Minister of Education and Battlefords MLA Jeremy Cockrill. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME file photo)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Cockrill's Gaff

Cockrill apologizes for ‘first-born’ comments during Question Period

Apr 18, 2024 | 6:16 PM

Battlefords MLA and Minister for Education Jeremy Cockrill is under fire for comments he made to a mother whose daughter passed away last year due to medical complications.

During Question Period, MLA for Regina University Aleana Young shared a story about her constituent Taya Thomas coming to the legislature for a meeting with the Minister for Education this past Wednesday, about the ongoing bargaining between the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation and the government.

While speaking, he asked her “What do they want me to do? Give up my first-born child?”

As Young related the story, she explained her constituent “asked the minister to check himself,” that she was a mother who had lost her first-born, Young said “he failed to apologize.”

In response to the member’s charge, Cockrill stood in the legislature.

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“I used an expression that was a poor choice of words on my part Mr. Speaker. I did apologize to Miss. Thomas.”

Thomas refuted his claims the apology took place during their meeting while speaking to the media following Question Period.

“He did not apologize to me – I had a friend there who witnessed that,” she said, noting he gave his condolences.

“It does make me wonder if somebody like that is in charge of our children’s education, ultimately their future, if he can’t empathize with just a regular person like me, it makes me wonder if he really can understand where the teachers are coming from.”

She said when they were in the chamber, he looked to make sure she was there rather than to beg forgiveness.

“I was standing here, I was hoping maybe when he apologized, he might look at me in the eye and apologize and he didn’t,” she said.

The STF announced on Thursday that bargaining didn’t go as planned and the teachers are set to vote on the latest offer.

When asked by reporters in a follow-up scrum why Cockrill said the remark, he once again stated it was poor word choice and he “was human.”

Meanwhile, Thomas said sanctions won’t stop until there are positive movements.

“We’re talking about our children, you know. Give the teachers a fair deal, help them with the class size complexity,” she said.

“There’s a lot to be looked at and I just don’t think he’s listening.”

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julia.lovettsquires@pattiosonmedia.com

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