Opposition says Sask. Party politicians should be investigated for 'cashing in' on gov't contracts

The NDP is accusing two Sask. Party politicians of unethical dealings — suggesting they did not follow appropriate protocol as their private businesses received money from government.

Members of the Legislative Assembly can trigger an investigation if they have reasonable grounds to believe that another has breached the Members' Conflict of Interest Act.

Meara Conway, the Opposition's critic for ethics and democracy, triggered two investigations on Wednesday as she raised concerns about how public money is flowing to private companies connected to politicians.

"The Conflict of Interest Commissioner will have the final word on that," Conway told reporters after question period Wednesday, noting they have 90 days for the review.

Conway said she believes Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill breached Section 15 of the Act, which prohibits government contracts for elected officials unless they get an exemption.

She said Cockrill managed Fortress Windows and Doors in 2020 and after he was elected he continued with the business in the role of advisor and salesperson. The business received "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in contracts from SaskTel and the Battlefords Housing Authority.

She said Cockrill did not obtain an exemption for this work.

"When he was elected in 2020, he should have stepped away from this company if they were going to continue to do work with government," Conway said. "That's what Section 15 requires, and there's good reason for that. Otherwise it gives rise to concerns, on behalf of the public, that people are using their public offices to derive a public benefit."

Saskatchewan's education minister Jeremy Cockrill. (CBC/Radio-Canada)

Conway also said she believes Minister Gary Grewal breached the act by not seeking an exemption from the Commissioner, related to his two motels in Regina.

The NDP said records show Grewal's motels did almost no business with the Ministry of Social Services prior to Grewal's election. However, after he was elected, "government business increased to $731,194 in a few short years."

The party has also accused Grewal of inflating prices when serving Social Services clients.

Conway said the evidence and rationale for her concerns are laid out in public letters to the commissioner.

The Saskatchewan Party did not put up Ministers Cockrill or Grewal for comment after Conway requested the investigations.

Instead, they put up Jim Reiter, Saskatchewan's Minister of Energy and Resources. Reiter broadly criticized the NDP, accusing the Opposition of repeatedly raising allegations against people without evidence.

In regards to the allegations against Cockrill and Grewal, Reiter said Wednesday he wasn't aware of the specifics but the party would "wait for the response from the conflict of interest commissioner. That's how it should be dealt with."

Meanwhile, the Conway tabled five private member's bills aimed at making existing laws require more transparency and documentation. The proposed amendments are:

• The Members' Conflict of Interest Amendment Act. The NDP says it would "strengthen the Act and make provincial politicians disclose the business interests of their spouses and relatives that are held in private companies and/or holding companies."

• The Lobbyists Transparency Amendment Act. The NDP says it would "close lobbying loopholes and require lobbyists to file monthly activity logs containing information about the dates, participants, particulars, and methods of communication for all lobbying activity, as well as monetary political contributions made within the month."

• The Election (Fairness and Accountability) Amendment Act. The NDP says it would "ban out-of-province, corporate, and union donations to Saskatchewan political parties and set a yearly total donation limit of $1,275 for Saskatchewan residents."

• The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act Amendment Act. The NDP says it would "make the Saskatchewan government more transparent, including by speeding up and making FOI requests financially accessible, and strengthening the powers of the Privacy Commissioner to force public bodies to release documents."

• The Child and Family Services (Betty's Law) Amendment Act. The NDP says it would "require the Minister responsible to preserve all records relating to Indigenous children in residential schools, and make these records more accessible for public inquiries relating to the child's safety, truth and reconciliation, and the pursuit of answers about deceased relatives in care or Indigenous people's grievances."