Moe apologizes for ‘two classes of citizen’ remark

Premier Scott Moe explicitly apologized Thursday for comments he made more than a month ago on the vaccine passport policy — comments that some were offended by.

On the day he announced the proof of vaccination or test policy would be removed, the premier also said the policy had created divisions in the province and created “two classes of citizens.”

“To my knowledge, this province has never done anything like that before in our history for any vaccine, or any other reason for that matter,” continued Moe.

But many took offence at the notion that nothing had ever created two classes of citizens in Saskatchewan before, pointing to Saskatchewan’s history with Indigenous peoples including the pass system and the fact that health cards of Indigenous people, until early March, had an ‘R’ designation on them denoting the person was a Registered Indian under the Indian Act.

This week, NDP MLA Betty Nippi-Albright brought it to the premier during Question Period, asking for an apology.

“For many Indigenous residents of Saskatchewan, the trauma of residential schools and colonization still lives on. For the premier to evoke language to justify his political choices was wrong,” Nippi-Albright said in her question.

Moe didn’t apologize then or in a Question Period later in the week when similar questions were asked by outgoing NDP Leader Ryan Meili.

It wasn’t until after Question Period, and several pointed questions from media, that Moe said the words.

“If people most certainly were offended, I’m sorry,” said Moe.

He then went on to clarify as he already had in the Assembly.

“That was not my intent of those comments, most certainly. What I was referring to was the public health measures that have been put in place, I think we can all agree, are the most stringent public health measures that have ever been implemented in this province,” said Moe.