Durocher says Sask. Party can choose embarrassment or acceptance after Moe teases appeal

Tristen Durocher said the Saskatchewan Party needs to make a choice: "be embarrassed again while wasting precious time and money when there are bigger issues at hand, or accept the outcome of the legal process and stop for political reasons and public relations prior to an election trying to — excuse the term — stick it to the Indians." 

Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe was on the campaign trail yesterday ahead of the Oct. 26 election when he was asked whether he would appeal a court decision against his government. He did not rule it out. 

During the summertime, Durocher led a 44-day ceremonial fast while living in a teepee on grass across from the Saskatchewan Legislature after walking more than 600 kilometres to the site. He drew attention to high rates of suicide in the province — and accused the government of inaction. 

Moe's government took the 24-year-old Métis man to court in a bid to get him off the lawn.

Lawyers for the Saskatchewan Party government said he lacked a permit and was in violation of park bylaws that prohibit overnight camping. Durocher's lawyer argued his ceremonial hunger fast to honour the high number of Indigenous people who have killed themselves in northern Saskatchewan was protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Graeme Mitchell ruled in Durocher's favour, saying the bylaws weren't flexible enough to accommodate Durocher's "constitutionally protected political and spiritual expression." 

Durocher believes Moe is bluffing when he speaks of an appeal. 

"It would only draw more attention to the issue of why the Walking With Our Angels Tipi was on the Wascana Park West Lawn for 44 days — and the severe issue of suicide within the province and lack of meaningful response from government," he said Friday in a written statement. 

Moe calls Durocher's ceremony illegal protest

In a recent interview prior to the election call, Moe asserted that the conversation around suicide and mental heath is important. "It's one that we need to continue to walk together on and we will continue to work together on." 

However, Moe did not have that conversation with Durocher. When asked why he refused to meet with him, he said he does not meet with people having "illegal protests in and around the Legislature" — contrary to the judge's ruling that the ceremony was constitutionally protected. 

In an interview prior to the election call, NDP Leader Ryan Meili criticized Moe's approach and the focus on a "technicality." He questioned why Moe didn't join Durocher during the 600 kilometre walk to Regina or on the steps of the Legislature, if he didn't want to meet at the lawn. 

"Scott Moe chose not to and it's the same way he chose not to vote for a suicide prevention strategy," Meili said. 

"He listened to Doyle Vermette tell his story of all the people he's seen lose their lives and all the family he's seen grieving sat there nodding like he cared. And then he stood up with 43 other Sask. Party MLAs and voted no."

Meili was referring to the NDP bill focused on suicide prevention that was rejected by the Sask. Party majority in June. The rejection prompted Durocher's movement.  

The bill would have required the provincial government to establish a provincial strategy that recognizes suicide as a public health issue. According to the Saskatchewan Coroners Service, 2,338 people have died by suicide from 2005 to 2019 in the province. Twenty-eight per cent of those people were Indigenous.

Moe doubles down on Pillars of Life suicide strategy 

Moe said "mental health and addictions has been a priority for this government for a number of years now" and that the party has increased "investments." He said his party's Pillars of Life: The Saskatchewan suicide prevention plan will frame the party's approach moving forward. 

Moe said the Saskatchewan Party would also pay to build two urgent care clinics in Saskatoon and Regina to address growing crises. "Part of those clinics is going to be a segment that will increase the continuum of care that we offer in the way of mental health and addiction support," he said. 

He hinted that there could be more work underway on suicide prevention, but declined to specify. 

"We're continuing to work on a number of fronts with more of a strategic plan that'll be based on our Pillars of Life." 

Critics and advocates have repeatedly said the plan misses the mark — particularly for northern or remote communities. Durocher has previously said that because the document is not legislated, there is no option for accountability. 

NDP proposes different plan 

Meili said the NDP would focus on a strategy like what was layed out in the rejected member's bill.

It proposed action sparked by consultation with First Nations and Métis leadership, with community leadership, with families. It called for the Saskatchewan Health Authority to take responsibility for improving public awareness about suicide, distributing information about prevention, making existing statistics publicly available and promoting research and evidence-based practices for prevention. 

Meili said the NDP would focus on early-intervention support to try to prevent situations from escalating to suicidal tendencies. He said his party would pay to build dedicated mental health and addictions emergency rooms if elected. 

Additionally, he said they work directly with health experts and the Saskatchewan people most affected by suicide to create a plan, like Durocher and the Walking with our Angels group. 

"I walked with him and I went and visited a bunch of times and I really appreciated Tristen and his vision for what he was trying to produce as a suicide prevention strategy that would save lives," Meili said. 

Durocher noted in his statement made Friday that before the election call, Moe's government had attended a ceremony signing a letter of commitment with FSIN to address and tackle the scourge of suicide.

He said the Saskatchewan Party would not look like one that's committed to working with Indigenous people and communities to deal with the suicide crisis, if it took an advocate back to court.

"It would look like a bold attempt at punishing somebody who already had a ceremonial fast and grieving and prayer space interrupted by Provincial Capitol Commission visits (some by officers carrying loaded weapons), and a court hearing that wanted to use questionable bylaws to silence somebody wanting to speak to the leading cause of death in his northern communities and help people heal in a way that is protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms."

The provincial election is slated for October 26.