Nykole King
Regina Leader-Post
Former Saskatchewan Party MLA Randy Weekes, who cut ties with the political party in 2024, has become a card-carrying member of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP).
Weekes, a Sask. Party MLA from 1999 until 2024, served as Speaker of the Saskatchewan legislature until resigning on June 24, 2024. He says the decision to formally become an NDP member comes down to his belief of who is the better leader for the province.
“The Saskatchewan Party and (Premier) Scott Moe have just been around too long. They’ve become extreme right wing,” Weekes told the Regina Leader-Post on Sunday. “It’s time for them to let someone else govern that has fresh ideas and a new approach, and that is Carla Beck and the New Democratic Party.”
Prior to last fall’s provincial election, Weekes publicly declared his support for the NDP and even did some door knocking for its candidates. He says it’s a “natural progression” to have voting rights as a member during the NDP convention, which was held this past weekend in Saskatoon.
Although Weekes had been a Saskatchewan Party member since 1997, he says it’s “not the same party” he joined back then.
Now, Weekes says he hears about infighting and members “vying” to oust Moe at the upcoming November party convention. Even if Moe’s leadership were called into question, Weekes says he doesn’t believe any potential new leaders would bring the Saskatchewan Party “back to the centre,” he said.
Weekes made waves last year in the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly when, before his final day as Speaker, he posted a photo on social media showing his Saskatchewan Party membership card cut in half.
Then, in his closing remarks on the last day of session, Weekes alleged that as soon as he became Speaker, then-government house leader Jeremy Harrison started texting him “intimidating and harassing” messages and “trying to influence” his rulings. He also alleged that Harrison brought a hunting rifle into the legislature and had sought permission to carry a handgun in the building.
Saskatchewan Party executive director Dylan Pollon responded to Weekes’ latest comments on Sunday, chalking it up to him losing the nomination for the Kindersley-Biggar constituency ahead of the 2024 general election.
“Randy Weekes is a disgruntled former MLA who lost his 2024 Saskatchewan Party nomination by a substantial margin, then joined the NDP to help them lose the election,” Pollon wrote in an email to the Leader-Post.
“Premier Scott Moe led the Saskatchewan Party to its fifth consecutive majority government and enjoys the strong support of his party and caucus.”
Meanwhile, the NDP “welcomed” Weekes to its convention on the weekend, where he officially filed for membership.
“Randy Weekes, like so many others, is sick and tired of the Sask. Party and its 18 years of failure and scandals,” an NDP spokesperson said Sunday via text message.
Asked if he might consider running under the NDP banner, Weekes said he had no plans to do so but didn’t rule it out.
“I haven’t even considered that,” he added. “I doubt it very much, but I haven’t thought about it at all.”
— with files from Alec Salloum.
nyking@postmedia.com
