Why revelations about Scott Moe's past are not likely to change minds of Saskatchewan voters

This is an opinion piece by Sarath Peiris, who spent his career at the Moose Jaw Times Herald and Saskatoon StarPhoenix. He was the StarPhoenix's opinions editor and editorial writer. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

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Premier Scott Moe's revelation of previously unreported charges of impaired driving and leaving the scene of an accident in 1994 is not likely to change the minds of any Saskatchewan voters who cast a ballot this month. Neither is the resurfacing of news stories about his responsibility for a highway crash in 1997 that killed Joanne Balog.

In fact, it appears that it's Joanne's sons Steve Balog, who was 18 at the time and was injured, and Daniel Bulmer, then living with his father in British Columbia, have become collateral damage in a nasty bout of gutter politics meant to hurt Moe before the Oct. 26 election.

The two men, who say they learned the identity of the person who killed their mother from an anonymous posting that appeared on Twitter the day Moe called the election, rightly expressed hurt and anger that the premier has never reached out directly to personally apologize.

Steve Balog said police didn't disclose the identify of the driver responsible in 1997, although news reports at the time had named Moe.

The premier has publicly apologized several times since the crash was raised as an issue during his bid to replace outgoing party leader Brad Wall in 2017.

While it's understandable why Moe, as a 24-year-old, might have been reticent to directly contact the family two decades ago, he should have done so long before this, especially after he entered the political arena where such actions speak to openness and character.

As for social media commentary that Moe should have faced stronger punishment for the crash than a fine for driving without due care and attention, an RCMP investigation revealed no grounds for charges of dangerous driving. Armchair quarterbacking two decades later isn't helpful or useful.

Voters with a bent to support the Saskatchewan Party aren't going to hold this case against Moe any more than they will punish him for his revelation — made under some duress with the left-leaning PressProgress about to publish the information — about an impaired driving charge laid in connection with a crash at the Shellbrook Co-op on May 14, 1994, and stayed two years later.

'As a young man, I admit I have made some poor choices': Sask. Party Leader Scott Moe discloses previously unknown impaired driving charge

4 years ago

Duration 1:07

The leader of Saskatchewan Party says that back in 1994, he was charged with impaired driving and leaving the scene of an accident. He says those charges were dropped, which is why he did not disclose them.

Moe said he had consumed alcohol that day but wasn't impaired, and that he shared his contact information with the other driver and hadn't simply left the scene.

That the Crown prosecutor decided to stay the charges in 1996 rather than proceed to trial speaks to the presumed lack of evidence in the case.

Moe does have an impaired driving conviction on his record, from 1992 when he was 19 years old. This, too, has resurfaced as part of the political discussion this week.

There's no doubt that impaired driving is a major safety issue in Saskatchewan, which for years has led Canada for the dubious honour of having the highest proportion of drunk drivers on the road.

That six Saskatchewan Party candidates — including Moe — and a similar number of New Democratic Party candidates have DUI convictions attests to the scope of the problem.

Between 2009 and 2018, Saskatchewan averaged 54 deaths and 595 injuries caused by impaired drivers, figures that dropped to 21 deaths and 322 injuries in 2019 after stronger enforcement measures and stricter laws.

Yet, SGI figures from August this year suggest the problem is far from over, with 463 impaired driving offences and 84 roadside suspensions for exceeding 0.04 blood alcohol content.

Rather than buttress the case against impaired driving, political opponents who drag in Moe's stayed charges of 1994 only weaken the argument.

Rather than elicit outrage at the premier's conduct, it's more likely to have people wondering why anyone would dredge up a non-event except to serve as cheap political fodder — and to further cement the Sask Party's already-formidable lead.

It's not been a great week in Saskatchewan politics. Sadly, it will probably get worse as the election nears.

This column is part of CBC's Opinion section. For more information about this section, please read this editor's blog and our FAQ.

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