Premier Scott Moe faces criticism over cost of bringing former PM Stephen Harper on India trip
Premier Scott Moe is facing criticism after it was revealed that former Prime Minister Stephen Harper joined a recent Sask. trade mission to India.
The premier documented his trade mission on Twitter, with Harper appearing at his side in several photos over the course of the trip.
Harper joined the delegation as a private consultant. Members of the opposition posed questions to the premier and the government, asking who covered Harper’s fee.
“Why was it necessary to take an expensive, out of province consultant to India and what did it cost Saskatchewan people to take Mr. Harper on that trip?” Saskatchewan United Party Leader Nadine Wilson asked during question period.
The government didn’t provide a direct answer in the house.
“It’s important that we’re visible to our major customers, Mr. Speaker. India is a major customer,” Jim Reiter Minister of Energy and Resources said during the exchange.
The province later released a statement, explaining that the former prime minister’s firm, Harper & Associates, has had a contract with the provincial government since 2019.
“The firm provides valuable advice, access, expertise, and support to advance Saskatchewan’s economic interests around the world,” the statement read.
The contract pays $240,000 annually, while Harper is responsible for his own travel costs, the province explained.
According to Bruce Anderson, a member of the business faculty at the University of Regina, the results of Harper’s work can be measured.
“It would be fairly easy to measure whether he gives some access or not and if he doesn’t, then it’s not worth it,” he said.
“If he does gives them access and he makes those things possible, then it’s probably a worthwhile exercise.”
In its statement to CTV News, the Government of Saskatchewan stated the benefits of Harper’s contract are ‘’significant’ but did not go into more detail.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.