Alec Salloum
Regina Leader-Post
A Saskatchewan Party MLA who used a racial slur while in the government caucus — and has since apologized — will not be asked to step down, according to the party leader.
The incident was revealed by outgoing house speaker and former Sask. Party MLA Randy Weekes, who met with media Tuesday. He recounted an event from April 2023 when he said a Black woman working in the Sask. Party caucus office overheard caucus chair David Buckingham and a former MLA using racial slurs.
The Sask. Party responded with an emailed statement that said Buckingham was “talking about another individual using a racially inappropriate term and in doing so, he repeated that term.” The statement added that he realized “he should not have done that” and took sensitivity training.
Buckingham is seeking re-election this fall.
“I want to apologize again,” he said during a campaign event Wednesday with Sask. Party Leader Scott Moe. “It was a really dumb mistake, something that is not OK. We’re a country of inclusivity and my comments were completely, completely inappropriate.”
Moe said he’s sticking with Buckingham despite the revelation that his candidate used racist language. Moe noted that he felt the incident was “handled appropriately” at the time, with the party following all of its protocols.
“We very much strive to be a diverse and inclusive party,” said Moe, who did not comment on the timing of Weekes’ media availability.
According to Weekes, the impacts of that incident didn’t end there for the woman, who corroborated his statements in a phone interview with the Leader-Post but asked that her name not be used for fear of reprisal.
When the incident took place, Weekes says the two men repeatedly used the N-word, which left the woman “horrified by what she heard.” He said he decided to speak to media about her experience after she gave him the go-ahead.
It is the latest in a string of allegations and strong statements made by Weekes against Moe and the Sask. Party since the end of the legislative assembly’s spring sitting.
The woman added that, after the incident, she took time away from the office to manage the shock of the experience.
She said she complained to the caucus chief of staff and reported the incident to human resources. Weekes alleges that the woman was eventually bullied and her position downgraded within caucus for “not being a team player.”
In an emailed statement, the Sask. Party said it couldn’t speak to specifics of the allegations regarding how the woman was treated in the office after the incident was reported.
However, the party expressed confidence that the “caucus office has handled all personnel matters appropriately and respectfully,” the statement said, before adding: “We are not aware of any of the other incidents that the Speaker described in his media availability today.”
Speaking in Saskatoon on Wednesday, Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck said the revelation about Buckingham was “really shocking.”
“I think Scott Moe as the leader needs to account for what goes on in his caucus,” said Beck. “It’s not something most people would stand for.”
Buckingham, who is running in the Saskatoon Westview constituency, was first elected in 2016. Outside of being government caucus chair, he also served as a board member of the Crown Investment Corporation.
As for the aforementioned incident …
“There was one occasion where I repeated a racially inappropriate word as I was recounting a story of another individual using that word,” Buckingham said in an earlier statement of his own provided to the Leader-Post.
“That was wrong and I should not have used that word, regardless of the context. I immediately apologized to caucus staff, realizing it was a wrong thing to say, and then apologized to my caucus colleagues at the first opportunity.”
When asked why he waited to bring the matter forward, Weekes said he didn’t want to speak on it unless the woman was comfortable with him doing so.
“The question always is: ‘Why didn’t I say something? Why didn’t I go to someone?’ Well, I was under attack as speaker,” he said. “I am doing something about all these situations and incidents now.”
Weekes made a hard break from the Sask. Party in June after being a member since 1997. He lost a contested constituency nomination for Kindersley-Biggar, which was previously the Biggar-Sask Valley constituency, in December 2023. In his final address as speaker, Weekes blew the whistle on former government house leader Jeremy Harrison bringing a gun into the legislative building.
He also claimed Harrison and others within government caucus made attempts to influence his decisions and rulings.
“I can assure you, I will not be voting for the Saskatchewan Party,” said Weekes on Tuesday.
— with files from Murray Mandryk
alsalloum@postmedia.com
