REGINA - Insulting, offensive, patronizing, and racist.
Those were words of Athabasca MLA Jim Lemaigre to describe the comments made by Regina Rosemont MLA Trent Wotherspoon during debate in the legislature last week.
In a member’s statement in the Assembly in Monday, Lemaigre made it known he took exception to the insinuation by Wotherspoon that he wasn’t representing his own judgement and his own people in the Legislature.
“The member from Regina Rosemont during his comments during the debate, he specifically called me out on a position of what I should think, and what I should say, and how I should represent my constituency and my people,” said Lemaigre to reporters afterwards.
Lemaigre said that after having the weekend to think it over, he decided “on so many levels… it had to be addressed and spoken to.”
“In a democratic process I don’t think that was fair to me. Clearly, I am Indigenous, First Nation member of Clearwater River Dene Nation. I speak my language proudly. To make it a reflection that I cashed in on that based on how things unfolded, I don’t think that was fair to me, so I spoke to that today.”
For his part, Wotherspoon insisted he had said nothing wrong, and the Opposition further took issue with Lemaigre himself for directing personal remarks at Wotherspoon during his statement Monday.
Controversy erupts over remarks during private members debate
The kerfuffle all stemmed from the private member’s day debate from last Thursday, March 16.
The debate took place right after the controversial third reading and passage of the government’s major legislation Bill 88 - The Saskatchewan First Act, in a standing vote that took place in front of a gallery full of Indigenous and Métis opponents of the legislation. When speaking to reporters afterwards, the Indigenous and Metis guests accused the government of failing to live up to their 'duty to consult' obligations.
Afterwards, during the private members’ debate, Lemaigre spoke on economic opportunities and made a motion which condemned “unsupportive federal economic policies, such as the Impact Assessment Act, the carbon tax, and the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.”
After he finished, Wotherspoon rose to speak. His specific remarks are recorded in Hansard.
Mr. Wotherspoon: — “Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll weigh in to the debate before us here today, but I find it strange and stunning that the member from Athabasca would bring and rehash a matter that’s been settled in this Assembly. I mean this is — you know what? — repeat Thursday here? You know, we’ve had this debate. I’ve stood in it before.
“You know, the official opposition, the Saskatchewan NDP have been clear with our opposition and concern to the two policies that are brought forward in this motion. This is a matter that’s been settled and resolved with a public voice from this Assembly. So I don’t know what sort of short straw or dirty games his caucus is playing with him over there, Mr. Speaker, but to put up the member from Athabasca on a day where that government sold out Saskatchewan people and Métis and Indigenous peoples in this province with respect to the duty-to-consult on the Saskatchewan Act is awfully strange. Mr. Speaker, you know, and I find it strange.
“Sometimes my advice to the member from Athabasca — and I like this guy personally; I like him personally, Mr. Speaker — but my advice is, sometimes you’ve got to say no. Sometimes you have to exercise your own judgment and take a stand for the people you represent, Mr. Speaker.
“And you know what would have been a good motion to come to this Assembly here today, by that member or any member in this Assembly, would have been an apology with respect to the Ile-a- la-Crosse residential school and Timber Bay residential school, Mr. Speaker. That would have been something we could have acted upon and stood united on and resolved and ensured some recognition for those that have endured such cruel indignity, Mr. Speaker, that have suffered such horrible trauma, Mr. Speaker. That’s something we could do in this Assembly right here, Mr. Speaker.”
Lemaigre response
On Monday, Lemaigre gave his blistering response to Wotherspoon’s remarks in the Assembly.
“Mr. Speaker, during a private member’s day debate on Thursday, the member from Regina Rosemont made a number of extremely offensive and racially charged statements about me. He was speaking about our government’s policies on First Nations issues like duty to consult. And then he said, I quote ‘my advice to the member of Athabaska is sometimes you’ve got to say no. Sometimes you’ve got to exercise your own judgement and take a stand for the people you represent.’
“Mr. Speaker, in this house. we can, and should have differences of opinions and policy debates. But to listen to non-indigenous members tell me that I am not representing my own judgement, that I’m not representing my people, it is insulting, it is offensive, it is patronizing, and it is racist. It is this kind of ‘we know what is your best for you’ mentality that led to so many failed First Nations policies like residential schools. I know that mentality still exists today but I had hoped that at least the members of this House were beyond that kind of attitude. Apparently not.
“So Mr. Speaker I look forward to many more vigourous debates, and (with) members opposite about our differences of opinion. But to the member of Rosemont, don’t you dare ever again tell me that I’m not representing my judgement and my people. Thank you Mr. Speaker.”
As Lemaigre sat down, he received a standing ovation from his fellow Sask Party MLAs.
Point of order
As Question Period ended, Opposition House Leader Nicole Sarauer rose on a point of order — which drew groans from the government side — in which she asked that Lemaigre apologize and withdraw his remarks on grounds of a “personal charge against the member for Rosemont.”
“If this is the path that government members want to go down, this place can get real ugly, real fast.”
An incredulous-looking Government House Leader Jeremy Harrison responded by encouraging everyone to review the member’s statement, “and they can make a judgement as to who should be apologizing right now.”
“Because I think the vast majority of the public will have a very clear idea who should be standing right now and apologizing,” said Harrison, referring to Wotherspoon.
Speaker Randy Weekes said he would review and make a ruling Tuesday.
Wotherspoon insists no wrongdoing
In speaking to reporters Monday, Wotherspoon made it known he didn’t feel he had done anything out of line.
He insisted his remarks Thursday were focused specifically “on the economic harm, the physical harm by the provincial government with respect to the hardship, the cost for families, and particularly the cost around heating a home and power costs, and those increases, and identified the concerns about things like the GST, which really hurt our economy, hurt jobs.”
As for Lemaigre’s reaction to Wotherspoon’s remarks and his suggestion the remarks were racist, Wotherspoon called it “hugely unfortunate and certainly not the case.”
“I would urge certainly anyone to review the transcript of the exchange that day. It just wasn’t the case, certainly not the intent.”
