Sask. fall legislature session bookended by debates over parental rights policy, protest
NDP questions Dubai cost, cancer care and hotel bills
Saskatchewan MLAs returned to the legislature in early October to debated a controversial issue and ended the fall sitting in a similar fashion.
The tone was set even before Oct. 25, when the fall sitting was even supposed to start. The government called an emergency session to pass its parental bill of rights, which mandates that schools get parental permission before allowing a student under 16 to change their preferred pronouns. The government used the notwithstanding clause to override sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code.
The province had already told schools about the rule change without legislation, but a Regina judge issued an injunction against the policy. Premier Scott Moe made the announcement that he was calling the legislature back early just hours after the ruling.
Long hours of discussion in the chamber, mostly by the Opposition, focused on the policy and the accusations that it would harm vulnerable transgender children.
"We have seen letters upon letters upon letters from teachers, youth, allies, members of the public asking this government, 'What are you doing and why are you doing this?'" Opposition MLA Nicole Sarauer said before the bill was voted on and passed.
The government countered by saying the policy was, in Moe's words, "providing parents the right — not the opportunity — to support their children in the formative years of their life."
Last month, Moe said implementation of the policy was up to school divisions, and that he expected schools and teachers to comply with the law.
Throne speech highlights fall agenda
The sitting officially started with the speech from the throne five days after the parental rights bill was announced. The speech did not include the recently passed bill, but did promise to 'build and protect' the province.
It laid out the government's priorities for the fall agenda, which included the using the Saskatchewan First Act to task an Economic Impact Assessment Tribunal to compile a report on the impact of the federal government's Clean Electricity Regulations.
The speech also revealed the provincial government would head to Dubai for COP28, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Premier Moe missed the final week of the sitting to promote Saskatchewan at the conference in the United Arab Emirates.
The price tag for that trip was the subject of debate in the assembly. The government spent $765,000 on a pavilion and $238,000 on advertising. The cost to send Moe and staff to Dubai is not yet known, but with the ad and pavilion, the Opposition says the trip is likely the province's most expensive ever.
"I think it's been a great conference and an opportunity for us from not only Saskatchewan, but from Canada, to engage with, you know, about 200 countries around the world on what we're doing in industries that create wealth in our province and our nation," Moe said Wednesday from Dubai.
This fall, the government also passed legislation increasing the legal age for smoking and vaping to 19, passed a bill protecting the right for provincially regulated workers to wear poppies at work, and expanded presumptive cancer coverage for firefighters.
On Nov. 27, Finance Minister Donna Harpauer announced that Saskatchewan's latest mid-year financial update projected a $250-million deficit, an outcome that would be $1.3-billion worse than the $1-billion surplus predicted in the annual budget.
She said the swing is due in part to drought that resulted in crop insurance payouts, along with lower potash prices and sales than expected.
This week, the government was supported by the Opposition as it passed its Carbon Tax Fairness for Families bill. It transfers legal responsibility for not remitting the carbon tax to Ottawa from SaskEnergy employees to the minister responsible. The move came after the government announced its intention to no longer bill natural gas customers for the carbon tax.
Motel bills, MLA charged, cancer care
The Opposition's agenda focused on cost-of-living concerns and health care, but some unforeseen events pushed the NDP focus in a few other directions.
The plight of a Regina senior who was evicted from government housing took a turn when she shared with the Opposition that the bill at her motel rose significantly once the Ministry of Social Services took over payment.
Evelyn Harper paid $132 for her first night at the Sunrise Motel. The price rose to $168 once the ministry started payment and eventually got to $200 per night.
Opposition MLA Meara Conway asked questions in the assembly about the discrepancy and the fact the motel is owned by Saskatchewan Party Regina Northeast MLA Gary Grewal. After an absence to deal with the passing of his brother, Grewal spoke to reporters this week.
"I'm not involved in the day-to-day operations of the motel and I do not set the rates or manage the bookings. Sunrise Motel does not hold any contracts with the government of Saskatchewan," Grewal said.
Conway has called for a special investigation by the provincial auditor. The auditor plans to examine the social services use of hotels for an upcoming report.
Premier Scott Moe removed MLA Ryan Domotor from caucus after he was charged with communicating for the purpose of obtaining sexual services.
Domotor, 56, was arrested as part of a Regina Police project aimed at combating sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
"There is absolutely no place in our government, nor frankly in the Assembly, for someone who has been charged with such a crime," Moe said.
Domotor was arrested at 2 p.m. CST on Thursday, Nov. 16, at a hotel in east Regina. He had been in the legislature earlier in the day until around 12:30 p.m. CST.
The government had many calls from the Opposition to improve health care, but one led to Health Minister Everett Hindley announcing a deal with a private Calgary clinic to have 1,000 patients receive breast cancer diagnostic procedures.
Hindley said the cost would be $2,000 per patient and the government would be covering travel expenses up to $1,500.
"This is a short-term solution to address the unacceptable wait time for scans, for biopsies, for Saskatchewan," Hindley said Monday.
NDP Leader Carla Beck said in the Legislature that $2,000 cost is much higher than the $206.20 the testing would cost to do in Saskatchewan. Hindley said the comparison was not apples to apples.
Heated protest discussion caps sitting
On Thursday, the sitting ended with the Speaker requesting apologies from two members.
It related to a protest that happened last month in the assembly. Dozens of protesters attended question period that day to call on Premier Scott Moe to ask for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
They chanted during the debate in the chamber, which led to proceedings shutting down for the first time in recent memory.
In the house Thursday, Government House Leader Jeremy Harrison and Opposition MLA Meara Conway exchanged statements on the protest and fallout.
The Speaker asked Conway to apologize for "provocative and personal attacks."
He also asked Harrison to apologize but did not specify what for.
Harrison said Conway and the NDP had an "anti-Semitism" problem.
When Conway refused to apologize, she was escorted out of the house.
"I didn't apologize today because of serious personal and professional accusations made not just to me, but my team. I'm proud that I didn't withdraw and apologize. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I meant every word that I said in there," Conway told reporters.
A few days after the protest government members voted to have the incident investigated by a government committee. On Wednesday the committee, on which Saskatchewan Party MLAs form a majority, voted against an investigation.
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