Harrison changes tune on GTH, now willing to sell it

Meadow Lake MLA and Saskatchewan Party leadership hopeful Jeremy Harrison put a plan out Thursday that would see the province sell a political albatross he has spent the past year defending.

Harrison says that if he were premier, he would sell the Global Transportation Hub (GTH) as soon as feasibly possible and permanently end the government’s involvement in commercial land development.

“We should have never been in this business in the first place,” said Harrison.

“If this was a project that could have had economic merit on its own, then the private sector should have been involved in it.”

As the former minister responsible for GTH, Harrison has been the poster boy for defending ongoing controversy surrounding the Crown corporation.

Two businessmen with financial ties to the governing Sask. Party made millions off of what are known as the GTH land deals.

“I defended the position of the government and what I’m saying here today is what that position is going to change to if I’m premier,” said Harrison, who announced his leadership bid on Saturday.

Although it was outgoing Kindersley MLA Bill Boyd who had responsibility for the GTH when the controversial deals took place, it was Harrison who almost daily responded to questions from the opposition benches and reporters about the province’s role in the land transactions.

He regularly insisted there was “no wrongdoing” at the GTH.

Harrison’s tune on the GTH changed in speaking with reporters Thursday when he said, “If this happened when I was premier and a minister was responsible, they would be fired. Period. End of story.”

NDP interim leader Nicole Sarauer said Harrison has been involved in the GTH process “the whole time.”

“It’s pretty rich for (Harrison) to throw Mr. Boyd under the bus in his attempts to further himself in his leadership bid,” she said.

Although he would not say when he changed his mind on the GTH, Harrison said, “these positions being put forward today are not going to be a surprise to my colleagues.”

He also refused to say whether or not he brought his concerns over the GTH up in cabinet meetings.

The GTH announcement is the first policy put forward by Harrison in his quest to become the next premier of Saskatchewan. It included a detailed proposal to bring sweeping changes to provincial ethics rules.

Harrison plans to modernize the provincial Members’ Conflict of Interest Act, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Lobbyists Act, and to enhance other public disclosure rules, many of which currently lag behind those found in other provinces.