A Saskatchewan MLA is asking his resolution to invite convicted killer Colin Thatcher to the legislative constructing on Wednesday an error in judgement.
MLA Lyle Stewart stated in a press release Thursday, it was his resolution to invite Thatcher to the throne speech. He known as Thatcher a “constituent and long-time friend.”
“In retrospect, this was an error in judgment as his presence was a distraction from a very positive and forward-looking Throne Speech, which included a number of new initiatives to keep Saskatchewan families safe in their communities,” Stewart stated in the assertion.
Thatcher, 84, spent 22 years behind bars for the assassination of his spouse JoAnn Wilson. A jury discovered the previous Saskatchewan cupboard minister responsible of first-degree assassination after Wilson was bludgeoned and shot to loss of life in the storage of her Regina dwelling in 1983.
He was granted parole in 2006. Thatcher has at all times maintained his innocence.
Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck stated she feels the choice warrants an apology.
“I was a bit stunned when I learned yesterday that Mr. Thatcher was invited to be here as a guest as a government member. I think we’ve seen the reaction not only in Saskatchewan but right across the country,” Beck stated in an interview with CTV Morning Live Regina.
With the federal government sharing a throne speech touting new policing plans to be harder on crime Wednesday, University of Regina political scientist Jim Farney stated it was attention-grabbing to see Thatcher in attendance.
“There was this really bizarre juxtaposition that Colin Thatcher was there as an invited guest. So it’s law-and-order but maybe not quite law-and-order,” he stated.
Farney stated the consequences of the general public notion of Thatcher’s invite will probably turn out to be clear over the subsequent few days.
“I think we’ll see in the next 24 to 48 hours and couple of media sessions,” Farney stated.
“It damages the party if the people of Saskatchewan decide this is a piece of hypocrisy they’re not willing to stand for. If they decide it’s something that a single MLA did involving someone who committed a crime a long time ago, it really does depend on what sort of story the population hears and sees.”
With recordsdata from The Canadian Press
More particulars to come…