Officials won’t reveal details of leak probe

The Saskatchewan Party is refusing to release, or comment on the contents of, the full findings of its investigation into the possibility questions were leaked to a leadership candidate ahead of a party-run debate late last year.

Postmedia has learned the closely held report, prepared by the party’s leadership election oversight committee and distributed to a small number of insiders, draws conclusions beyond what was contained in the party’s official statement.

Sask. Party executive director Patrick Bundrock, who also chairs the oversight committee, acknowledged the document is “more substantive” than what was made public, but refused to elaborate.

“Each of the complainants was provided with a more in-depth response. I think we released publicly what we needed to. And I’m OK with where it ended,” Bundrock said, adding he was not concerned about transparency and received no feedback from complainants.

Tina Beaudry Mellor, whose joint letter with Scott Moe and Gord Wyant triggered the probe, described the party’s conclusions as a “classic Supreme Court decision,” that found the party “walking a fine line” and trying to please everybody involved.

“I think this process needs to be pristine for a whole bunch of reasons,” the Regina University MLA said. “It needs to be pristine and I wouldn’t have signed my name to something frivolously or superficially, and I’ll leave you with that.”

Wyant said, through a campaign spokeswoman, he is satisfied with the party’s investigation and has nothing to add.

Moe’s campaign said in a statement the initial complaint was made because anything that threatens the integrity and transparency of the Sask. Party’s leadership race should be investigated. “In the interests of transparency for Saskatchewan Party members, the Scott Moe Leadership Campaign would have no objection to the release of the full report,” the statement said.

The complainants’ concern stemmed, in part, from a request for information about nurse practitioners made to the health minister’s office by a senior official in the premier’s office Nov. 29. The topic came up in a question during a debate in Weyburn the next day.

Alanna Koch’s campaign confirmed making the request for information, but denied having knowledge of the questions. Sources close to three other campaigns said they did not receive a government memo saying the premier’s office could be used as a resource.

In its public statement, the Sask. Party said it did not find “direct evidence” someone furnished Koch with debate questions, and while the complaint was based on circumstantial evidence, the request for information could be “a point of concern” for the complainants.

Sources familiar with the matter said they are concerned because the investigation seemed to concentrate on the narrow issue of whether questions were leaked, rather than the broad notion of advance information being provided.

Beaudry-Mellor applauded the party’s recognition that the initial complaint was “justified,” but said the Sask. Party has some “work to do.”