Saskatchewan Cabinet Minister Admits to Bringing Firearm into Legislative Building
Saskatchewan MLA Jeremy Harrison has resigned as the Government House Leader following allegations made by Legislative Speaker Randy Weekes last week.
Speaker Weekes accused several Sask. Party MLAs of misconduct, with a primary focus on Harrison. The allegations included bullying, harassment, and bringing a long gun into the Legislative Assembly, as well as seeking permission to carry a handgun.
On Friday, Harrison responded to these allegations, apologizing for his “lapse in judgement” and for not informing Premier Scott Moe immediately after Weekes’ statements.
“I have never had a firearm in the Legislative Chamber or anywhere in the Legislative Building during the period that MLA Weekes has been Speaker,” Harrison said.
“Approximately a decade ago, I was going hunting on a weekend. I stopped at the Legislative Building for a short period of time and brought a properly cased long gun into the building with the knowledge of security officials so as to not leave it unattended in my vehicle in the parking lot.”
In recent interviews, Premier Scott Moe described the allegations as “unequivocally false.”
Despite the controversy, Jeremy Harrison remains the Minister of Trade and Export Development.
Opposition leader Carla Beck criticized Moe for labeling the allegations as false.
“It’s now clear that Premier Moe lied to the people of Saskatchewan,” Beck said Friday. “Either that or his minister lied to the people of Saskatchewan. And if that’s the case, that minister needs to be booted from caucus.”
“After 17 years, this this government cannot be trusted to do the right thing and to hold themselves accountable.”
Beck further stated that the actions of Harrison and the government are disappointing. She argued that Harrison’s resignation as House Leader is insufficient and called for his complete removal from caucus.
“We can disagree about policy and disagree about a lot of things but the need for elected officials to be honest is a value held by everyone… Harrison’s actions show a shocking lack of judgement,” Beck said. “I think most people don’t need to be told that it’s not a good idea to bring a gun into the legislature.”
