Sask. NDP calls for education minister to be fired over comments to woman whose daughter died

Saskatchewan's opposition NDP is calling on the premier to fire Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill after comments he made to a woman whose daughter had died.

This is the NDP's latest response to what Cockrill calls his "really poor choice of words" while rhetorically asking if the province's teachers expected him to "give up his first-born child" in an earlier meeting with a woman whose first-born daughter had died.

The NDP is now asking for Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe to fire Cockrill — a call NDP leader Carla Beck amplified in the legislative assembly on Monday.

"He has lost the trust of the people of this province. He's lost respect across the province and frankly, this reflects on the premier if he continues to allow this minister to serve in this capacity," Beck said.

Opposition NDP leader Carla Beck has asked for Premier Scott Moe to fire education minister Jeremy Cockrill over his remarks towards a woman whose daughter died. (Kirk Fraser/CBC)

Cockrill said he used a poor choice of words in the private meeting with Taya Thomas. They were discussing negotiations with the teachers' union and how teachers want more support for students with extra needs.

The woman's daughter, 13-year-old Mayelle, died last year after dealing with multiple medical conditions.

Thomas said that when she met with the minister earlier this week, he asked her, "What do they want me to do? Give up my first-born child?"

Cockrill told reporters Thursday that he knew he made a mistake the moment the words came out of his mouth.

"I apologized for that and I'm human, I made a mistake. It was a really poor choice of words on my part," he said.

Cockrill said he did apologize to Thomas at the meeting. Thomas said that didn't happen. She said the minister's comment was careless and she had to call him out before he offered a public apology last week at the rotunda.

"I was sad. I was mad. I feel like after that, I realized I don't think he's listening, because you would not say that to someone," Thomas said.

Premier Scott Moe, in response to calls for firing the education minister, said he has full confidence in Jeremy Cockrill to continue as the minister. (CBC)

Premier Scott Moe, in response to Beck's call to fire the education minister, shared his condolences with Thomas, but said he has full confidence in Cockrill to continue as education minister despite what he said to Thomas.

"I would say that the effort and advocacy that this minister of education does on his file, most certainly, continues to earn him not only my respect but my confidence in the work that he's doing," he said.