Premier Moe says government preference is to recall Sask. legislature and present budget

Premier Scott Moe says the "preference" of the government would be to present a budget in the legislature but any agreement will come down to the respective party House leaders.

The legislative sitting was suspended indefinitely on March 18.

"If the House leaders were able to come to an amenable agreement on a modified schedule for a budget to not only be introduced in the House but to … go to a vote in the House, yeah, I would commit to doing that," Moe said Wednesday.

But any reconvened sitting "won't be what it looked like before," he said.

"Our intent and our preference would be to present a budget in the legislature so that it can have the legislative oversight that it should have and that quite frankly all budgets deserve."

On Monday, Opposition NDP Leader Ryan Meili sent a letter to Moe asking for a meeting to discuss how to reconvene the legislature.

Moe said he was surprised by the letter because the respective party House leaders had met and planned to meet again to discuss how the legislative sitting could resume after its suspension.

'Misspoke' on 'tabled' budget: Moe

On March 18, Finance Minister Donna Harpauer released the government's 2020-21 spending plan to the media and public.

On Monday, Moe said the government's partial budget spending plan was "tabled" in the assembly.

"Essentially [the spending] is presented prior to us going to polls on Oct. 26," Moe said.

The government did not actually table the spending plan on March 18, because the legislative sitting was suspended before it could officially do that.

Moe said on Wednesday that he "misspoke."

The NDP has raised concerns the government plans to go into the election without having its budget scrutinized in the legislature.

Meili said that without accountability the government is running a "one-party state" with a "blank cheque."

In April, cabinet approved an order-in-council for $4.6 billion to spend this year. Last week, it announced what it called a $2-billion "economic booster shot" for infrastructure. The NDP has been asking for details on the spending plans.

Provincial rules say 28 days have to be allowed for debate after a budget is introduced.

In April 2016, voters went to the polls in Saskatchewan without seeing a budget.

On Wednesday, Moe said the government already released an initial revenue projection and will do so again in June. He said the government will release its annual public accounts in June and a first-quarter report in August.

"We will ensure that we have budgetary information released to the public a number of times, but most importantly at the first-quarter report, where we will communicate what effectively will be all of the information that a budget would have."

Resumption 'a question for the premier': Meili

On Wednesday, Meili continued his call to have the government to introduce a budget in the assembly.

"The Sask. Party needs to bring forward a budget and be straightforward with the people of Saskatchewan about what cuts that they are planning. To do that they will need to bring the legislature back," Meili said in a statement to CBC on Wednesday.

He also took issue with Moe's statement that the House leaders hold the balance of power in the decision to resume the sitting.

"The House leaders represent their caucuses, but they don't run them," Meili told The Canadian Press on Wednesday.

"This is really a question for the premier," he said.

NDP House leader Cathy Sproule said leaders would have to sort out the mechanics of keeping members safe and using remote technologies for debates.

Moe said Wednesday other provinces have handled the situation differently, but as of this week, legislatures in Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario will all have held debates in person. 

The federal government and U.S. Senate are among the governments which have utilized video conferences for debates and committees.

On Monday, Moe said he had never precluded MLAs from returning to the legislature.

When the topic was first raised last month, Moe said the government was focused on its response to COVID-19.

Last week, Moe said he had not "given thought" to recall the legislature. He had said previously that the daily COVID-19 media briefings, where reporters collectively get 25 to 30 minutes for questions and are allowed one follow-up each, amounted to accountability.

Two weeks ago, Moe said, "we have not discussed whether or not, or when, we would resume legislative services. I doubt whether we would utilize [online] platforms such as Zoom."

Days later, he said he would not recall MLAs to enact back-to-work legislation to end the labour dispute between refinery workers and the Federated Co-op.