown prosecutors, today CBC News removed references to direct contact between my office and prosecutors and "regrets" reporting direct contact by email," Smith said.."I've been vindicated, as has my office."Smith said now that CBC has expressed "regret for its inaccurate reporting" and Albertans know the truth, she considers the matter with the CBC closed.."Additionally, I'm asking the Alberta NDP to acknowledge their error also, and retract and apologize for spreading this misinformation," Smith said.CBC News 'regrets' publishing a report that claimed someone in Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office had contacted the Crown's office to interfere with the case of people charged at the Coutts border blockade.However, the CBC didn't apologize."An earlier version of this story, published on January 19, referred to emails allegedly sent by a staffer in Danielle Smith's office to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service. Based on testimonies by confidential sources, CBC News at the time described those emails as challenging prosecutors' assessment and direction on cases stemming from the Coutts border blockades and protests," CBC News posted in an editor's note on Wednesday.An editor's note was added the following day to specify that CBC News had not seen the emails."On May 18, Alberta's Ethics Commissioner Marguerite Trussler released a report that included an investigation of an allegation published by CBC that a member of the premier's staff emailed a Crown prosecutor about a case before the courts."The editor's note claimed Trussler reported that she found "no evidence of such an email."Adding she can "only come to the conclusion, based on the evidence that she has, that 'no Crown prosecutor was emailed directly about any of the cases.'""At the same time, Trussler found that Danielle Smith had contravened the Conflicts of Interest Act in an interaction with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General in relation to Coutts charges, for which Smith has since apologized," the editor's note reads.READ MORE: Notley says there must be a judicial review of Smith's "interference" in ongoing criminal casesIn May, Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley called for a judicial review after she claimed Smith interfered in the justice system."The premier does not have unfettered control of our justice system. Not in a Canadian democracy," tweeted Notley.
