Saskatchewan Party leadership candidate Jeremy Harrison said he would quickly sell-off the province’s stake in the Global Transportation Hub (GTH) if chosen as the party’s next leader.
Prior to entering the leadership race, the Meadow Lake MLA served as Minister Responsible for the GTH, in addition to being the Minister of the Economy.
This announcement came as part of Harrison’s first campaign announcement; a 10-point plan to increase government transparency and accountability.
An about-face of sorts for the former cabinet member, who would repeat the government line almost daily that the provincial auditor found no wrong doing in her investigation of the GTH land sales that took place under former Economy and GTH Minister Bill Boyd.
READ MORE: Sask. opposition still looking for answers about controversial GTH land deal
“I defended the position of the government and what I’m saying today is what that position is going to change to if I’m premier,” Harrison said.
“The plan that I’m putting forward here today, if it were in place, none of these issues would have arisen.”
These issues include two landowners with Saskatchewan party connections making millions of dollars off land sales near the GTH with rapidly increasing values.
Harrison added his vision is not just about doing what is legal, but what is right.
“If this happened when I was premier and a minister were responsible they would be fired. Period. End of story,” Harrison said.
Without dipping into specifics about talks at the cabinet table, Harrison alluded to holding these sentiments for some time.
“These positions being put forward here today are not going to be a surprise to my colleagues,” Harrison said.
“As for divesting the GTH we should have never been in this business in the first place. If this was a project that could have had economic merit on its own the private sector would have led the project on its own.”
READ MORE: Saskatchewan auditor confirms police investigating GTH land deal
During session, the opposition NDP pressed the government on questions surrounding the GTH daily. Harrison, usually was the responded by saying the provincial auditor found no wrongdoing.
Opposition Leader Nicole Sarauer said this announcement comes too little too late.
“It’s pretty rich for him to come out here after a year of by our count 110 times in Question Period alone, standing up and blocking our questions about the GTH scandal,” Sarauer said.
Talk about potential future accountability does not cover up a lack of accepting accountability over the past year, according to Sarauer.
“There was nothing stopping him, or the entire Sask Party cabinet from instituting any of these measures, so it’s very convenient for him to do it now,” she said.
Other portions of Harrison’s 10 point accountability platform include prohibiting government officials from conducting private business while on government funded travel, increased power for the Conflict of Interest Commissioner and an end of government involvement in commercial land development.
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