Sask NDP demands removal of minister after recollection changes on bringing a rifle into legislature

The Saskatchewan NDP say former Government House Leader Jeremy Harrison should lose other cabinet posts for bringing a rifle to the legislature and initially denying the incident.In the legislature on May 16, Speaker Randy Weekes said he was the third speaker that Harrison had bullied as House Leader. He also accused Harrison of bringing a long gun into the legislature on one occasion and asking for permission to bring a handgun there also.Read more: Speaker burns bridges with Sask Party as session ends.Premier Scott Moe initially said that Weekes' allegations regarding Harrison bringing a gun into the legislature were "unequivocally false," based on what Harrison had told him. A week later Harrison publicly admitted he had brought in a rifle roughly ten years ago.At a press conference Monday, Moe disputed a reporter's claim Harrison had lied.Read more: Moe dismisses allegations by Speaker Weekes as 'sour grapes' by a 'sore loser'"With respect to the word lying, what we've seen is a number of allegations that were put out on the floor of the legislature. And upon further recollection and reading through those allegations, I think he corrected the record on something that he had said," Moe said.This has happened before, Moe insisted."There's other incidences where a minister has said something in the house, I think I can point to a couple where they come out on further reflection, they're like, you know, what I said in the House wasn't particularly, wasn't exactly correct, and they'll correct it at the first opportunity. And I think that's what we saw happen."Harrison did not correct the record publicly until eight days after the allegations, issuing a statement on May 24 while he was 550 km north of Regina in his Meadow Lake constituency.On Monday, NDP Leader Carla Beck said Harrison not only had a "lapse in judgement" but failed to uphold "a basic level of honesty" in his initial denials he had brought a long gun to the legislature."I simply don't think it's credible. I don't think that passes and passes the sniff test for anyone in the province," Beck said."No one believes that the minister suddenly remembered after talking to one or two family members."Although Harrison was removed as House Leader, he remains Minister of Trade and Export Development and Minister of Immigration and Career Training. Beck said if she were premier, she would handle this differently."Yes, they'd be out of cabinet. I think that's an expectation. I don't understand why the premier would give him a pass on this."In an interview with Global News on Monday, Harrison said he made a "very bad mistake" and apologized "to folks who worked in the building ten years ago when this happened.""One of the real tenants of firearm safety is you do not leave a firearm unattended in the back of your truck," Harrison explained."What I shouldn’t have done, though, is come by the legislature and brought it in. Even though there were no rules against it or no provisions that were being violated, it was an error in judgement.”Read more: Sask NDP demands answers to Speaker's claim that House Leader Harrison brought a rifle to the legOn May 16, Weekes complained that in his previous years as speaker Harrison sent "intimidating and harassing text messages," and that a special advisor to the premier "lunged at me, nearly hitting me and stamped his feet very aggressively" after an unfavourable ruling during debate on the Parental Rights Bill last October.Moe said Weekes could file a formal complaint if he wanted to.

Sask NDP demands removal of minister after recollection changes on bringing a rifle into legislature

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