‘I’m sorry for those words’: Tell explains Thatcher comments

After nearly a week of furor over the invitation to Colin Thatcher to attend the throne speech and his appearance in the Legislature, Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Christine Tell is taking back her words from the day.

Thatcher — a former Progressive Conservative MLA and cabinet minister who served 22 years in prison for the 1983 murder of his ex-wife, JoAnn Wilson — was invited to Wednesday’s speech by Saskatchewan Party MLA Lyle Stewart.

After the speech, Tell defended Thatcher being there, saying that he had as much right as anyone else to be at the event and that he was a free man.

After Premier Scott Moe apologized for the incident Monday, Tell addressed it herself Tuesday by saying she embraced the premier’s apology.

“Last week, I was asked about this subject’s presence and I responded. I responded without considering the implications that this invitation would have,” Tell said in the Assembly when asked about it during Question Period — opting not to use Thatcher’s name and instead referring to him as the “subject.”

Tell explained further afterward.

“When I responded right after the throne speech, there wasn’t a lot of time to figure out what has gone on, what went on, that type of thing,” she said.

The minister was first up to talk to media so she said she didn’t have time to think about her response to the Thatcher invite, noting “there was no thinking.”

Tell said she thought she was responding to the idea of Thatcher being in the building, not him having been invited by a member of government.

She repeated that the invitation to Thatcher was wrong and she apologized for saying that it didn’t matter he was there.

“Not mattering, it doesn’t have any place in this conversation, so for those words, that’s wrong, and I’m sorry for those words,” said Tell.

Tell also clarified her calling Thatcher a “free man” when he is actually on parole with conditions from his murder conviction. Tell said she was talking about him being free as opposed to being incarcerated; she said she knew he was on parole.

The minister talked about her years in policing and investigations around interpersonal violence and that she has seen the impacts up close and personal.

“This situation in no way, whatever words I used inappropriately, in no way takes away from the horrendous situation that this subject was convicted for,” explained Tell.

Nicole Sarauer, the NDP’s justice critic, said she was happy to hear the acknowledgment from Tell but wasn’t sure why it took so long.