REGINA -- Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is now accompanied by a team of RCMP Officers as an added security measure.
Moe has been travelling with the RCMP since the start of 2020. He said he agreed to the new arrangement reluctantly.
“This was a decision made without my input," said Moe.
The government does not point to a specific threat, but the new security arrangement is permanent. Premier Moe arrived under police protection for a meeting with provincial mayors and councillors.
Plain clothes officers could be seen on the perimeter of the convention hall while Moe spoke, with Regina city police providing backup outside the room.
It is a major departure from how Saskatchewan’s previous premier travelled. Brad wall crossed the province in a half ton with a political assistant behind the wheel. Moe drove his own truck for his first two years as premier, until staff intervened.
"My engagement with the people across this province and really everywhere I've been has been almost exclusively positive," said Moe.
In 2017, a protestor disrupted a Saskatchewan Premier’s dinner in Regina. A woman was handed over to police but not charged. Last year, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney visited the province accompanied by provincial sheriffs.
Moe does not think the police presence makes him less accessible.
“Times are changing as we pass through the years,” said Moe. “I still will get to walk wherever I want to go and do for the most part whatever I want to do, so I don't see this as in any way impeding access to myself.”
The government will not reveal the cost of police protection, citing security concerns. The officers are being funded through the money the province provides the RCMP for policing in Saskatchewan. The budget will be increased to reflect the added costs.
