Moe and Beck heading into legislative sitting with drastically different agendas

Recent speeches and interviews from Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and new Opposition Leader Carla Beck offer a preview of both leaders' priorities heading into the seven-week fall sitting.

The sitting begins Wednesday afternoon with the speech from the throne which, will be delivered by Lt.-Gov. Russell Mirasty.

Moe and Beck have spent time this summer and fall travelling around the province. Moe took part in town hall meetings and tapped a former and current MLA to host closed-door autonomy meetings, while Beck led a "build to win" tour.

Both leaders say they took the temperature of the electorate, but each has written a different prescription.

Moe, government push for autonomy

The Saskatchewan government has not said what legislation it will introduce or how it will push for more autonomy from Ottawa, but Premier Scott Moe has made it no secret that will be the government's focus for the upcoming legislative sitting.

On Oct. 11 Moe released a white paper entitled Drawing the Line: Defending Saskatchewan's Economic Autonomy. The 18-page document wraps up with a list of potential options for the government to increase its "economic autonomy."

The options include passing legislation to clarify and protect provincial constitutional rights, pursuing greater control over immigration policy, and potential legal action over federal energy policies.

On. Oct. 13, Moe delivered the address at his premier's dinner in Regina and continued on the autonomy theme.

"We are going to draw a constitutional line and then we are going to defend that line and defend our constitutional powers in this nation," Moe said.

On Monday, Moe gave another speech, this time at an event hosted by the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce. Moe told the crowd to be suspicious of energy policies that focused solely on the environment.

"Policies that are motivated for ideological reasons rather than policies that are rooted in common sense. We should exercise an extreme degree of caution when we see any level of government that is potentially taking us down a road that we might not want to travel," Moe said Monday.

Moe has argued recently that the province cannot reach its economic potential while subject to certain federal policies.

The provincial government's white paper claimed federal climate policies would cost the Saskatchewan economy $111 billion by 2035. After criticism, Moe defended the Ministry of Finance's calculations even though they did not count money returned through rebates or the potential benefits of pursuing alternate energy industries.

University of Calgary Economist Trevor Tombe panned the economic analysis.

"I think that analysis turned out to be incredibly weak and so I think serious individuals shouldn't put a lot of weight in those numbers," Tombe said.

Tombe said there are economic costs associated with environmental policy goals, but that "it's important that we don't exaggerate them, especially in enormous amounts, like what is done in this white paper."

The paper made no mention of First Nations or history and was criticized by the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), which said it represented a "direct threat to First Nations inherent and Treaty rights as recognized and affirmed by Section 35 of the Constitution."

Perhaps the most obvious signal by Moe as to what may lie ahead this fall is a continued emphasis on greater control over immigration.

In July, the government proposed the Saskatchewan Immigration Accord, calling for an arrangement similar to what exists in Quebec.

"Saskatchewan requires more autonomy and flexibility over immigration in order to meet its economic needs and address gaps in the labour market," said Minister Responsible for Immigration Jeremy Harrison.

Moe has said the province needs this control in order to grow its population and workforce.

The accord proposes:

• Give Saskatchewan sole authority to nominate newcomers moving to the province.
• Control over the family class of immigration.
• Transferring federal resources for settlement services to the province.
• A guaranteed provincial allocation of nominees each year, proportionate to the population of Sask. within Canada.

It is not clear whether the federal government is amenable to Saskatchewan's pitch.

Beck focused on cost-of-living concerns, health-care issues

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Carla Beck has focused her public speeches and interviews on concerns over affordability and access to health care.

Beck has said in her tour around Saskatchewan that voters are concerned about their pocketbooks.

In September, the NDP won the Saskatoon Meewasin byelection, retaining the seat previously held by Meili. A week before the byelection, Moe announced that all adults in Saskatchewan could receive a $500 affordability rebate provided they had filed their income tax.

The Opposition NDP had been calling in the spring for rebates at the gas pumps and a 1 per cent royalty on oil and potash when prices are high.

This fall, Beck has said a portion of government "windfall revenues" should be spent on increasing the number of family doctors and supporting primary care clinics.

Last month, no family doctors in Saskatoon were accepting new patients, according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

Beck and her caucus have also called on the government to address emergency room and service disruptions in the provincial health-care system. 

This past weekend, Beck received 94 per cent support among party members who voted in the annual leadership review. A year prior, former leader Ryan Meili garnered 72 per cent.

Beck said Friday that she is focused on uniting her party and bringing people together.

"Right across the province, people are tired of division. People are tired of pointing fingers — they want leaders to get to the table, to be the grown-ups in the room, and to build those solutions that I think are out there."