File lawsuit over trust fund, judge tells Sask. PCs

Last Updated: Friday, March 30, 2007 | 12:22 PM CT

CBC News

A Court of Queen's Bench judge has told the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan to file a detailed statement of claim if it wants to proceed in a dispute over a party trust fund.

Justice Ted Zarzeczny's order concerns a long-simmering dispute over the trust fund. The newly revived party doesn't have control over the PC Party Trust. Instead, it's controlled by a board of trustees.

Grant Schmidt, a longtime Progressive Conservative who was a cabinet minister in former premier Grant Devine's administration, said the party is entitled to about $3 million of the trust fund.

According to Schmidt, who is advising the PCs, the people in control of that money are resisting because they support the Saskatchewan Party.

"The trustees are denying the existence of the PC party," Schmidt said. "They are stalling in an attempt to help the Saskatchewan Party."

The Saskatchewan Party was formed in the '90s by a group of Liberal and Progressive Conservative MLAs.

Schmidt said the PCs want to spend their money to build the party, rather than on a court fight.

"The trustees are continuing their tactics of delay, delay, delay to starve the PC party out of existence," he said.

However, Saskatchewan Party executive director Bob Mason said his party has nothing to do with the trust fund fight.

Lawyer Al McIntrye, who represents the trustees, said they are proceeding properly.

"The trustees' goal here is to simply act lawfully and make sure that the trust funds are dispersed or dealt with appropriately," he said.