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The Saskatchewan NDP is raising the volume on calls for Minister Jeremy Harrison to lose his job after an email shared on Wednesday raised new questions about an incident in 2016.
The email appears to detail an incident in April of 2016 where Harrison alarmed security at the Legislative Building by coming into the building with a cased gun in hand while wearing a camouflage outfit.
Harrison argued the email only adds more detail to an incident which he’s already acknowledged and apologized for, in addition to stepping down as government house leader. He said he was heading out for a hunting trip when he stopped at the building to pick up some work. The minister said he brought the firearm inside with the knowledge of security in order to avoid leaving it unattended in his vehicle.
But Speaker Randy Weekes, who shared the email, claimed it was a separate incident – the gun is different, the year is different, and the time of year is different.
NDP Leader Carla Beck said Harrison was caught red-handed.
“This is a minister that has lied. Either lied to the premier or the premier has been complicit with the story that this minister has been telling,” said Beck.
“This is minister that, very simply, needs to be kicked out of cabinet (and) needs to be kicked out of office.”
Weekes, who lost a Sask. Party nomination race in December, shared a petition on social media calling for Harrison to resign.
Beck said this is a moment for Premier Scott Moe to show some leadership.
“If he doesn’t kick Jeremy Harrison out of cabinet and out of caucus I think that says a lot about Scott Moe’s leadership, and it doesn’t say anything good about it,” she said.
Beck said there are inconsistencies between the emailed account and what Harrison had said happened, including that Harrison originally said it happened on a weekend, and this was on a Thursday, and that this email shows legislative security had no idea what was happening.
Beck also said that it’s a factor the alleged incident happened about a year and a half after the shooting on Parliament Hill.
“There was heightened security. We saw a number of security measures come in. And this minister, this is his judgment, wearing fatigues … walking in with a rifle into the legislature. On that alone, that shows an appalling lack of judgment,” said the NDP leader.
Beck said elected officials need to be honest, and she doesn’t think Harrison has been.