Cockrill found to have violated, and not violated, conflict of interest rules

It was a mixed bag this week for Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill as two reports came out on him from the Conflict of Interest Commissioner.

The reports stem from two complaints made by the NDP’s Meara Conway about possible rule-breaking by Cockrill.

Maurice Herauf found Cockrill had violated the conflict of interest rules in one case, though in a minor fashion, and that he didn’t violate the rules in the other case.

In the first…

A complaint was made over Fortress Windows & Doors Ltd. getting contracts from the Battlefords Housing Authority, which is a government subsidiary, while Cockrill was still an employee.

Cockrill had worked for the company — owned by his in-laws — before running and securing his seat in the 2020 provincial election. He continued to list himself as a part-time employee there in his 2021 disclosure report.

The commissioner said there is a provision in the rules that a person isn’t breaking them if they don’t know about the government contract.

Cockrill found out about the contracts in March 2021.

He was breaking the rules until he got his final payment from the company — a bonus at the end of 2021.

Herauf wrote that Cockrill “technically” broke the rules but it was minor, so he recommended a reprimand as the only sanction.

The commissioner also mentioned Cockrill had looked for an opinion in February 2021 on disclosing the contracts and that it might have been “prudent” for the commissioner to let Cockrill know at that time there was an obligation to not participate in government contracts.

The second complaint…

Had to do with Cockrill participating in discussions about the helium industry and industry incentives from the government in cabinet meetings, while he also owned and was buying thousands of shares in helium companies.

When the complaint was accepted in September, NDP ethics critic Meara Conway said there was potential for insider trading using privileged cabinet information.

“He should be making decisions as a Member of Cabinet, as a Member of Government, only in the interests of Saskatchewan people but he’s also now an investor in these companies who has the potential for private financial gain,” said Conway in September.

Herauf found that, while Cockrill would recuse himself from any discussions about Evolution Helium and Royal Helium, he didn’t step away when the helium sector was discussed generally.

Cockrill owns about $9,000 worth of shares in Evolution Helium – including purchasing some since the complaint about his conduct was made – though he has sold his shares in Royal Helium. The Evolution Helium shares were purchased between April and November 2022 and between January and July 2024.

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Evolution Helium has gotten permits from the government covering about 5.6 million acres of land and has spent on the permits since Dec. 31, 2022.

The commissioner found the cabinet discussions fall within the exemptions of private interests because the discussions of the helium industry were of general public application and applied to the whole helium sector in the province.

He also found that Cockrill participated in a government contract in this instance, but it’s exempt because the licence or permit was issued on standard terms and conditions which were made available to the public.

In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Cockrill said he was pleased to see the commissioner had made a decision on both complaints, accepting both findings.

Cockrill pointed out the commissioner found that his breaking the rules was neither intentional or deliberate, and that the breach was remote and negligible.

“This matter has been difficult for my family, as NDP MLAs and candidates have tried to sully the reputation of both me and my family to score political points ahead of an election,” Cockrill said in his statement.

“I look forward to continuing to work with the commissioner and continuing a demonstrated track record of transparency.”

These are the second and third recent conflict of interest investigations into Sask. Party members. The first was an investigation into former member Gary Grewal, which found he had violated the rules in one of the hotels he had invested in when it accepted Social Services clients for emergency stays.