Randy Weekes
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Randall Percival Weekes (born 1956) is a Canadian
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
. He was a
Saskatchewan Party The Saskatchewan Party (SP or Sask Party) is a conservative political party in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The party was founded in 1997 by a coalition of former provincial Progressive Conservative ...
member of the
Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan () is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan, in the ...
from 1999 until 2024, representing the constituencies of Redberry Lake, Biggar, and Biggar-Sask Valley. He served as the
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is a title commonly held by presiding officers of parliamentary bodies styled legislative assemblies. The office is most widely used in state and territorial legislatures in Australia, and in provincial and terr ...
from 2020 until 2024.


Early life

Weekes was born in
Biggar, Saskatchewan Biggar is a town in central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is on Highway 14, west of Saskatoon. Biggar has become well known for its unusual town slogan, an Olympic athlete, and a world-record deer. The town was featured on American morning newsma ...
, where he lived on a ranch. He attended the
University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...
.


Political career

Weekes was first elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature in the 1999 provincial election as a member of the fledgling Saskatchewan Party, a new conservative party established in 1997 by a coalition of former Progressive Conservative and Liberal MLAs and under the leadership of former Reform Party Member of Parliament Elwin Hermanson. Weekes was re-elected five times during his political career, before losing a contested nomination ahead of the 2024 provincial election. When the Saskatchewan Party won the 2007 election under the leadership of
Brad Wall Bradley John Wall (born November 24, 1965) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 14th premier of Saskatchewan from November 21, 2007, until February 2, 2018. He is the fourth longest-tenured premier in the province's history. W ...
, Weekes was appointed government
whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...
. Weekes later served a stint in cabinet from 2012 to 2014 in the newly established ministry of Rural and Remote Health. Following the 2020 election, which the party won under the leadership of
Scott Moe Scott Moe (born July 31, 1973) is a Canadian politician serving as the 15th and current premier of Saskatchewan since February 2, 2018. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for the riding of Rosthern-Shellbrook, first el ...
, Weekes was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly over former Speaker Mark Docherty. Weekes was noted for promoting
anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...
views. Weekes attended anti-abortion March for Life rallies in both Regina and
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
. In the
2018 Saskatchewan Party leadership election The Saskatchewan Party held a leadership election on January 27, 2018, to elect a replacement for party leader and Premier Brad Wall. Wall had announced on August 10, 2017 that he would be retiring from politics once his successor was chosen. Th ...
to replace Wall—which was ultimately won by Moe—Weekes supported
Ken Cheveldayoff Ken Cheveldayoff (born April 1, 1965) is a Canadian provincial politician. He is the Saskatchewan Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (MLA) for the constituency of Saskatoon Willowgrove. First elected to the Legislative Ass ...
, who was endorsed as the top-rated candidate by an anti-abortion lobby group. In December 2023, Weekes, one of the longest serving members of the Legislature, lost a contested nomination for the 2024 election in the new riding of Kindersley-Biggar to newcomer Kim Gartner.


Saskatchewan Party resignation

At the end of the 2024 Spring sitting of the Legislature, Weekes made a series of allegations in the House about harassment and bullying within the Saskatchewan Party caucus, including allegations of intimidation aimed at him in his role as Speaker from Government House Leaders and MLAs. Recalling the oath of impartiality he took upon assuming the Speaker role, Weekes alleged that Saskatchewan Party members, including House Leader Jeremy Harrison, deputy House Leader Lori Carr, and finance minister Donna Harpauer, tried to "influence" his rulings; Weekes read into the record several text messages from the MLAs and told reporters that party leadership "wanted me to do whatever they wanted." In addition, Weekes alleged that Harrison had at one time brought a gun into the Legislative Building, a charge that Harrison initially denied but later admitted. Weekes also read a letter from the House's former
sergeant-at-arms A serjeant-at-arms or sergeant-at-arms is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin , which means "servant". Historically, serjeants-at-a ...
, Terry Quinn, that alleged harassment and defamation by government members, including corrections minister Christine Tell. In the aftermath of the allegations, Weekes criticized the direction of the Saskatchewan Party under Moe, stating that the party had "lurched to the right", citing its 2023 Parents' Bill of Rights, which placed restrictions on sexual health education and regulated the use of pronouns in schools, as an example. In response, Moe called all of the allegations "sour grapes" after Weekes lost his nomination bid; Weekes replied that the loss merely meant that he had nothing to lose politically by revealing the allegations. On May 15, Weekes posted a photo on social media of his Saskatchewan Party membership card cut into pieces, along with the caption "Enough is Enough". Weekes officially resigned from the Saskatchewan Party caucus on June 24, which left him to sit as an Independent member. He decided not to stand for re-election, but in the lead-up to the fall election, Weekes publicly endorsed
Carla Beck Carla Beck (born October 15, 1973) is a Canadian politician who has served as leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party and Saskatchewan's Official Opposition since 2022. Beck was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan ...
and the
New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...
. At the time of that endorsement, Weekes also alleged that Saskatchewan Party MLA David Buckingham had used a racial slur in a caucus meeting, to which Buckingham then publicly admitted and apologized for.


Electoral results


Cabinet positions


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weekes, Randy Living people Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Party MLAs 1956 births Independent MLAs in Saskatchewan Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan