The premier says Greg Ottenbreit and Lori Carr were acting in their capacity as MLAs when they attended the controversial group's events.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he is not worried about two cabinet ministers attending protests staged by a grassroots pro-energy group that has been linked to extreme views on immigration and conspiracy theories.

Rural and Remote Health Minister Greg Ottenbreit and Highways and Infrastructure Minister Lori Carr were acting in their capacity as MLAs when they attended yellow vest events in their constituencies last month, Moe said.

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“I’m not concerned with them attending events with their constituents, representing their concerns, understanding that we may not agree with everything that the yellow vests are putting forward,” he said.

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili was quick to call out Ottenbreit and Carr for attending the protests , given that the group’s signature yellow vests were banned from a similar event where Moe spoke in early January.

What I’m concerned (about) is it sends a signal that they’re alongside some of the drastic anti-immigration messages, some of the more violent or hateful messages that have been coming out of the yellow vest protests,” Meili said at the time.

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Cody Battershill, the founder of the group that staged the protest at the legislature, told the Regina Leader-Post that he was apprehensive about the “extreme” views expressed by some yellow vest protesters.

Speaking to reporters in Saskatoon on Monday, Moe acknowledged that many people across the province are frustrated but distanced himself from the yellow vest movement’s views on immigration, saying Saskatchewan’s record “speaks for itself.”

That echoes a previous statement by Moe’s spokesman about the yellow vest movement, which noted that “our government in no way supports anti-immigration positions that some in the yellow vest groups have put forward.”

The yellow vest movement originally emerged in France among opponents of the French government’s new fuel tax before spreading around the world. Its Canadian branch opposes the federal carbon tax and supports the country’s oil and gas industry.

At the same time, Canadian yellow vest forums have seen an open airing of more extreme views, including fantasies about the assassination of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, conspiracy theories and undisguised racism.

“The extreme fringe is now the rug,” Meili told the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, adding that “responsible” people and groups worried about energy policy have already distanced themselves from the yellow vest movement.