Prince Albert Carlton MLA Joe Hargrave has stepped down as highways minister in the Saskatchewan Party government.
Hargrave has been under fire since it was revealed last week that he travelled to Palm Springs, California over the Christmas holidays at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said he was in California on personal business to finalize the sale of a property and Premier Scott Moe was aware of the trip.
However, a number of questions were raised as to why the transaction couldn’t be completed online while remaining in Saskatchewan.
Moe later called Hargrave’s California trip “an error in judgment.”
The NDP accused the Prince Albert MLA of not telling the truth saying he arrived in Palm Springs on Dec. 22 but the property was not listed online until four days later.
An accepted offer came a day after that.
In a government press release, Moe said he accepts Hargrave’s resignation from cabinet and Carrot River Valley MLA Fred Bradshaw has been appointed minister of highways and minister responsible for the water security agency.
Hargrave will remain in caucus.
(PHOTO: Prince Albert Carlton MLA Joe Hargrave. File photo.)