Sask. spokesman calls for committee meeting to examine investigation

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Speaker Randy Weekes has called a meeting of the House Services Committee to consider an opposition request to investigate allegations against Sask. Party MP Jeremy Harrison.

The notice of meeting appeared online in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan’s meeting calendar and indicates that the meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 17.

In his closing address, Weekes spoke out against what he described as “intimidating and harassing” text messages Harrison allegedly sent him, as well as the congressman’s “disturbing obsession with guns.”

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“The whole issue of Jeremy Harrison bringing weapons into Parliament House is serious. It is something that future speakers and future governments will have to address,” Weekes said on Friday morning.

“It cannot be something that is simply ignored.”

Harrison resigned as government leader last month – but remains minister for trade, exports and development – after admitting bringing a gun into Parliament House. The minister initially denied Weekes’ claims he had done so, but said a conversation with his family later refreshed his memory.

Last week, the NDP continued to push for the cross-party committee to appoint an independent investigator and hear testimony on the allegations related to weapons and inappropriate behavior by Harrison.

In a letter to Weekes, health critic Vicki Mowat outlined two motions the opposition wants the committee to consider and pass. One of these would require Prime Minister Scott Moe, Harrison, current government faction leader Lori Carr and senior adviser to the prime minister Reg Downs to appear before the committee to answer questions about the allegations.

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The other solution would be to appoint an independent investigator.

Earlier this week, the government said in a written statement that it would not support the applications, citing an existing anti-harassment policy that would be sufficient to address the allegations.

When asked again for comment on Thursday, the government sent a statement with the same response.

Opposition leader: “You must appear to respond to these allegations”

Weekes confirmed that the policy does indeed exist and said he plans to make a decision in the next few days about whether to file a formal complaint about the text messages allegedly sent by Harrison.

However, there still remains the issue that “a cabinet minister brought a weapon into the Parliament building,” he added.

Given the number of staff working in the building, Harrison’s measures would not only affect MPs, opposition leader Carla Beck of Saskatoon said on Friday.

“I hope they show up. I think they need to show up to answer these allegations,” Beck said when asked if she thought the government would cooperate. “I think people want to know what happened.”

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According to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan website, the committee has “authority to examine any matter it considers advisable with respect to the rules, procedures, practices and powers of the Legislative Assembly and its functioning and organization.”

Three opposition MPs and four government MPs sit on the committee. All opposition MPs and one government MP must be present to form a quorum. Weekes is the committee chair.

“I don’t know how they could justify it, but that’s their business,” Weekes said when asked what message it would send if no government MP attended the meeting.

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