The Saskatchewan NDP is calling on the provincial government to release the findings of an investigation into a Saskatchewan Marshall who was placed on administrative leave and later resigned.
At a press event held outside the Legislative Building in Regina on Thursday, NDP Shadow Minister for Justice Nicole Sarauer urged Minister of Justice and Attorney General Tim McLeod to make public a report by the Public Complaints Commission (PCC). Sarauer said the investigation was completed before the Marshal Service was fully operational, and that transparency is needed to rebuild trust in the new policing agency.
“This is a brand new police agency that has already been marred by controversy,” Sarauer told reporters. “I would hope that the minister would want to try to rebuild trust and be straight with the people of Saskatchewan.”
She added that while names could be redacted, past PCC reports have been released in full or in part when cases involved public interest, citing examples from 2023, 2015, and 2013.
Following the NDP’s call, the Government of Saskatchewan issued a statement to the Daily Herald in a press release, rejecting the opposition’s demands and defending the current process.
“The PCC does not issue public reports at the end of its investigations,” the government said. “It is standard practice for the PCC to provide its internal investigation reports to the relevant police agency to carry out any disciplinary measures or public reporting at their discretion.”
The government confirmed that the PCC’s investigation has been completed and the report was provided to the Marshals Service for review and action. They also noted that the officer involved has since resigned.
The statement described the NDP’s position as “misleading” and accused the party of politicizing the work of independent bodies. It also drew a distinction between the case and the public release of the PCC report into the death of Tanner Brass, calling that an exceptional circumstance now handled under the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT).
Sarauer, meanwhile, said the case reinforces earlier concerns about oversight and recruitment within the Marshals Service. She questioned why a policing agency under ministerial authority was being shielded from public scrutiny.
“There’s already a huge amount of concern about the creation of this police force,” she said. “In order to rebuild trust, the minister needs to release the report.”
