The Legislature is back in session. MLAs from across Saskatchewan returned to Regina yesterday (Oct. 22) to begin their fall session. And, as per tradition, the session was kicked off by the Speech from the Throne presented by Lt.-Gov. Bernadette McIntyre. “Welcome to the opening of the second session of the 13th Legislature of the Province of Saskatchewan,” McIntyre remarked. “We meet at a time of great challenges and great opportunities for our province. The challenges come in the form of an historic realignment of world trading relationships and the imposition of significant tariffs by the United States and China. At the same time, this global realignment is creating new opportunities for Saskatchewan thanks to our abundant natural resources, our diversified and expanded export markets, our strong and growing economy, and our people.”
McIntyre went on to note Saskatchewan’s people remain determined, resilient, innovative, resourceful and strong. “During this session, our government will take action to meet those challenges and build on those opportunities to ensure our economy is strong, our communities are safe and our future is secure,” McIntyre continued. The speech went on to focus on a number of topics including, but not limited to, such issues as the wildfires experienced this past summer, the provincial economy, safety, education and health care.
“This year has also been challenging for our residents in the north,” McIntyre remarked. “Multiple forest fires have forced many to evacuate and some have faced uncertain timelines for returning home. Thank you to our community leaders for their tireless efforts in supporting their residents. Significant provincial support was provided to wildfire evacuees, including: $15 million to the Canadian Red Cross which worked with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) to provide $750 to the head of a household evacuated for more than seven days and $2,000 to the head of a household evacuated for more than 30 days; doubling the daily amount provided to evacuated residents to $40 per day for the head of a household and $20 per day for other members of the household; and $10 million to provide $500 financial assistance cheques to all evacuated residents over the age of 18. The SPSA and other government Crowns and ministries then moved to working with communities in the recovery phase, including community cleanup, temporary housing and the development of the Denare Beach Resilience Centre… Thank you to everyone involved in those recovery efforts. Thank you as well to the many firefighters on the ground, and the water bomber and bird dog pilots who risked their lives to fight the fires, protect communities and keep residents safe.”
McIntyre also pointed out Saskatchewan has the strongest economy in Canada. “More people are working than ever before, including more women, more young people and more First Nations and Métis people,” she said. “For most of this year, Saskatchewan has led the nation in yearover-year job growth and lowest unemployment rate and was second in both of those categories in the most recent labour force report. Saskatchewan leads the country in capital investment growth. Private capital investment in Saskatchewan increased by 17.3 per cent last year to $14.7 billion and is expected to reach $16.2 billion in 2025.” She also said everyone in Saskatchewan deserves to feel safe and secure in their homes and communities.
“Almost every crime that threatens the safety and security of Saskatchewan people stems from the trafficking and use of illegal drugs,” McIntyre said. “Our government will continue working with the RCMP, the Saskatchewan Marshals Service and municipal police forces to track down, arrest and prosecute the criminals who bring this deadly poison into our province and into our communities. That is why our government has committed to hire 100 additional municipal police officers, 14 new Safer Communities and Neighbourhood (SCAN) personnel and 70 officers within the Saskatchewan Marshals Service. This is in addition to our commitment to fund 180 new RCMP positions. Those police officers have more tools than ever before to keep our communities and families safe.”
On the topic of education, McIntyre said learning today means success tomorrow. “That is why our government is putting students first by focusing on improving Kindergarten to Grade 3 reading outcomes and investing $2 million into improving student outcomes in those early grades,” she stated. “Having students read at the appropriate grade level is one of the most important measures to guarantee future academic success. Students who learn to read by Grade 3 will read to learn in higher grades… Specialized support classrooms have been expanded to every school division in the province and over the next four years, there will be more than 200 in Saskatchewan schools. Enrolment continues to increase across the province, which is why our government is making record investments into K-12 education funding and why 115 schools have been built, replaced or renovated since 2008.”
As for health care, McIntyre spoke about the importance of ensuring everyone has access to the level of care they require. “In 2022, our government implemented the most aggressive Health Care Human Resources Action Plan in Canada,” she said. “While every province is facing challenges with recruitment and retention of health care professionals, Saskatchewan is making progress. “Since the Health Care Human Resources Action Plan was introduced, there are 346 more doctors and 2,083 more nurses in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Health Care Recruitment Agency is actively recruiting healthcare professionals in the United States and other countries by highlighting the benefits of practicing in Saskatchewan – competitive compensation, lower cost of living, supportive physician networks and numerous opportunities for career growth. This past summer, Saskatchewan welcomed 11 paediatric specialists, improving access to care for children and giving parents the confidence that they can access the specialized expertise their child needs close to home. Our government is putting patients first by working to ensure everyone in Saskatchewan has access to a primary health care provider – either a doctor or nurse practitioner – by 2028.” The Speech from the Throne also addressed topics such as affordability, agriculture and infrastructure.
Meanwhile, among those pleased with what was presented is Meadow Lake MLA Jeremy Harrison who serves as minister of Crown Investments Corporation, minister responsible for the Public Service Commission, as well as minister responsible for SaskEnergy, SGI, SaskPower, SaskWater and Saskatchewan Lotteries and Gaming. “The Throne Speech outlines how the government is going to continue delivering on what we’ve heard from Saskatchewan people,” Harrison told Northern Pride. “This includes access to primary health providers, an education system that performs for our children, safe communities where officers are empowered to enforce the law and more. We will be making the investments and the legislative changes necessary to ensure people are getting the care they need, our students are getting their best start and Saskatchewan families and communities are safe and secure.” Harrison also said he was privileged to release the Saskatchewan First Energy Security Strategy and Supply Plan as Crown Investments Corporation minister this week, which is also a component to the Throne Speech. “The plan will take a realistic all-of-theabove approach to our province’s energy and power future,” he said. “We are going to use our resources like uranium, biomass, natural gas, coal and hydro to power our grid and secure our energy future. As a part of the strategy we are also going to strengthen our transmission networks within Saskatchewan, particularly into northern communities. We are also building out transmission connections with our neighbours to create additional opportunities for power export given our unique position at the centre of the North American energy grid. We know a strong, energy secure Saskatchewan will only make Canada more resilient. The Throne Speech outlines a blueprint for the continued success of our amazing province that we are so fortunate to live in.”
In closing, McIntyre said the people who built the province could have looked at this land and seen nothing but insurmountable challenges. “Instead, they saw opportunity,” she said. “Our responsibility today, and every day, is to honour their legacy by continuing to find the opportunities in the challenges that face our great province. Saskatchewan will meet those challenges and find those opportunities. In doing so, we will ensure our economy is strong, our people are safe and our future is secure. The strongest economy in Canada. The most affordable place to live in Canada. Safe communities. Schools that are giving our students their best start. A health system that is ensuring everyone gets the care they need. Those are the objectives of our government and of this legislative session. I leave you now to your deliberations, confident all Members of this Assembly will provide the best possible representation for the people who elected you and for our great province.”