The Sask. Party confirmed that David Buckingham had received sensitivity training following his use of a “racially inappropriate term.”
Speaking to media Tuesday morning, former house speaker Randy Weekes recounted an event from April 2023 where he said a Black woman working in the Sask. Party caucus office overheard caucus chair David Buckingham and a former MLA using racial slurs.
The Sask. Party has since offered an emailed statement that says Buckingham was “talking about another individual using a racially inappropriate term and in doing so, he repeated that term” and that he realized “he should not have done that” and took sensitivity training.
But the impacts of that day didn’t end there, according to Weekes and the woman who later corroborated his statements in a phone interview but asked that her name not be used for fear of reprisal.
When the incident took place, Weekes says the two men repeatedly used the N-word, which left the woman “horrified by what she heard.” He said he decided to speak to media about the her experience after she gave him the go-ahead to share.
It is the latest in a string of allegations and strong statements Weekes has made against Scott Moe and the Sask. Party since the end of the spring sitting of the legislative assembly.
The woman added that after the incident she took time away from the office to manage the shock of the experience.
She said she complained to the caucus chief of staff and reported the incident to human resources. Weekes alleges that the woman was eventually bullied and her position downgraded within caucus for “not being a team player.”
An emailed statement from the Sask. Party said it couldn’t speak to the specifics of the allegations about how the woman was treated in the office after the incident was reported, but said the party was confident the “caucus office has handled all personnel matters appropriately and respectfully.”
“We are not aware of any of the other incidents that the Speaker described in his media availability today,” the statement said.
Buckingham, who is running in the Saskatoon Westview constituency, was first elected in 2016. Outside of being government caucus chair, he also served as a board member of Crown Investment Corporation.
“There was one occasion where I repeated a racially inappropriate word as I was recounting a story of another individual using that word,” reiterated Buckingham in his own statement provided to the Leader-Post.
“That was wrong and I should not have used that word, regardless of the context. I immediately apologized to caucus staff, realizing it was a wrong thing to say, and then apologized to my caucus colleagues at the first opportunity.”
When asked why he waited to bring the matter forward, Weekes said he didn’t want to speak on it unless the woman was comfortable with him doing so.
“The question always is ‘why didn’t I say something, why didn’t I go to someone.’ Well, I was under attack as speaker,” he said. “I am doing something about all these situations and incidents now.”
He also claimed Harrison and others within government caucus made attempts to influence his decisions and rulings.
“I can assure you, I will not be voting for the Saskatchewan Party,” said Weekes o Tuesday.
— with files from Murray Mandryk