‘Not a vacation:’ Former Saskatchewan highways minister addresses Christmas travel

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — Saskatchewan’s former highways minister suggests he needs he could just take again a vacation he took to California above the Christmas holiday seasons even though people today had been advised to remain residence and avoid household gatherings.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — Saskatchewan’s previous highways minister claims he needs he could acquire back a vacation he took to California in excess of the Xmas holidays even though men and women were told to stay household and stay away from loved ones gatherings. 

Joe Hargrave, who is the member of the legislature for Prince Albert, has apologized for the trip to Palm Springs and resigned from cabinet earlier this 7 days. 

Hargrave says it was not a trip holiday but a choice by him and his spouse to offer their house there. 

He has been strongly criticized for the excursion and the Opposition NDP has accused him of lying about the intent of the journey when he to begin with reported he was finalizing a property sale. 

The NDP’s ethics critic has pointed to a actual estate listing that demonstrates the residence wasn’t detailed till Boxing Working day — four times after the Hargraves still left for Palm Springs. 

NDP chief Ryan Meili referred to as Hargrave’s cross-border excursion “a Christmas family vacation” and a “slap in the confront” to Saskatchewan families who created sacrifices around the holidays. 

Hargrave said he was just anxious about the home.

“You know hindsight is 20/20 and now I wish I hadn’t absent but you know we felt at the time our house there was vacant 10 months and most likely heading to be vacant another 10 months or a calendar year and we ought to promote it in advance of a little something happens to it, like anyone breaks-in,” he explained Friday.

Hargrave refuted the NDP’s competition that he was on a holiday break and mentioned he did not recognize the misinformation distribute close to about his loved ones on social media. 

“It just gets carried away as to what I was up to, that my whole family members was down there and we had been partying,” he said.

“We (Hargrave and his wife) isolated the whole time we were being in California and we isolated right here.”

Leading Scott Moe beforehand verified that he knew about the excursion beforehand. 

When it arrived to the selection to afterwards action down as minister of highways, Hargrave mentioned he and the premier experienced quite a few discussions. 

“We arrived to a mutual choice that I really should action down from my job as minister and I’m fine with that due to the fact I’ll continue to be working tricky for my constituents in Prince Albert, and I’ll also operate difficult for the province.”

This report by The Canadian Push was to start with posted Jan. 8, 2021

Nigel Maxwell, paNOW, The Canadian Press