In the first Speech to the Throne since Scott Moe became Premier, the message is that the government commits to stand up for Saskatchewan.
The Premier says there are signs of improvement in the economy but this province is still facing challenges from continued sanctions from the United States on our steel and uranium industries, a discounted price for oil because of the lack of pipelines and the threat of a damaging federal carbon tax.
One of the goals outlined in the speech is to deliver a balanced budget next spring.
Also, as part of the Prairie Resilience Climate Change Strategy, legislation will be introduced to establish performance standards for large emitters.
Moe expects Saskatchewan to become the first province in Canada with Clare’s Law, which is legislation that provides a framework for police to disclose information about someone’s violent or abusive past to intimate partners who may be at risk.
The provincial government also plans to apologize to Sixties Scoops survivors and expand parental leave from 37 weeks to 63, and to add an additional week of maternity leave.
The Throne Speech outlined the government’s plan to:
Deliver a balanced budget for 2019-20;
Stand up for Saskatchewan communities, families and businesses by challenging the ineffective and harmful federal carbon tax in court;
Implement the Prairie Resilience Climate Change Strategy and introduce legislation to establish intensity-based performance standards for large emitters;
Complete the new 284 bed, state-of-the-art Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford to help those facing significant mental health needs;
Continue to improve response times and enhance officer visibility in rural Saskatchewan through the Protection and Response Team (PRT), which has seen conservation officers and highway patrol officers assist with more than 1,300 PRT-related actions since April;
Become the first province in Canada with Clare’s Law legislation designed to provide a framework for police services to disclose information about someone s violent or abusive past to intimate partners who may be at risk;
Expand interpersonal violence leave to include sexual violence of any kind;
Amend The Saskatchewan Employment Act to create a new critically ill adult leave to allow family members of critically ill adults to take up to 15 weeks leave to care for their family member;
Expand parental leave from 37 weeks to 63 weeks and add an additional week of maternity leave;
Apologize to Sixties Scoop survivors in our province who were impacted by historical government policies of child apprehension and adoption;
Introduce changes to improve commercial driver training;
Increase funding to improve intersection safety throughout the province;
Improve cellular service in 50 rural communities by the spring as part of a plan to increase 4G LTE coverage in 100 Saskatchewan communities;
Safely regulate the sale and distribution of cannabis through a competitive private model;
Amend The Police Act to enable rural municipalities and municipalities with populations under 500 to join regional police services;
Make changes to The Seizure of Criminal Property Act to make it easier for property to be seized if it has been acquired through unlawful activities;
Introduce legislation on trespassing laws to better address the balance between members of the public and the rights of rural land owners; and
Offer free hunting and fishing licenses to Canadian military veterans.
Moe also announced that he will lead a Saskatchewan business delegation on a trade mission to India in
November, following on his recent trade mission to China. I look forward to this next session where our government will advance new initiatives and legislation, while standing firm on the issues that matter to this province, Moe said. Moe also thanked Lieutenant Governor W. Thomas Molloy for delivering his first Throne Speech as Saskatchewan’s Lieutenant Governor.