With the Sask. Party government recommitting yesterday not to face the electorate until the fall of 2020, Saskatchewan NDP leader Ryan Meili is calling on two Sask. Party MLAs who are running for the Federal Conservatives in the next federal election to step down from their public roles in provincial politics.
"We have a situation where two Sask. Party MLAs are drawing salaries from the provincial purse while campaigning for a different party at a different level of government,” said Meili.
This spring, Sask. Party MLA for Walsh Acres Warren Steinley won the Conservative nomination for the riding of Regina Lewvan, and Sask. Party MLA for Saskatoon Eastview Corey Tochor won the Conservative nomination for Saskatoon University.
According to section 46 of the Legislative Assembly Act, if both decline to resign provincially and go on to win federal seats, the citizens of Regina Walsh Acres and Saskatoon Eastview will find themselves without a representative until after the 2020 election.
“We saw in Mr. Tochor’s response to the Throne Speech on Tuesday that he’s got one foot out the door and his eyes on a whole other prize,” Meili said. “It’s not fair for the people of Saskatchewan to be paying these MLAs’ salaries to do a job they’re no longer interested in doing.”