Saskatchewan minister nominated man charged with assaulting wife for public service medal | 24CA News

A Saskatchewan minister nominated a person for a public service medal after that man had been charged with assaulting his spouse and for possessing a firearm and not using a licence.

Jim Wickett, treasurer and secretary and former chairman of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, a farm advocacy group, later pleaded responsible to assault.

Internal authorities emails, which Global News obtained utilizing a freedom of data request, present agriculture minister David Marit nominated Wickett.

Saskatchewan’s fee of intimate accomplice violence was greater than double the nationwide common and highest of any province in 2021, the most recent yr for which Statistics Canada knowledge is obtainable.

An advocate for ending violence towards ladies stated Wickett’s nomination by an elected official sends the unsuitable message.

“When there is a blind spot around an issue like gender-based violence that the elected officials are repeatedly tripping over, it tells me that these individuals and perhaps this government in particular needs to do some soul searching,” Jo-Anne Dusel stated.

Dusel is the chief director of the Provincial Association of Transitional Houses and Services of Saskatchewan (PATHS), a community of organizations together with ladies’s shelters to assist survivors of intimate accomplice violence.

Court paperwork present Wickett was charged with assaulting his spouse and for possessing a firearm and not using a licence on June 2, 2022 in Rosetown, Sask.

The authorities emails present Marit’s workplace nominated Wickett for the medal on Oct. 26, 2022 and, later, for the medal ceremony on Dec. 13, 2022.

Photos posted to Wickett’s Facebook account the subsequent day present him receiving the medal from Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty and posing with Marit in entrance of a portrait of the late monarch.

“Big thank you to minister David Marit for nominating me for the Queen Platinum Jubilee medal (sic) was great to receive it with some other representatives of Ag(riculture),” the caption reads.

Wickett pleaded responsible to assault on Feb. 9, 2023.

He was sentenced to 9 months of probation, to attend home violence and anger administration programming, to not contact his spouse and to not possess a firearm or ammunition.

His probation order states that he won’t obtain a conviction, that means he won’t have a legal report if he abides by all situations of his conditional launch.

In the Jan. 30, 2022, authorities launch saying the Jubilee Medal, Lt.-Gov. Mirasty is quoted as saying the medal “enables us to pay tribute to The Queen’s devotion to duty by recognizing Saskatchewan people who also made service a priority.”

The launch states 7,000 medals can be given out between June 2022 and Feb. 2023 to honour vital contributions and achievements to the province.

The necessities for receiving the medals should not strict. Recipients should have been alive on Feb. 6, 2022, the anniversary of the late monarch’s ascension to the throne, they should be a Saskatchewan resident or be linked to Saskatchewan on the time they have been granted the medal and so they should have made a contribution to a specific neighborhood, the province or the nation.

Even although the necessities are minimal, Dusel stated, the federal government ought to have some vetting process in place for its nominees.

She stated that’s very true for the reason that day Marit nominated Wickett – Oct. 26, 2022 – was the identical day convicted spouse killer Colin Thatcher attended the Speech from the Throne by invitation of one other Saskatchewan Party MLA.

“You would hope… that this government would be on the lookout for other situations that echo that very high-profile incident,” Dusel stated.

Premier Scott Moe initially refused to apologize for Thatcher’s attendance, saying he was a visitor of MLA Lyle Stewart.

Moe ultimately did provide his “unequivocal apology” 5 days later and stripped Stewart of his duties. Stewart issued a press release calling the invitation an “error in judgement.”

“This is a very serious issue,” Dusel stated of intimate accomplice violence.

“And I’m not sure that our elected officials have a good grasp on all of the dynamics.”

She advised Sask Party members ought to meet with survivors to study “the devastating impact that intimate partner and family violence has.”

And even with Saskatchewan’s charges of intimate accomplice violence as excessive as they’re, she stated they don’t disclose the true numbers as a result of the statistics solely embody violence reported to police. She stated many, many extra incidents aren’t reported.

Global News contacted everybody named on this story to ask for an interview and despatched them an inventory of detailed questions.

Morten Paulsen, a spokesperson for the Wheat Growers Association, stated the group didn’t have “anything to say that would be relevant” to the story.

Wickett was listed as secretary and treasurer on the Wheat Growers web site earlier than Global News contacted them however wasn’t afterwards.

A spokesperson for the Lt.-Gov. stated he’s not concerned within the strategy of reviewing medal nominations and wouldn’t remark. They directed Global News to the province’s Protocol Office.

The chief of protocol Jason Quillam stated the protocol workplace processes nominations and that Wickett was nominated as the previous chair of a farm advocacy group.

Wickett’s LinkedIn account confirmed he was the chairman of the Wheat Growers Association from Feb 2013 till March 2020.

“At the time the nomination was received and when the medal was presented, Government was not aware of any criminal proceedings involving this individual,” Quilliam stated.

Quilliam stated the workplace had requested Wickett return the medal and he has carried out so. He additionally stated Wickett’s identify won’t be included on the record of recipients.

Global News contacted Wickett for an interview and despatched him an inventory of detailed questions.

“In light of the personal issues that I have experienced, and regret, and in order not to cause a distraction for those who nominated me for the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, I have made the decision to return it,” he wrote.

He didn’t reply to another questions.

Global News additionally requested an interview with Marit and introduced government council workers with an inventory of detailed questions – resembling how effectively Marit is aware of Wickett and what messages the federal government sends when it awards medals to these responsible of assault.

Marit didn’t reply.

Executive council workers cc’ed Quilliam on the request, to whom Global News had reached out.

If you or somebody you understand is in disaster and wishes assist, assets can be found. In case of an emergency, please name 911 for speedy assist.

Are you or somebody you understand experiencing abuse? Visit the Department of Justice’s Victim Services Directory for an inventory of assist providers in your space.

Women, trans and non-binary folks can discover a further record of assets right here.