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Former Saskatchewan Party MLA Ryan Domotor began the spring session of the Legislative Assembly with an apology.
“I can’t change what I tried to do that day,” Domotor said Monday. “But it is something that I am truly sorry for, and will regret for the rest of my days.”
In November of last year, Domotor was arrested by Regina police in a project that targeted human trafficking. He was charged with communicating for the purposes of obtaining sexual services.
The Cut Knife-Turtleford MLA was kicked out of the Sask. Party caucus and removed from all official appointments the day after he was charged.
“At the time of my incident last fall, I was struggling emotionally with things happening in my personal life and my marriage,” he said to the Assembly.
“This affected my mental health, and my lapse in judgment that resulted in me making a decision I will regret for the rest of my life.”
In his first court appearance in January, Domotor’s legal team said he would be seeking alternative measures to deal with the charge. Those are typically dealt with in out-of-court ways where the accused acknowledges responsibility, but does not have to enter a guilty or not guilty plea.
In February, the Crown stayed Domotor’s charge after he completed a prostitution offender program.
Crown prosecutor Carmody Hallamore told reporters after Domotor’s charge was stayed that there was only a small possibility of the case being reopened because the prosecution was satisfied that Domotor had completed the program to the best of his ability.
Domotor said Monday that his actions did not represent the government or himself as an individual, but what was happening in his personal life at the time.
“I think that we all have to remember that as members (and) elected officials, that we are just like regular people, and sometimes we make big mistakes just like private individuals do in their lives,” he said. “Some are major (and) some are minor, but we probably all know somebody who has either said something or done something that they truly wish they could redo or take back.”
Domotor dedicated his apology to all members of the Cut Knife-Turtleford constituency, his family, Premier Scott Moe, and the assembly.
In November, Moe stood behind the decision to remove Domotor from caucus.
“We acted quickly … and I would say harshly — rightly so,” said Moe. “It’s a very serious situation and it’s a situation where, I think, the actions are exactly the opposite of what any government member should be doing.”
Domotor first took office in October of 2020. In July, he was acclaimed as the nominee for Cut Knife-Turtleford for the Saskatchewan Party. Since he was kicked out of caucus, he has been sitting as an independent.
