Maybe it’s only right that we are now taking a hard look at the personal lives of those seeking public office on April 4.
Think of an election as a job interview. Whether a new candidate for the job or old one, your potential employee has a right to ask you some pretty personal questions. He may even examine your Facebook posts.
So why shouldn’t those applying for the job of representing us not have the same scrutiny?
Much of the first week of the 2016 provincial election campaign was taken up by such examination of what candidates did in the past and what they more recently posted online.
The first consequence was NDP leader Cam Broten dumping four candidates — Clayton Wilson in Saskatoon Northwest, Mark Jeworski in Weyburn-Big Muddy Terry Bell in Regina Walsh Acres and Cameron Robock in Estevan — all for their social media postings.
As of the writing of this, it was not know what Bell and Robock said on social media because their accounts were taken down before anyone could see them.
What we did see from Wilson and especially Jeworski was crude — crude enough that an adult man should be embarrassed by it.
Of course, there is no law prohibiting you from saying or doing stupid this or running for office if you do.
But it’s important to understand that none of these men are being prohibited from running from office — just prohibited from running under the NDP.
The four were quickly replaced by: Dennel Pickering (Saskatoon Northwest), a Saskatoon care aide; Gloria Patrick (Regina Walsh Acres), a constituency assistant to Trent Wotherspoon and student working on social work degree; Tina Vuckovic (Estevan) a Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority as a procurement specialist, and: Karen Womsbecker (Weyburn-Big Muddy), a registered nurse.
It may have been more than a little bit embarrassing to the NDP that their candidate vetting process failed to notice the posts of individual candidates who were either personally crude or in contradiction with party positions.
But as it turns out, most of the ridings (Regina Walsh Acres, being the exception) were not thought to be ones in which the NDP had much of a chance of winning, anyway.
And if the NDP happens to do better than expected, it will quite likely be because the replacement candidates better represent the views and values of the party than the four that Broten turfed.
All political leaders have to make such determinations about who is or isn’t suited to represent their party at one time or the other.
And it in a very real way, that’s what exactly Premier Brad Wall also did when he decided three current candidates with a history of DUIs were appropriate Sask. Party candidates.
Shellbrook-Rosthern candidate and Advanced Education Minister Scott Moe had a DUI conviction in 1993 when he was 18 years old. Canora-Pelly candidate Terry Dennis had two DUI convictions — in 1979 and 2001. Saskatoon-University candidate Eric Olauson also had DUI convictions in 1992 and 1993.
And as it turned out, we also found out that NDP candidates Dwayne Lasas (Meadow Lake) and Lyle Whitefish (Saskatchewan Rivers) also had DUIs.
However, both Broten and Wall have decided to keep their candidates on the slate.
Many will argue driving drunk is much more egregious than bad form on social media.
But as Wall pointed out, Dennis was elected mayor of Canora four times, Moe was elected after publicly declaring his DUI prior to the 2011 vote and Olauson has been repeatedly elected to Saskatoon council.
One suspects that it shows openness and honesty with your future employer may not be such a bad thing.
In other words, it’s up to the voters to decide.
And to properly decide if you are hiring the best person for the job, you are allowed to ask some rather personal questions.
Murray Mandryk has been covering provincial politics for over 22 years.
