Commissioner rules Sask. Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill violated conflict of interest legislation
CBC
Saskatchewan's conflict of interest commissioner has ruled Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill violated the province's conflict of interest legislation.
In a report published Monday, conflict of interest commissioner Maurice Herauf ruled that in 2021, Cockrill breached Section 15 of the Member's Conflict of Interest Act, which prohibits any member of the legislature from participating in government contracts where they have a beneficial interest.
According to Herauf, Cockrill violated the act from June 23, 2021, to Dec. 14, 2021, when Fortress Windows and Doors Ltd. — a business owned by the health minister's in-laws — was contracted by the Battleford Housing Authority.
The company received nearly $180,000 in contracts from the public housing authority in North Battleford, west of Saskatoon.
Cockrill worked for the company after he was elected in 2020, first as an adviser and later as a part-time salesperson, the commissioner's report says.
Herauf ruled that during his employment in 2021, Cockrill received hourly compensation, was responsible for marketing and got a year-end bonus of more than $2,000.
Cockrill left the company in August 2021, but continued to have an interest in it until Dec. 14, 2021, which is when he received the year-end bonus, Herauf wrote.
However, the commissioner ultimately concluded that Cockrill's violation was not significant.
Herauf said Cockrill properly disclosed his income from the company in public disclosure documents in 2020 and 2021.
Because Cockrill had acted appropriately and consulted Herauf's office on disclosure, the commissioner ruled that the violation of the Member's Conflict of Interest Act was not intentional or deliberate.
"In these circumstances, I do not consider a fine, suspension or declaration of vacancy appropriate," he wrote. "Nor do I see any purpose in ordering the member to comply with the act, as Mr. Cockrill's interest in Fortress has long ended."
Herauf said Cockrill's only punishment should be a reprimand.
Saskatchewan NDP MLA Meara Conway requested the investigation into Cockrill, who was elected to represent the Saskatchewan Party in 2020 and sworn into cabinet two years later.
Herauf's office said the report "speaks for itself."
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