As Saskatchewan’s Opposition presses a government backbencher to release receipts showing he paid out of his own pocket for private flights to attend government events, a policy expert says the criticism amounts to political posturing unless evidence emerges that public dollars were used.
asserted
dollars → press → posturing
Kevin Weedmark, Saskatchewan Party MLA representing Moosomin-Montmartre, says he paid out of pocket for flights across the province to attend government events on Aug. 27.
asserted
he → represent → Aug.
The assertion follows mounting questions from the NDP after a now-deleted “day in the life” video from a person travelling with Weedmark was posted to social media.
asserted
video → follow → media
Weedmark says it would have been difficult to drive across the province to attend events in Lloydminster and Saskatoon.
asserted
it → say → Lloydminster
The video also shows Weedmark stopping in Regina before returning to Moosomin.
asserted
Weedmark → show → Moosomin
“As a result, I decided to charter a plane from a local company at my own personal expense.
asserted
I → decide → expense
There were no taxpayer dollars involved,” Weedmark said in a statement Sept. 8.
asserted
Weedmark → be → statement
The NDP also pointed to a second video from August 2025, from the person travelling with Weedmark, showing a group of individuals touring Jim Pattison Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House in Saskatoon.
asserted
group → point → Saskatoon
The video has since been deleted.
asserted
video → delete → ?
“Does he expect us to believe he’s paid for all of these flights?
asserted
he → expect → flights
Travelling for work out of his own pocket?” Meara Conway, the NDP’s deputy house leader and health critic, told reporters Monday.
asserted
Conway → travel → reporters
Get daily National news
The NDP is also questioning a flight taken on June 1, 2025, on a jet that has the same registration number as the planes in the social media videos, linking flight records to Weedmark’s location at an opening reception for the first ministers’ meeting in Saskatoon.
asserted
that → get → Saskatoon
But Weedmark denies the NDP’s claim he flew last June to or from Saskatoon to attend that reception, saying he drove instead.
“The NDP’s latest attempted smear is a blatant lie,” Weedmark said in a statement shared with media Monday.
uncertain
Weedmark → deny → media
Global News reached out to Weedmark for an interview, but did not hear back.
asserted
News → reach → interview
There is no rule requiring a public official to prove to the Opposition that they paid out of pocket, said Ian Stedman, an associate professor who specializes in government ethics at York University.
asserted
who → be → University
“Unless the Opposition has some evidence to suggest that he is paying with taxpayer dollars, then all this is politicking and trying to get him to respond in a way that puts him in a bad light,” Stedman said.
asserted
Stedman → have → light
When it comes to spending public dollars, Stedman says MLAs are typically expected to do so as economically as possible.
asserted
MLAs → come → dollars
“Even if he is permitted to do it for his transportation, and he has a big budget, the next question is, is that the right thing to do with public dollars?
asserted
that → permit → dollars
And one is a rules question, and one is a perception and public trust question,” he said.
asserted
he → say → ?
The matter also would not constitute a conflict of interest unless taxpayer dollars were spent where they were not supposed to be, said Stedman, including private interests or non-permitted expenses.
asserted
Stedman → constitute → interests
“A conflict of interest arises when you make a decision in your public capacity to benefit yourself or improperly benefit someone else and their private interests and their private capacity,” he said.
asserted
he → arise → someone
“This doesn’t appear to be that.”
asserted
This → appear → ?
In Saskatchewan, the Board of Internal Economy requires public officials to disclose their expenses and any gifts and benefits they receive each year as part of their conflict-of-interest statements.
asserted
they → require → statements
The province’s conflict of interest commissioner investigates any potential breach at the request of another member, the premier or the legislative assembly after determining whether there are reasonable and probable grounds to proceed.
“This ensures that the threshold for proceeding to an investigation is based upon something more than innuendo, gossip, or hearsay,” Maurice Herauf, Saskatchewan’s conflict of interest commissioner, told Global News in an emailed statement.
asserted
Herauf → investigate → statement
Scott Andrew, owner Air Andrew, the company operating the three flights in question, told Global News that his company has not received money from the Saskatchewan Party.
asserted
company → operate → Party
Andrew is also pushing back on the NDP’s flight cost estimates, which it is sharing with the public, assigning a price tag of around $50,000 to each flight.
asserted
it → push → flight
“If you looked at that Lloydminster trip that everybody’s yapping about, if I did it today, it would be less than 20,000 bucks,” Andrew said.
asserted
Andrew → look → it
The latest MLA disclosure statements containing travel expenses from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, are expected to be provided to the Speaker on Sept. 30 and made public “shortly thereafter,” according to the Legislative Assembly Service.
uncertain
statements → contain → Service
The Aporia
