Sask NDP urges the provincial government to strengthen conflict-of-interest legislation for elected officials following a case in which a former Saskatchewan Party MLA avoided any penalty for breaking the law.The call comes after the NDP sought legal advice about imposing a $50,000 fine on former MLA Gary Grewal. According to documents revealed by the NDP, Grewal profited by inflating motel room rates charged to government clients. In total, he collected more than $731,000 in public funds..OLDCORN: Health Minister Holland puts politics before effective quitting smoking methods.Legal counsel advised that current legislation prevents penalties from being levied on former MLAs, leaving the NDP frustrated and demanding change."With the law as it currently stands, the Sask Party is basically saying that MLAs can break the law and line their pockets with public money so long as they don't run again," said Meara Conway, Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Minister for Ethics and Democracy. "No fine, no punishment — you just get to sail off into the sunset with three-quarters of a million dollars of public money in your pocket.".Regina murder fugitive makes Canada’s Top 25 Most Wanted list.The controversy dates back to November 2023, when the NDP released documents indicating that the Sunrise Motel, owned by Grewal, had doubled its rates whenever government clients were footing the bill. It later emerged that Grewal also had financial ties to another motel that received similar contracts. At the time, Grewal was a sitting MLA but did not run for re-election this past October.Following a review, the province's Conflict of Interest Commissioner found that Grewal had breached conflict-of-interest rules..First supervised drug consumption site planned for Winnipeg's downtown.However, the commissioner left it to the Legislative Assembly to consider an appropriate penalty. Last week, after the Provincial Auditor released a report criticizing the Ministry of Social Services for its process of allocating hotel rooms, the government used its majority on a legislative committee and in the Legislature to block NDP attempts to have Grewal testify publicly about his actions."Gary Grewal used his power as an MLA to game the system while his constituents suffered," said Jacqueline Roy, Saskatchewan NDP MLA for Regina Northeast, which Grewal formerly represented. "I have heard from so many people who want closure, who want a proper penalty brought against the man who claimed to be representing their interests when clearly he was doing anything but.".Saskatchewan provincial auditor revealed issues in farmland ownership, government hotel spending.The NDP wants to strengthen the legislation to discourage future abuses of power and help maintain public trust in the government. They argue that the current legislation leaves a loophole allowing MLAs to profit and exit public life without facing consequences.During a press conference, the Western Standard asked, "Should it be based more on a percentage of the profit or something like that?" "I agree with you. It seems small. I'm merely saying it's the high watermark in other jurisdictions," replied Conway."The premier keeps saying there's no precedent for this. Well, there's no precedence for what's happened here. Three-quarters of a million dollars in illegitimate government contracts. The legislation just wasn't built with that in mind, and so that's why we're calling on the government to prove, to make good on his promise that they want a new era, want to signal change, and work with us to close the gap in this legislation.".Canadian Cancer Society’s Big Pharma ties question its impartiality on quitting smoking methods.The Sask Party government has not yet indicated whether it will consider amendments to strengthen the conflict of interest laws. The Sask NDP says it will continue pushing for changes to ensure accountability and fairness for taxpayers.
