Athabasca MLA accuses opposition member of 'racially charged' comments
Jim Lemaigre, the Sask. Party MLA for Athabasca, accused Trent Wotherspoon, the MLA for Regina Rosemont of ‘extremely offensive and racially charged statements,’ following a debate in the legislature.
The accusation stemmed from comments made during the legislative sitting on March 16.
“Mr. Speaker, during a private members debate on Thursday, the member from Regina Rosemont made a number of extremely offensive and racially charged statements about me,” Lemaigre said in proceedings on Monday.
“He was speaking about our government’s policy on First Nation’s issues like duty to consult.”
Trent Wotherspoon, the NDP MLA for Regina Rosemont, responded to Lemaigre during a debate following question period, referencing his support for the Saskatchewan First Act.
“My advice to the member from Athabasca - and I like this guy personally, I like him personally, Mr. Speaker - but my advice is sometimes you gotta say no. Sometimes you have to exercise your own judgement and take a stand for the people you represent, Mr. Speaker,” Wotherspoon said in the statement cited by Lemaigre.
Download the CTV News app to get local alerts sent to your device
“I’m very much free to think, I’m here representing Athabasca constituency and based on that I will make my decisions. At no point was it proper to imply that based on my being Indigenous that I needed to make a decision a certain way,” Lemaigre told reporters on Monday.
Wotherspoon called the accusation of his statement being racially charged “baseless” and “wrong.”
“It’s certainly not the case. It’s baseless and wrong,” he told reporters Monday.
“When I stood in the assembly on Thursday [it was] on the heels of the Saskatchewan Act being advanced without any consultation, without any honouring the duty to consult with First Nations and Metis people.”
“So I challenged that member to focus on the things that matter to his constituents and to those across Saskatchewan. As I would any member, rising on that occasion and at that moment,” he added.
The Speaker of the Legislalative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Randy Weekes, made a ruling on the exchange on March 21.
“At the closing of this prepared member statement, the member from Athabasca used inflammatory language which was directed at member for Regina Rosemont. Rule 51 E states that ‘no member shall use, offensive, provocative or threatening language,’” the speaker read.
“This is not the first time members in this chamber on both sides of the house have used statements by members as a forum to use divisive language when making comments about serious issues."
"This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” he added.
“In this highly charged atmosphere I will, on this occasion, provide a warning to all members to be aware of the words that are spoken in this chamber.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.