The Saskatchewan NDP caucus's chief of staff, Jim Fodey, has resigned over comments made in the legislature last week and a cabinet minister, Glenn Hagel, has admitted he misled the legislature.
It's fallout from a bombshell of a press conference that the Regina Police Service held Friday to discuss a 15-year-old case of money misappropriated from the NDP caucus.
Last week, Hagel told the legislature that in 1992, the missing money — about $6,000 — was immediately reported to police. He also said that all relevant documents were given to the investigators.
But on Friday, Regina police Chief Cal Johnston calmly and systematically dismantled that story. He said NDP officials didn't hand over the documents in question in 1992. He said the force did receive some of the documents in 1994.
Johnston also said that, in 1992, Fodey told police there was no problem.
"On Sept. 22, Fodey told the investigators from Regina Police Service over the telephone that the auditor was not concerned and that everything was in order," Johnston said.
On Saturday, the NDP caucus issued a terse news release saying it had accepted Fodey's resignation.
It said he stepped down because he had provided incomplete information to the public and to Hagel, the minister of Culture, Youth and Recreation who had been the NDP caucus chair in 1992.
Hagel admitted his story was wrong and the police chief was right, but said on the weekend he was not guilty of wilful deception.
"Clearly, I was relying very, very heavily, very, very heavily, upon the advice given to me by Mr. Fodey on Wednesday," he said.
Hagel said he would not resign, but would apologize for misleading the house.
The Opposition Saskatchewan Party said that wasn't good enough.
Sask. Party MLA Ken Krawetz said Hagel must have known that the police weren't fully informed.
Krawetz called for Hagel's resignation from cabinet, saying that if the minister doesn't quit, Premier Lorne Calvert should fire him.
The controversy began gathering steam after the Saskatchewan Party released a 1992 letter last week from former NDP caucus office manager Ann Lord.
In the letter, addressed to Fodey and Hagel, Lord — who also went by the name Ann Davey — said she inflated cheques and used $5,900 of caucus money for herself. She asked Fodey and Hagel to keep the matter confidential.
The timing is significant because 1992 is when allegations of fraud involving former Progressive Conservative MLAs were coming to light and were the source of fierce debates between the New Democrats and the PCs.
