Politician disciplined for saying Sask. premier should be shot

A member of Saskatchewan's legislature has had his knuckles rapped for suggesting Premier Lorne Calvert should be shot.

On Wednesday, Saskatchewan Party Leader Brad Wall stripped Jason Dearborn of his critic and committee responsibilities for a comment he made about Calvert at a public meeting on Feb. 17.

Dearborn was at a committee meeting when someone said that if school board amalgamation caused taxes in his rural municipality to go up, someone is "going to get shot."

In reply, Dearborn said his candidate would be NDP Premier Lorne Calvert. The comment appeared in the March 7 edition of a weekly newspaper, the West Central Crossroads.

Dearborn, member of the provincial legislature for Kindersley, now says his comment was inappropriate and he has written a letter of apology to the premier.

"I'm not going to try to justify this by putting it in context," he said.

"I think when we look at the tragedy that happened last week with the Mounties this is something that just should never be joked about."

He was referring to the four RCMP officers who were shot to death on a farm in Alberta last Thursday.

• FROM MARCH 9, 2005: Records of RCMP shooter paint chilling picture

Dearborn said he doesn't know how long he will be relieved of his critic and committee responsibilities, but he said he agrees with Wall's decision.

Calvert told reporters Wednesday the language Dearborn used was inappropriate but he has accepted his apology.