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Allegations of harassment by government officials threaten the integrity of the speaker's position in the Saskatchewan Legislature.
Published on May 28, 2024 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 3 min read
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Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison speaks in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on Monday, March 11, 2024. Photo: Michelle Berg/Saskatoon StarPhoenix
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Last week, House Speaker Randy Weeks issued scathing rebukes of House Majority Leader Jeremy Harrison, Deputy House Majority Leader Lori Carr, a senior adviser to Premier Reg Downs and another unnamed state lawmaker.
His allegations provided evidence of a toxic work environment, dysfunctional culture and blatant intimidation lurking beneath the council's clean and tidy exterior.
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The Speaker's speech raises concerns beyond allegations of confusion, harassment and coercion that ominously impact the sanctity of the Speaker's authority, which is tasked with facilitating the basic functioning of our parliamentary democracy.
Weeks' complaint focused primarily on callous criticism and harassing emails intended to undermine Harrison's conviction. He filed multiple complaints expressing concern about Harrison's alleged interest in guns, his “attempts to obtain permission to carry a handgun on Capitol Hill” and, on one occasion, “bringing a hunting rifle into the Capitol.”
Harrison's deliberate effort was to undermine the authority of a Speaker whom his colleagues democratically elected and appointed to dutifully discharge their duties.
At the heart of the Speaker’s role, a principle in every parliament across the country, is the constitutional requirement of impartiality and impartiality. Of course, it is impossible to expect the Speaker to disavow all partisan affiliations, ideologies and beliefs.
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However, the basic operation of parliamentary democracy depends on the neutral conduct of the Speaker.
In Saskatchewan, the Speaker is responsible for enforcing the rules and procedures of the Legislative Assembly and ensuring order and decorum are maintained.
In assuming that role, the Speaker pledges to act without bias toward the executive branch, political parties, or individual state legislators.
When Weeks was elected to the position, he pledged allegiance to “the principles and traditions of Congress” and assured his colleagues that he would “abandon all political partisan bias” and prioritize objectivity and impartiality above all else.
Having established the importance of the Speaker and the relevance of his duties, a pertinent question arises: are senior legislators deliberately undermining the authority of the Speaker and, in so doing, are they circumventing the democratic will of the Assembly?
Premier Scott Moe strategically reaffirmed his support for Harrison and called the allegations “demonstrably false.” In a carefully planned response, Moe redirected the concerns, calling out Weeks in the process and suggesting that some steps could have been taken to rectify the problem.
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In his speech, Mr Weeks suggested that the prime minister's staff were also behaving suspiciously – Mr Moe remained strangely silent about the allegations against them – leaving no doubt that Mr Weeks had few recourses to address his concerns.
Moe also reclassified the nature of the harassing text messages, claiming they were “aspirational” and that those concerned about the integrity of the Speaker's Office and the functioning of parliamentary democracy would classify them as dangerously undemocratic.
The allegations against Harrison, Carr and Downs require a formal, independent and public investigation. Harrison and Carr are likely to be found in breach of Parliament's anti-harassment code of conduct and, at worst, guilty of attempting to undermine the Speaker's authority to uphold Parliament's functions, principles and traditions.
But Moe has been reluctant to pursue the matter further.
After the speech, Mr Moe was on the defensive, denying and downplaying Mr Weeks's allegations. The prime minister's reductionist approach suggests a dark story is unravelling from the very heart of his inner circle.
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Ibrahim Berrada is an Ottawa native who spent several years as a parliamentary staffer for members of Parliament and is now an assistant professor of sociology at Northern Arizona University.
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