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Premier Scott Moe didn’t offer much in response to a recent fracas on the floor of the legislative assembly that saw one government MLA suspended.
“Emotions at times can run pretty high in the in the legislative assembly,” Moe said Tuesday after question period.
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“That isn’t a bad thing that there is people that bring emotions into that assembly.”
But the premier said those emotions can’t “run too high.”
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This all started Monday when Speaker of the House Randy Weekes ruled Minister of Health Everett Hindley out of order for a comment claiming Opposition MLA Meara Conway engaged in “character assassinations.”
Later that day, Weekes read into the record a text he received from Ministry of Finance Donna Harpauer, saying it was among “literally hundreds and hundreds of text messages from the Government House Leader, the Deputy Government House Leader, and occasionally from the Minister of Finance.”
Harpauer withdrew and apologized for the text. That prompted heckles from House Leader Jeremy Harrison who was told to withdraw and apologize for his comments, which he refused to do, and was subsequently suspended for the day.
The Premier on Tuesday said he accepts the Speaker’s ruling on unparliamentary language. He did not offer any condemnation or indicate any further scrutiny coming for the government-side MLAs, though he did say Weekes’ reading of a text message into the record was “somewhat unprecedented,” while suggesting it might lead to “hesitance” from other members when it comes to texting him in future.
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Moe added it’s not unusual for the House Leader or Deputy House Leader to message the Speaker.
As for whether it was appropriate for Harpauer to have texted Weekes, Moe noted the pair “have served together since ’99,” and refused to weigh in on what was appropriate for them to speak about.
Moe added he wasn’t sure how many texts were sent to the Speaker while refuting the claim these were an attempt to influence the Speaker in his role as referee of House conduct.
“I don’t think there’s there’s influence, I think what you have is two colleagues that have served for two decades together in the assembly exchanging texts,” Moe said.
The premier went on to suggest some of the boiling tempers and emotions were tied to the Opposition making “a number of quite personal attacks” on the floor of the assembly.
Conway, acting Tuesday as House Leader for the Opposition, said between House Leaders and the Speaker is a regular part of the legislature’s business but suggested the nature and content of the messages sent to Weekes were an improper effort to “pressure”and “wield influence” over him.
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“The Speaker represents the institution, it’s about influencing and pressuring him in that position, it speaks to an abuse of power, it speaks to a government that doesn’t think the rules apply to them,” Conway said.
Conway said Moe’s suggestion of the Opposition making “personal” attacks was an attempt at deflection. She added her question Monday that led into this week’s events was within bounds, and part of what the Opposition is meant to do.
She went on to point to the Ministry of Social Services using motels owned by or affiliated with Sask. Party MLA Gary Grewal, and a $6 million contract awarded to a private surgery clinic in Calgary after former Saskatchewan Party MLA and Finance Minister Kevin Doherty lobbied the government on its behalf.
“We’re asking questions that people expect us to ask about how this government is choosing to prioritize and spend public money,” Conway said.
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