Moe calls on Meili to 'condemn anti-oil candidate'

Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe said NDP Leader Ryan Meili should "condemn" the Facebook comments of an NDP candidate, he called "anti-oil."

On Monday morning, the Sask. Party released deleted Facebook comments from Regina Elphinstone-Centre NDP candidate Meara Conway.

The comments were from 2018 and said, "the tar sands are a f---ing nightmare period."

"Any political agenda that takes climate change seriously doesn't have space for the KM Transmountain expansion and most regular people understand this intuitively."

We support the energy industry in this province.- Ryan Meili, Saskatchewan NDP leader

Speaking in Prince Albert, Sask., on Monday, Moe called the comments, "anti-oil and agriculture and anti-the Saskatchewan economy."

"Those comments do need to be condemned by the leader of the opposition. I didn't hear that this morning. Ryan Meili has to answer whether he stands with his anti-oil candidate or whether he stands with Saskatchewan people,"Moe said.

Meili says comments do not reflect NDP policy

On Monday, Meili said Conway's comments are not the policy of the Saskatchewan NDP.

"We support the energy industry in this province. We support the men and women who do those jobs that has contributed an incredible amount to our province. We want to make sure we can get the resources here in this province to international markets, and that includes, through pipelines, a safe way for us to transport those materials," said Meili.

"All of our candidates agree with our party policy. That's part of the process of becoming a candidate. And we know that all of our candidates support the working men and women of this industry."

Conway was not at NDP's Monday announcement outside of Pasqua Hospital in Regina even though it took place in the constituencyof Regina Elphinstone-Centre, where she is currently running.

Conway released a comment Monday afternoon:

"Ryan has been clear that oil and gas are a big part of our economy and will be for the future. I'm proud of the balanced approachhe and the SaskatchewanNDPhave articulated, which includes investments into renewable energy that would create sustainable, well-paying jobs for energy sector workers.

And I am of course very concerned about the impacts of climate change and I know that Saskatchewan families agree with me on this."

Conway said her job as a candidate and hopeful MLA is to represent the "interests of everyone in the province."

"I will always stand up for the interests of Indigenous communities, individuals worried about the effects of climate change and the concerns of oil and gas workers who are worried about good, sustainable jobs," Conway said.

Conway lost the NDP nomination in Regina Walsh Acres to now-independent candidate Sandra Morin before winning a contested nomination in Regina Elphinstone-Centre.

Candidate posts, behaviour lead to resignationand apology

The release of the deletedFacebook posts by Conway comes on the heels of the Saskatchewan Party losing a candidate on Saturday for social media activity.

Daryl Cooper was the Sask. Party candidate for Saskatoon Eastview.

The resignation came after it was publicized Cooper has been engaging with members of the QAnon conspiracy group online and shared an unproven theoryabout the cause of pandemics on planet earth.

Press Progress a left-leaning online publication that bills itself "as a counter-balance to corporate ownership in Canadian media and the growing influence of right-wing think tanks" first reported on the interactions Friday evening, publishing three tweets in whichCooper interactedwith QAnon supporters.

Cooper released a statement Sunday regarding his resignation and the circumstances regarding it.

"I submitted my resignation from this team not because I did anything wrong, but because I did not want to become a distraction in the debate about the important issues facing our province," wrote Cooper.

"Let me be clear. I am not a member of Internet groups such as QAnon. I do not subscribe to or support conspiracy theories such as they advance. Any fair reading of my social media posts would make this clear."

Reading a post, or clicking the "like" button, does not mean a person supports or agrees with what was posted on social media, Cooper's statement said.

Less than 24 hours after Cooper's resignation the Sask. Party named Chris Gurette, CEO of the Saskatoon and Region Home Builders' Association, as the new candidate.

Gurette originally ran for the Sask. Party nomination in the Saskatoon Meewasin electoral district, currently held by the NDP leader Meili, but was defeated by Rylund Hunter.

She said she believed she had enough time to appeal to voters.

"I still have 22 days of several hours a day to gain the trust of constituents and that's where I'm going to be sending my time,"Gurettesaid.

Shortly after the announcement, the NDP sent out a news release saying Gurette had "strong support" for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, havingdonated to the Liberal Party as recently as 2018.

Meili said he was not aware the party sent out media release criticizingGurette's past support for the federal Liberals.

"It's something that we should have a maybe have a discussion about how much do we want to dig into people's social media? Certainly the further back you go, the more murky it gets," Meili said.

On Sunday, Sask. Party candidate for Regina Rosemont Alex Nau apologized for inappropriate behaviour that he says was disrespectful to women.

First reported by the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, Nau was quoted in a 2016 Regina Leader-Post article where he detailed a "wheel of fun" game at Country Thunder, then known as the Craven Country Jamboree.

"Depending on where the dial stops, the wheel of fun means you have to funnel a beer, show your breasts or have beer shot down your throat via a water gun," reported the Leader-Post about the game," Nau told the newspaper.

Nauapologized on Sunday.

"A number of years ago while at Craven with friends, I was involved in an interview that referenced a "wheel of fun" that included a disrespectful action," he said in the statement. "I understand how suggesting this action is disrespectful to women and regret my participation."

The statement concludes: "It was wrong. I would not do this again."

The Sask. Party said Nau disclosed the information to the party.

"This behaviour was clearly juvenile, inappropriate and disrespectful and is not condoned by the Saskatchewan Party," the statement explained. "Mr. Nau did disclose this and communicated his regret and understanding of how his behaviour was disrespectful."

It continued: "Many have made mistakes at a younger age. The Saskatchewan Party takes the position that if one has learned from their mistakes and corrected their behavior, it should not disqualify you from running for office. Accordingly, Mr. Nau will remain a candidate."