EDMONTON – The UCP firmly shut down the Alberta NDP's call to debate a motion calling for Premier Danielle Smith to remove Justice Minister Mickey Amery from cabinet, as the opposition claims he has lost the trust of Albertans following his latest reported ties to Sam Mraiche. A Globe and Mail article published on April 7 detailed reports that Amery interfered with an Elections Alberta investigation into Mraiche for political finance violations when he passed a bill in May, 2025 that cut the time for election fraud investigations from three years to one year. This change effectively shut down the Mraiche investigation, as it had spanned back to the May 2023 provincial election. A spokesperson for Amery told the Globe and Mail that Amery had no idea of the investigation when he tabled the new legislation, and refuted the idea that he intentionally interfered with it. .The Alberta NDP have jumped on the report, however, as it displays a connection between Mraiche, who is at the centre of Alberta's corrupt care scandal, and Amery, who previously said he was friends with him. "The fact that the Minister of Justice did not think it was inappropriate to personally introduce these legislative changes, did not disclose this apparent conflict of interest to this legislature and did not recuse himself from all debate in this chamber and at the cabinet table, demonstrates, at best, a shocking lack of ethical awareness from this minister," said Deputy Opposition Leader Rahki Pancholi durring session on Monday. "In the past, this type of conduct by any minister would immediately lead to that Minister being removed from cabinet, and the premier, back when she was leader of the opposition, would have led that charge."Pancholi called on the UCP to hold an emergency debate on the matter and for Premier Danielle Smith to remove Amery from his cabinet position, claiming he has lost the trust of Albertans. .The UCP's Deputy House Leader, Joseph Schow, vehemently declined Pancholi's call, simply saying, "Yeah, don't think so," before ripping the motion paper in half and setting it on the desk in front of him. "It's the reality of this situation is that the Minister of Justice continues to act appropriately, as the Minister of Justice," said Schow. "Now, as stated previously, the Minister of Justice was not aware of the investigation in question, and the government is not privy to information related to ongoing investigations conducted by elections in Alberta." Schow then pointed to the bill and said it did not make provisions retroactively, and in doing so, the government wanted to avoid impacting ongoing investigations. "The bill in question amended hundreds of provisions in various acts in order to streamline processes and make our democratic system more accountable and transparent," Schow said. .Defending his fellow cabinet member's honour, Schow pointed to Justice Raymond Wyant's report investigating Mraiche and the corrupt care scandal, and said there is no evidence that Amery or any member of the UCP government acted inappropriately. "The Minister of Justice has done an incredible job standing up for Albertans, defending our provincial sovereignty and protecting the rights and freedoms of Albertans, and he will continue to do so while he acts in the role of Minister of Justice," Schow said. He also added a shot at the Globe and Mail story's author, Carrie Tait, who has done much of the reporting on the corrupt care scandal, Mraiche, and his connections to the Government of Alberta. "I will take Carrie Tait's writings as seriously as I take dietary advice from Jabba the Hutt," Schow said.
