Sask. speaker officially resigns from Sask. Party caucus
Speaker Randy Weekes officially tendered his resignation from the Saskatchewan Party Government Caucus – following an extended saga that saw Weekes accuse government MLAs of harassment.
Weekes will continue in his role as an independent member for the constituency of Biggar-Sask Valley for the remainder of his term as speaker.
Weekes lost his nomination after substantial changes were made to constituency boundaries in the area ahead of the 2024 provincial election.
“I half expected the premier to remove me from the caucus, that does not appear to be on his agenda so I decided that I would make it official today,” Weekes said in the message.
How it began
On May 16, during the final moments of the legislature’s spring session, Weekes took the time to share a long list of allegations against several members of the governing Sask. Party.
In his statements, he claimed he faced intense bullying and intimidation while serving as speaker and alleged troubling behaviour from Government House Leader Jeremy Harrison.
The alleged behaviour involved a flurry of texts spanning months, criticizing Weekes’ handling of discussion in the chamber as well as physical intimidation.
Additionally, Weekes alleged that Harrison sought to carry a handgun in the legislature and referenced an incident which saw Harrison bring a long gun into the legislative building.
Harrison denied all the allegations – but recanted on the long gun charge days later, claiming he was reminded of the incident after speaking with family members.
The incident, which took place in 2016, saw Harrison bring a cased long gun into the building briefly while he was fully clothed in camouflage hunting gear.
Harrison’s appearance at the building nearly led to a security incident before guards recognized him – according to an email from the Sergeant-At-Arms at the time.
As a result of the long gun incident, Jeremy Harrison resigned as Government House Leader.
An investigation into Weekes' allegations was blocked in committee by the Saskatchewan Party on June 17 – using its majority to rewrite one motion and strike down two others proposed by the Saskatchewan NDP.
The first motion would’ve called for Premier Scott Moe, House Leader Lori Carr, and Advisor to the Premier Reg Downs to testify before the committee in its original form. The government rewrote it so that no one would be called to testify.
The second motion would have seen the committee appoint an independent investigator to investigate Weekes’ allegations, while the third motion called for an independent investigator to look into an incident that saw Harrison bring a long gun to the Legislative Building.
Premier Scott Moe has criticized Weekes conduct, in airing his grievances publically rather than going through the MLA anti-harassment policy.
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