Complaint justified but no evidence questions provided to Alanna Koch's campaign, says Sask. Party decision

The Saskatchewan Party has found a complaint by leadership hopefuls justified but says there is no evidence the premier's chief of operations Kathy Young provided questions to Alanna Koch, her campaign manager or anyone else prior to the Weyburn debate.

Three leadership hopefuls — Scott Moe, Gord Wyant and Tina Beaudry-Mellor — signed a letter of complaint on Dec. 8, more than a week after the debate in Weyburn.

The party's Leadership Election Organizing Committee had been looking into the complaint.

"The LEOC (also referenced as "We") finds no direct evidence or proof of Ms. Kathy Young, or anyone else, having supplied the Weyburn Debate questions to anyone, including Ms. Alanna Koch or her campaign manager, Mr. Kelly Gallagher, prior to the Weyburn Debate," said the party statement. 

"All of the evidence supplied to us by those in support of the complaint was circumstantial."

Koch denied the "absolutely ridiculous accusation" in a news release days after the complaint was filed.

Young made inquiries on debate topics

Shortly after the complaint was launched, CBC News learned an email chain involving the premier's chief of operations and communications Kathy Young sparked the complaint about an alleged leak of information.

On Nov. 29, Young sent a question to the minister of health's chief of staff, looking for information about nurse practitioners.

"Nurse Practitioners – we increased their scope, right? Using them in areas of the prov to fill-in for doctors where possible, etc?" Young wrote in the email.

The following night, a question about nurse practitioners was posed to the candidates at the Saskatchewan Party leadership debate in Weyburn.

"There were however specific inquiries by Ms. Young of the various Ministerial office staff on topics which were the subject of the Weyburn Debate," the LEOC said of Young's involvement.

"We can certainly see this as being a point of concern for many of the leadership candidates," the party said.

When asked last week if she had the debate questions, Young told CBC,"I can tell you that at no time were any debate questions shared with any leadership campaign prior to any of the debates."

Last Wednesday, five days after the complaint was launched, two members of LEOC recused themselves from any discussion on the investigation because they work with Young in the premier's office.

Complaint justified

The party's election committee said in light of the issues found in the investigation it will make recommendations to the party's provincial council regarding future leadership races.

"We find the signatories to the complaint to be justified in being concerned with the circumstances surrounding the Weyburn Debate. We find their complaint to be bona fide and raised without any malice or ill-will," the committee said in a statement.

The party said it considers the matter closed and will not be commenting further.