Former Sask. Party MLA Nadine Wilson says decision to resign was her own

Nadine Wilson says the Saskatchewan government’s erosion of residents’ rights and freedoms motivated her decision to leave the party she has served in for almost 15 years.

The MLA for Saskatchewan Rivers tendered her resignation from the Saskatchewan Party last week after it was revealed she was not vaccinated.

Wilson explained her side of the story on Monday with Gormley, saying she could no longer ignore the concerns she has been hearing from residents across the province.

“Essentially what they are telling me is that the fear of our frequent and mixed messaging regarding the health restrictions is crippling our province,” said Wilson.

“It’s not a good sign when the government slowly erodes people’s rights and abilities to earn a decent day’s wage and strips them of their freedoms to work and feed their families. Good hard-working people are fearful.”

In a Thursday afternoon news conference, Premier Scott Moe said he accepted Wilson’s resignation as a result of her “mispresenting her vaccination status.”

The Government of Saskatchewan provided a statement to 650 CKOM in response to Wilson’s claims, saying: “The events that led to Nadine Wilson’s resignation from caucus were exactly as the Premier described them.”

Caucus chair David Buckingham was in charge of seeing proof of vaccination from every Sask. Party MLA after receiving verbal confirmation in the spring.

“I never disclosed my status,” Wilson said Monday. “I said I would go home and think about it. Apparently then they took that to be affirmative.”

“I said, ‘My medical history is personal.’ I believe some things should remain personal and confidential. Equity of rights under the Charter of the Rights and Freedoms protects rights and civil liberties under both sides of the debate.”

Wilson said she is being penalized for exercising those rights.

According to Wilson, nobody within the party including Moe told her to resign, but she declined to say whether the party recommended it.

Wilson was one of many government members during the last session of the legislature who wore “I got my COVID-19 vaccine” stickers to indicate a person had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Wilson claims she didn’t even realize the sticker was there, explaining that on a daily basis MLAs are given pins, ribbons and stickers to support various causes in the chamber.

“After this daily occurrence, (after) over a decade in my career, you won’t even glance at what was pinned to you as you’re concentrating on your debates (and) your speech notes,” Wilson said.

“Every day there’s an awareness day about a disease or cause. That day it happened to be a sticker ‘Stick it to COVID.’ ”

Wilson was first elected in 2007. She will now sit as an independent.