Minister of Education and Battlefords MLA Jeremy Cockrill. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME file photo)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Cockrill Stays

Cockrill to stay as Minister for Education

Apr 22, 2024 | 5:12 PM

Standing in front of reporters earlier today in the legislative building, the leader of the opposition officially called on Premier Scott Moe to give the Minister for Education “the boot.”

“Saskatchewan people are right to hold their leaders to a higher standard, that goes double for cabinet ministers,” said Carla Beck, NDP leader in audio from the scrum and given to battlefordsNOW.

“Time and time again, Jeremy Cockrill has shown that he lacks the empathy and the honesty needed to be the education minister.”

Cockrill’s meeting with Taya Thomas, whose daughter passed away from medical complications was “the final straw” for Beck.

In the meeting between Cockrill and Thomas took place last Wednesday to discuss the situation with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation he asked her if the teachers expected him to give them his first-born child.

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“Again, he was speaking to a mother whose first-born daughter had passed away just months earlier.”

BattlefordsNOW has reached out to Minister Cockrill for a response. In an email from Matthew Glover, director of Media relations, he forwarded audio of Moe’s statements following Question Period earlier Monday afternoon.

“In spite of what is a poor choice of words, of which many of us have made at some point in our life either professionally or personally, I would say that the effort and the advocacy that this minister of education does on his file most certainly continues to earn him not only my respect but my confidence in the work that he’s doing,” said Moe.

Beck went on to add that according to Thomas, she didn’t get an apology in the meeting.

“It should not be too much to ask to expect our elected leaders to live up to the values that we are proud to call Saskatchewan values: honesty, empathy and accountability,” she said.

“That’s why we’re calling on Premier Scott Moe to give him the boot.”

While announcing that Cockriill would stay in place, Moe issued another apology on behave of the government and reiterated that the minister deeply regretted his comments. He spoke about Cockrill’s work in visiting schools in rural communities and work in “advocated with his caucus and cabinet for some of the largest increases – not only largest level of funding – but largest increases…operationally.”

Meanwhile, while taking questions from the media earlier in the day, Beck said Moe should be setting a different tone and if asked if he doesn’t remove the minister, Beck said they “will continue to bring concerns forward.”

“This is a long in the tooth government that is showing every day that feel entitled to their entitlements, they don’t feel like they should have to be accountable to anyone.”

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

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