“I apologize for this lapse in judgment and for not advising the premier of this one occasion," Harrison said in a statement Friday.

“I have offered, and the premier has accepted, my resignation as government house leader.

“Approximately a decade ago, I was going hunting on a weekend.

“I stopped at the legislative building for a short period of time and brought a properly cased long gun into the building with the knowledge of security officials so as to not leave it unattended in my vehicle in the parking lot.

“In retrospect, I should not have done this."

Harrison remains in Moe’s cabinet as the minister responsible for trade and immigration issues.

The government house leader is responsible for shepherding government bills through the house.

The Opposition NDP have been demanding for days that Harrison step forward and explain allegations made a week ago by Speaker Randy Weekes on the final day of the spring sitting.

Simmering tensions between Weekes and fellow members of the Saskatchewan Party caucus boiled over that day, with Weekes publicly accusing them of trying to bully him in his job as an impartial arbiter of house debate.

He singled out Harrison as the prime culprit, saying Harrison sent intimidating text messages and flashed the inside of his suit jacket — suggesting he was carrying a handgun.

Weekes also accused Harrison of flouting house rules by once bringing a hunting rifle into the building.

The following day, Moe dismissed all the allegations, telling reporters: “I have been informed they are all unequivocally false.”

The NDP has called for a broader investigation.

The Saskatchewan Party government changed legislature security more than two years ago, stripping powers from the sergeant-at-arms and giving control to the government.

The sergeant-at-arms, an independent body, now mostly has a ceremonial role.

NDP ethics critic Meara Conway said Thursday that Harrison was the “architect” behind the security changes.

“These are the kinds of things we were concerned about, where you have security responsible for this building answer to a minister of the Sask. Party government rather than a neutral body,” she said.

“It only makes these allegations take on more of a serious tone.”

The government has said it overhauled security to deal with heightened threats and rhetoric. It hasn't cited specific incidents that led to the changes.

Last week, Weekes read aloud in the chamber a letter from the province's former sergeant-at-arms, Terry Quinn, critical of how the government handled the overhaul.

Quinn wrote there were three incidents brought to his attention but they weren’t related to breaching security in the building.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2024.