REGINA - Saskatchewan's Speaker scolded politicians in the legislature Wednesday for being rude, but seconds later, they were back at it, shouting and finger-pointing.
Speaker Myron Kowalsky spent more than five minutes berating both NDP and Saskatchewan Party politicians for a raucous debate that reduced one member to tears.
"Much of the language and conduct of many members on both sides of the house during last Thursday's debate on the Murdoch Carriere case was unacceptable,'' said Kowalsky.
"The written (transcript) is replete with instances on both sides of the house of language that was unnecessarily personal or offensive.''
At issue were comments made by Saskatchewan Party member Donna Harpauer towards governing NDP member Sandra Morin during the debate on workplace harassment. Carriere was fired for sexual misconduct.
Harpauer said someone should "take her to the backroom and give her the horse ...,'' then stopped.
Harpauer later said the self-censored phrase was horseshit, adding she was referring to the backroom where cabinet ministers go after question period to be briefed by staff before facing reporters.
But Morin said she believed Harpauer was about to say horsewhipped.
Through tears, Morin later told reporters that the comment reminded her of when she was assaulted at a previous job.
Kowalsky ruled Wednesday that Harpauer's comments were unparliamentary.
"They constitute a personal attack on another member and caused considerable disorder in the chamber,'' he said.
However, Kowalsky went one step further, saying "the volume of noise reached an unacceptable level.
"In the future I strongly encourage members to curb the volume of their interventions which does not impede the proceedings,'' he said.
"Many of these unofficial comments or heckles are intentionally provocative and inflammatory.''
Both Premier Lorne Calvert and Opposition House Leader Rod Gantefoer chalked up the behaviour to pre-election posturing.
"I think I've observed a pattern over time as we approach elections, emotions run higher,'' Calvert told reporters after Kowalsky's ruling.
"This, I think, springs to or leads to some of the commentary that occurs. I think it's a little more levelled when you're out of sort of the election cycle,'' said Calvert.
An election has not yet been called, but is highly anticipated to take place later this year.
As for Morin, she said Wednesday that she wanted Harpauer to do more than withdraw the remarks in the legislature.
"I don't think it went far enough,'' said Morin. "I think that if she was sincere about withdrawing the remark that she would have actually apologized to me for the offensiveness of the remark.''
