With a provincial election just one year away, Saskatchewan MLAs have returned to the legislature for the fall sitting.
Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty opened the session by delivering the Speech from the Throne.
The speech, titled A New Decade of Growth, outlined several of the government’s goals, including increasing the province’s population to 1.4 million people and adding 100,000 jobs by 2030.
Premier Scott Moe will release the new Saskatchewan Plan for Growth during the fall session.
“The new Growth Plan will outline our government’s growth goals for the new decade and the actions we will be taking to achieve those goals,” Moe said in a press release. “A growing province creates challenges, but we are all better off meeting those challenges than suffering the effects of decline as we have in some previous decades.”
The Throne Speech also outlined the government's plan for the upcoming legislative session, including:
- Creating a fund of up to $10 million to assist Estevan, Coronach and surrounding areas transition to new economic development opportunities for workers affected by the federally-mandated phase out of coal-fired electricity by 2030;
- Introducing and funding a plan to reduce surgical wait times;
- Introducing legislation for the regulation of vaping and vaping products;
- Taking measures to improve the safety and well-being of First Nations children and reduce the number of children who need to come under the province’s care;
- Opening the Regina Bypass;
- Introducing tougher penalties for cell phone usage while driving;
- Continuing the constitutional challenge to the federal carbon tax in the Supreme Court;
- Continuing to explore the potential for small modular reactors to produce emissions-free electricity using Saskatchewan uranium;
- Implementing Clare’s Law, which allows police to disclose information that could help protect potential victims of interpersonal violence;
- Introducing a new Fisheries Act to provide greater protection against invasive aquatic species;
- Amending The Lobbyists Act to address recommendations made by the Registrar of Lobbyists in his recent annual reports;
- Strengthening the enforcement of maintenance orders for child support payments; and
- Amending The Saskatchewan Employment Act to increase parental leave by eight weeks, to ensure employees who are entitled to the new shared parental Employment Insurance benefit have job protection while using the new leave benefit, and to extend employment leave to individuals who are running for election to a First Nations Band Council.
The government plans to introduce around 30 pieces of legislation during the fall sitting.
The fall session will run until Dec. 5.
