Sask. government vows to 'build and protect' province in throne speech

The Saskatchewan government promised to "build" and "protect" the province in the fall speech from the throne Wednesday.

As per tradition, Saskatchewan Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty delivered the government's speech, which outlines the legislative agenda as the fall session begins.

"Together with Saskatchewan people, we will continue to build a strong province, a strong economy, strong communities and strong families," Premier Scott Moe said Wednesday.

The speech failed to mention the government's new parental rights legislation, passed last week after an emergency session of the legislature, and its use of the notwithstanding clause. Moe said it wasn't included because the issue has been dealt with.

When asked why the government is not planning a cost-of-living rebate like it did in 2022, Moe said provincial finances have "tightened" and that the government "needs to be prudent."

"We will protect what we have built together from the risks of global uncertainty and from a federal government that seems intent on shutting down important parts of our economy," Moe said.

The speech highlighted the province's issues with the federal government, calling it, "incredibly, one of the biggest threats to Saskatchewan's economy."

"Our resource sector is also under attack from our own federal government, through its Clean Fuel Standard regulations and its proposed oil and gas emissions cap," it said. "These new regulations will kill thousands of jobs and devastate our resource sector, which already follows some of the most environmentally friendly production practices in the world."

The speech restated the province's pledge to get to net-zero emissions by 2050 and called the federal Clean Electricity Standards "unrealistic and unaffordable."

The speech said the province will use the Saskatchewan First Act to refer the federal standards to the Economic Impact Tribunal.

"The tribunal will define, assess and report on the economic harm caused by these destructive federal policies."

The speech said the provincial government plans to travel to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) next month in Dubai, U.A.E., "where we will join with Saskatchewan companies in promoting our province's sustainable products."

Job creation, PST rebate

Closer to home, the government said it will introduce a new investment attraction strategy.

"This strategy will attract new investment and create new jobs by building new opportunities in emerging sectors, growing existing industries and connecting the world to Saskatchewan."

It said it will also introduce a Saskatchewan jobs plan that will:

• Address labour shortages in areas like health care by making it easier for professionals educated elsewhere to work in the province.

• Expand training and employment for Indigenous people in the natural resource sector.

• Tailor training and education for young people.

The government said it will reinstate the PST rebate on new home construction, which ended on April 1, 2023. The rebate returns an estimated 42 per cent of PST paid.

Moe said the rebate is designed to relieve the pressure of home ownership for first-time buyers, people looking to build a new home and people moving to the province.

It will also create a secondary suite program to help offset the costs of setting up a suite inside a primary residence. The government said the program will increase available rentals.

The government will also create a new Saskatchewan Employment Incentive program.

"This program will bolster the income of low-income working families with dependent children by providing financial incentives for individuals to obtain and maintain employment," the speech said.

Addictions action plan

The government said it will address mental health and addiction issues by implementing "a new action plan for mental health and addictions with concrete, near-term actions to address the addictions issues impacting individuals, families and communities across Saskatchewan."

It will not be pivoting to a supervised consumption site model.

"My government will not be supplying illicit drugs through our publicly funded health-care system."

It said it will instead do the following:

• Increase capacity to get more people the help they need.

• Improve the system to better serve patients.

• Transition to a recovery-oriented system of care.

The government has committed to 500 new addiction treatment spaces and said it will create a central intake for mental health and addiction treatment.

The speech also outlines the government's recently announced homelessness strategy, which aims to provide more housing units and shelter spaces.

Premier Scott Moe discusses the province's fall agenda which has a theme of 'build' and 'protect.' (Adam Hunter/CBC)

The throne speech restated the government's health and human resources action plan and initiatives already underway to recruit and retain health-care workers, including streamlining access to internationally educated nurses and expanding the scope of work for pharmacists and paramedics.

The government said it also will expand mental health services for children and youth in 13 communities.

Smoking, vaping age increase among promised changes

The government plans to increase the legal age for smoking and vaping to 19 from 18 to align with rules for alcohol and cannabis.

"These are the steps that have been recommended by not only the cancer society, but youth who have visited the building and engaged with the health minister and other MLAs," Moe told the media Wednesday.

The government also plans to amend the Workers Compensation Act to expand the list of cancers in the presumptive coverage for firefighters.

"This legislation will add presumptive coverage for six more types of cancer: primary site pancreatic, thyroid, penile, soft tissue sarcoma, mesothelioma and laryngeal cancer, giving Saskatchewan the broadest presumptive cancer coverage for firefighters of any province in Canada," the speech said.

The government also plans to introduce the Saskatchewan Remembrance Day Observance Act. It said the act is meant "to protect individuals' right to wear a poppy in all  Saskatchewan workplaces."

Moe told the media the government has had reports of people being told they could not wear a poppy at their workplace. He said the government will make it illegal to do so.

"Wearing a poppy in a place of work or anywhere you choose in this province is significant," Moe said.

Opposition says speech fails to address housing for seniors, affordability

Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck said the government's agenda is missing a few key items.

Beck pointed to seniors looking for new places to live due to closures of provincially-regulated care homes.

"Moe says he's concerned about housing, yet his government sat on its hands as dozens of seniors were thrown out of their homes this last week," she said, pointing to the abrupt closures of Orange Tree Living's Precious Memories Villa and Parkview Villa in Regina.

Last week, the Opposition invited family members of residents at the Regina Lutheran Home, which is scheduled to close in 2024, to the legislature.

"Our parents and grandparents built this province, and the least the government can do is help them live their golden years to the fullest and ensure our hospitals work," said NDP seniors critic Matt Love.

The Opposition said the throne speech "failed to show any plan to fix overcapacity pressures in urban emergency rooms or to stop rural emergency room closures."

Beck said "the rising cost-of-living and the health care crisis are clearly not priorities for this government."