Political career
Weekes was first elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature in the 1999 provincial election as a member of the fledgling Saskatchewan Party,a new conservative party established in 1997 by a coalition of former Progressive Conservative and Liberal MLAs and under the leadership of former Reform Party Member of Parliament Elwin Hermanson. [2] [3] Weekes was re-elected five times during his political career,before losing a contested nomination ahead of the 2024 provincial election. [1] When the Saskatchewan Party won the 2007 election under the leadership of Brad Wall,Weekes was appointed government whip. [2] Weekes later served a stint in cabinet from 2012 to 2014 in the newly established ministry of Rural and Remote Health. [4] [5] Following the 2020 election,which the party won under the leadership of Scott Moe,Weekes was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly over former Speaker Mark Docherty. [6]
Weekes was noted for promoting anti-abortion views. Weekes attended anti-abortion March for Life rallies in both Regina and Ottawa. [7] [8] In the 2018 Saskatchewan Party leadership election to replace Wall—which was ultimately won by Moe—Weekes supported Ken Cheveldayoff,who was endorsed as the top-rated candidate by an anti-abortion lobby group. [9] [10]
In December 2023,Weekes,one of the longest serving members of the Legislature,lost a contested nomination for the 2024 election in the new riding of Kindersley-Biggar to newcomer Kim Gartner. [1]
Saskatchewan Party resignation
At the end of the 2024 Spring sitting of the Legislature,Weekes made a series of allegations in the House about harassment and bullying within the Saskatchewan Party caucus,including allegations of intimidation aimed at him in his role as Speaker from Government House Leaders and MLAs. [11] [12] Recalling the oath of impartiality he took upon assuming the Speaker role,Weekes alleged that Saskatchewan Party members,including House Leader Jeremy Harrison,deputy House Leader Lori Carr,and finance minister Donna Harpauer,tried to "influence" his rulings;Weekes read into the record several text messages from the MLAs and told reporters that party leadership "wanted me to do whatever they wanted." [12] In addition,Weekes alleged that Harrison had at one time brought a gun into the Legislative Building,a charge that Harrison initially denied but later admitted. [13] [14] Weekes also read a letter from the House's former sergeant-at-arms,Terry Quinn,that alleged harassment and defamation by government members,including corrections minister Christine Tell. [15]
In the aftermath of the allegations,Weekes criticized the direction of the Saskatchewan Party under Moe,stating that the party had "lurched to the right",citing its 2023 Parents' Bill of Rights,which placed restrictions on sexual health education and regulated the use of pronouns in schools,as an example. [16] In response,Moe called all of the allegations "sour grapes" after Weekes lost his nomination bid;Weekes replied that the loss merely meant that he had nothing to lose politically by revealing the allegations. [16]
On May 15,Weekes posted a photo on social media of his Saskatchewan Party membership card cut into pieces,along with the caption "Enough is Enough". [15] Weekes officially resigned from the Saskatchewan Party caucus on June 24,which left him to sit as an Independent member. [17] He decided not to stand for re-election,but in the lead-up to the fall election,Weekes publicly endorsed Carla Beck and the New Democratic Party. [18] [19] At the time of that endorsement,Weekes also alleged that Saskatchewan Party MLA David Buckingham had used a racial slur in a caucus meeting,to which Buckingham then publicly admitted and apologized for. [19]
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