CONTENTS
SECOND
SESSION — THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE
of
the
Legislative Assembly of
Saskatchewan
DEBATES
AND PROCEEDINGS
(HANSARD)
N.S.
Vol. 67 No. 39B
Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 19:00
[The
Assembly resumed at 19:00.]
EVENING SITTING
Speaker
Goudy: — It now being 7 p.m., this
Assembly will resume.
SPECIAL ORDER
ADJOURNED DEBATES
BUDGET DEBATE
[The Assembly resumed the
adjourned debate on the proposed motion by the Hon. Jim Reiter
that the Assembly approves in general the budgetary policy of the government,
and the proposed amendment to the main motion moved by Trent Wotherspoon.]
Speaker
Goudy: — I recognize the member
from Saskatoon Chief Mistawasis.
Don
McBean: —
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With three-ish minutes left, what is it I want to say?
Seems that the snafu that was my printer problem, I skipped over giving a word
of appreciation to my office staff: constituency assistant, Paras Kumar, a
fantastically well-grounded young man who has stayed so cool and collected
through everything thrown at him as he works to finish his double-major degree
in physics and mathematics.
Special mention to Julie
Koroluk, an intern from the college of social work doing her practicum in our
office. Add that to the things that I’ve learned — social work interns in MLA’s
[Member of the Legislative Assembly] office. Even in the original version that
wouldn’t print for me this afternoon, I didn’t dare attempt to list other
things I’ve learned. Far too many to even begin to consider listing.
It’s only every day that we
are meeting and learning from so many. Getting invited to everything, attending
events — human trafficking to Persian New Years — and I said I wouldn’t start.
Suffice that the experience of being an MLA, representing my constituents,
enjoying the support of an amazingly dedicated executive, I’ve had a wonderful
life in many circumstances. As unexpected as is this latest adventure, I am
loving the experience. It’s so fascinating. What was a little over a year ago a
complete blur has slowed down enough that I see and I believe I increasingly
understand the moving parts.
I want to emphasize in these
last minutes what I’ve grown to understand as building blocks of healthy
personal, community, societal life: gratitude and servitude. Gratitude that we
live in such privilege. Saskatchewan has everything we need for a thriving and
inclusive society.
Admittedly I struggle hearing
the Sask Party government members seemingly take credit for all the richness
available. We are rich. But if there’s one of us in hunger, unhoused,
marginalized, we have not served our community to the extent that we must endeavour.
I am so committed to
continuing every effort available to me to serve the constituents of Saskatoon
Chief Mistawasis; to serve the goals of the Sask NDP [New Democratic Party],
our amazing leader Carla Beck, 26 caucus colleagues and friends. The opportunity
to serve in government is irresistible, and I look forward to that.
This is why I will not be
supporting the budget as tabled from the Finance minister. I will support the
amendment brought by the member from Regina Mount Royal.
Speaker
Goudy: — I recognize the member
from Cypress Hills.
Doug
Steele: —
Mr. Speaker, I just want to comment before we get started in there that you’ve
had a tough week and a half here. But you did okay. You got my support. You’re
doing good.
Anyway we’re going to get
into, you know, I got to start off by saying I wouldn’t pick another province
to live in than Saskatchewan. You know, Saskatchewan was built on the hard work
of many people from across the country. It didn’t matter where they’d come
from; they worked together and built what we have today. We’ve got to be proud
of this province because, you know, you take a look across to the east and you
go across way over west. They’ve got a few things to straighten out over there,
we’re pretty sure.
You know, we presented a
budget here that I can’t believe our friends across the way can’t support it.
You know, it’s just a natural yes, we’re in there.
But anyway, I’ve got a few
people I’d like to thank and acknowledge before I get into my written speech
here and talk about, for example, my wife, Phyllis. Forty-three years we’ve
been married. Thirty-four years she worked in the education system. Forty-three
years we were married. So there you go; I got that straight. So, and our three
kids.
But she worked hard, and she
took pride in working in the school in Gull Lake and Hazlet. She was
transferred up to Gull Lake. And you know, she had all types of kids that she
worked with. And you know, when we go to the mall, you think, okay, you’re elected
and you’re pretty important. You get a sign on the highway. You know, you got
this.
These kids come up: “Hello,
Mrs. Steele. Hello, Mrs. Steele.” I spend more time waiting for her to have a
conversation with the young kids that she worked with all her life. And some of
them are adults. Or most of them now, I’d say, after 34 years. But you know,
I’m very proud of her.
Her and I, you know, we take
a look at what’s happening here in Saskatchewan right now — taxation and
budgets and all that stuff. But we started out and we bought an older home and
decided, well I had a journey in my mind. I’m going to start farming. And I did
work alongside my dad. And Phyllis, she was a city girl. And I had some cattle,
and we raised those cattle on the farm. And she stepped in and there was just
the two of us at that time, and you know, we did a lot of things. When you have
cattle, it’s a lot of work.
I’m very happy to see today
that the prices that these folks are getting for their cattle now. You know, I
used to go down to the auction mart, Where you’d sell, you’d have a calf, you
lose a calf and these types of things. You get a calf, you know, you pay 150,
200 bucks. These things replaced the value for calf loss at calving time
. . . Our great crop insurance program — done by the minister used to
sit here, but he’s kind of wandered out — but it’s amazing. I was at a meeting
the other day, and they talked about 3,700‑and-some dollars for a newborn
calf if it’s lost to, you know, wildlife and that type of thing. Pretty
amazing, I tell you. So it’s long overdue. They got hit hard many years.
But anyway, back to my wife
Phyllis, that was where I was going with this. You know, you got to remind me
of that. But anyway, like you say, we raised cattle.
We didn’t have child care as
you call it today. You paid your babysitter; you went to work. But we were
pretty lucky as a young family because a couple of years after we got married
we moved a house into my parents’ farm, and we were just across the way.
And you know, I think back on
that today, and you know, it was great to be that close. Not all the time. Not
all the time. Talk about sleeping in in the morning — that didn’t happen. You’d
hear dad’s truck go by about 5:30 by there; okay, you’ve got to get up out of
your bed. But you know it’s just something that I wish everyone had that
opportunity. You know, as our kids grew up, mom would help babysit. But we
didn’t want to tie them down all the time because she had to help on the farm
and that type of thing, and dad and stuff. We did have a hired man, but we took
on too much work so we had to do all these types of things to keep things
going.
You know, and like we went
through double-digit interest rates, Phyllis and I. I stepped out, I had to
have that quarter of land that was just over there, you know. I needed that and
to my dad, I said, “It connects to yours.” He says, “All the land connects to
you. You’re just going to just keep going and buying until, you know, you put
yourself in a position, you’re financially broke because you can’t pay for this
stuff.”
But you had to dig your heels
in and get at it and work. But the point I was making at that, living on the
farm with my parents is those kids would walk across to Grandma’s and see
Grandma after school and whenever. Then we were there together until they all
graduated. And you know, because I was working off the farm plus cattle, and
she was working off farm. And I don’t know what we really do as far as a
definition of a family farm anymore. At one time we were farming 43 quarters.
And I don’t regret not doing that anymore, that’s for sure; you know, it’s way
easier not doing that.
But like you say, she’s an
amazing lady. She’s retired now; we’ve got two grandkids down in Ormstown,
Quebec. And we’ve got two grandkids just outside of the city here in Grand
Coulee. The Ag Minister was out, actually today the Minister of Education was
out there at the school and my daughter’s teaching there.
But you know, this is what
Saskatchewan has to offer. And like you say, it’s pretty awesome, the years
we’ve been married.
And then my oldest daughter,
like I just mentioned, she’s at Pense and that’s where she teaches at. And her
husband, Eric, works in the oil industry out of the city of Regina.
And my two grandsons Kohen
and Hudson. And my oldest grandson, actually his curling team is provincial
champs U15 [under 15] curlers. They won the province. They were up in Edmonton
this weekend curling up there, but they lost the last game pretty hard. You
know, with that there was a lot of hard curling, and these guys are fairly
young. They’re not 15, they’re 10, 11, and they’re curling girls and guys that
are 15. And you know, there it’s pretty competitive.
And so that’s my oldest
daughter, Nicole. She’s an amazing kid, working. She’s got her master’s in
education. She works with children that are, you know, challenged to a certain
extent and others, and she just loves it. And it’s another “There’s Mrs. Steele”
type thing. And the kids come, she does different things outside of teaching
with them. And it’s very interesting.
And then there’s my son
Burton and Audrey. And Beatrice and Sam, those are a pair. Those two youngsters
are five and six. Yeah, Sam’s five and Beatrice six, and they’re down in
Ormstown, Quebec.
My son’s career there in the
RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police]. My son’s career, he got shoulder-tapped.
And he’s in specialty services in the RCMP and down he went, down to Quebec.
He’s a sniper, he’s a trainer, and that type of thing. He goes multiple places
around the world to assist. He’s just come back from Kenya from two weeks over
there with some members of parliament and stuff doing a tour, whatever they do
when they’re over meeting with folks like that.
And he’s doing exceptionally
well. I asked him one, not too long ago, I says, you think you want to come
back and farm? Oh yeah, he still thinks he wants to come back and farm. But you
know, but he’s still got that career there. I says, you like that career? Oh,
he loves that career. Well, he’s been 15 years in there doing that. And his
wife, Audrey, 17 years, she’s in corporate crime or such with the force. And
she’s down there working, too. They’re hoping to get back here to Western
Canada — so am I and Phyllis — and to make them a little closer.
I kind of, when I leave here,
and quite often there’s nobody there. I don’t have an old hound dog in the farm
no more. The wife is gone down east. So she’s spending time down there with the
kids there. So they’re pretty amazing grandkids.
And I know earlier — was it
today or yesterday? — the member from Regina South Albert talked about her
little fellow there. He’s three years old and is active this and all that type
of thing, you know. And I can see, you know, there’s lots of other MLAs talking
about their families, their grandkids, or their kids and all that stuff. It
makes you feel proud. You know, it makes the whole journey worthwhile.
We sit in here and get a
little aggressive back and forth and that type of thing. And you know, I think
at the end of the day our intentions are in the same direction, but we just
can’t agree. You know how them things happen sometimes, right? You’ve heard
that, right, Mr. Speaker? Yeah, you’re saying, been there, done that. You know
that saying? You been there, done that? Yeah.
So like you say, don’t try
not to take it too much to heart, you know. At the end of the day I think we’re
all in here to achieve something to keep our province strong and help it grow
and be a place to do business, not a place to visit.
So anyway my son and his
wife, Audrey, and Sam and Beatrice, we usually FaceTime on Sunday. You know, I
seen a couple of folks here get, they’re kind of emotional; the kids are down
working, they’re from their constituency and stuff. And you know, some of us
have to drive to constituencies and other places in the province. They’re not
right here in Regina, that type of thing.
So the other day we were on
FaceTime on Sunday, we try to do that every Sunday. And so they had Sam and
Beatrice on there. And Sam, he’s got an opinion. He don’t mince his words. He
says when he’s got something to say. So we’re sitting there and my son said,
“Well, we’re heading out here. I’ve got to fly out tomorrow” or whatever.
[19:15]
Oh, yeah, he was explaining
what’s happening. And he’s sitting there and he’s telling us, and little Sam’s
sitting on his knee. He turned around and looked at him, he says, “You’re going
to be back for Easter, aren’t you?” You know, he’s thinking about that, so
there you go.
And Beatrice, you know, these
two little folks can speak French and English as fluently as one or the other.
You know, they’re sitting there and Beatrice sat with . . . Well my
son’s learning French, but he can’t speak it very well. He’d take Beatrice when
they went for coffee so she could order French because they don’t necessarily
always speak English to you down there. We were down there, and they didn’t
know to do that.
But anyway they got a call
from their school. You want to know how things are different. He got a call
from the school, and so they went to find out. Well they were concerned that
little Beatrice — and again, remember she’s only six years old — her and her
friends that can speak both languages were speaking too much English. That’s
not a word of a lie. So which is good. You know, like they need to keep things
rolling, that type of thing.
So anyway we’re so proud of
them and their careers and all that. And we’ve just got our fingers crossed. He
did put in for maybe a transfer and coming back. And they said, well we can’t
release you; you have to be here for a while.
Okay, what are you grinning
about? Did you get it?
But anyway, we’re hoping they
get back so we can have the grandkids at home.
And so then there’s my
youngest daughter, Brittany. Unfortunately 17 years ago . . . No,
that’s when she had her job. But it was a little over 17 years ago she
graduated out of high school in Gull Lake, and she applied for the two
universities here in Saskatchewan. And so anyway she applied; a lot of kids
from our southwest corner there, they apply into Lethbridge. Well she applied
in Lethbridge. Lethbridge accepted her, and she went into nursing in Alberta.
And she graduated an RN [registered nurse] or an RN with distinction from
university and got a job right away. And she’s been there.
She’s a nurse practitioner,
works in the operating room in the hospital in Lethbridge, which, you know,
it’s fine. And you know, she got a job and she’s off with her career. And she
met a young fellow there, and unfortunately . . . We don’t talk
politics coming back and forth. She’s settled in there now. So that’s good, and
he’s got a company, him and his parents. And they’re doing quite well there
too. And you know, I’m pretty proud of her.
But you know, it’d be nice to
have your children close that you can see them, but it always just doesn’t work
out. But in the same breath, you know, they’re out there and being productive
in society and contributing to wherever they live, you know. And we’ve opened a
bunch of opportunities for, you know, nurses to be here, nurse practitioners
and stuff like that that, to help try and fill the gaps and the voids that we
have in health care.
And health care, you know,
there’s things that we need to work on and that. It’s a moving target with a
lot of things. What’s happening here? Are we under fire? But anyway, like I
say, we’ve come across with some great — I think, and I think a lot of others,
you know — opportunities through budget funding. And you know, in this world
it’s crazy times right now. We got tariffs to deal with, and all this type of
thing.
I had a fellow phone me in my
office here on Friday, and he is talking about a highway, as the boundaries
changed with the constituencies, that used to be in the other guy’s. I got it,
and it’s rough. But we’re fixing it. And he said — this blew me off my chair —
he says, you know, you guys are going to have start up the taxes because you
need to take care of all that stuff.
So I don’t know. And that’s
not a word of a lie. I’ll just leave it there anyway. But that’s the truth,
that a fellow from my new area in my constituency boundary and all that type of
thing.
But I’d like to acknowledge
another family member, my immediate family and what they’re doing. And you
know, a lot of other MLAs here today, we’re very proud of our children and what
they’re achieving. And like I say, we can’t keep them all. Their careers take
them to other provinces, but by gosh, when they stay with us here in
Saskatchewan they do a heck of a job. You know, they’re helping build the
province and contributing.
So you know, that’s the type
of thing that we don’t mind contributing and helping others, but sometimes it
gets a long stretch for us to be able to do that. It’s a costly thing, and you
know, we’ve got homelessness and different things. Yeah, they need to be looked
at to try and help. But you know, it’s not as simple as just talking about it
here tonight.
I’ve got a family member;
it’s my first cousin. They moved back there from Medicine Hat, Alberta. They’re
up in age, and they have no kids. They come from Toronto. He’s got 40‑some
years down there. He was in the oil industry and with companies, and you know,
he did quite well and successfully. But you know, that old C-word is beating
him up pretty hard. He’s dealing with cancer. He lost his eyesight, you know.
And he’s an avid car collector.
And he goes to Calgary. And
this, it’s like the stretch on our health care system. For a full year every
week you go to Calgary for special treatments and that stuff and come back. And
they can’t do the lab work in Medicine Hat. It all has to be done there when
you’ve taken treatment for the cancer and all that stuff. And like I say, he’s
lost his eyesight, and he’s dealing with this, you know, cancer in other
places. And he’s had cancer a number of different times.
So you know, the health care
systems, when you look at it and what we’re trying to achieve, there’s a lot of
new moving parts and how to do it correctly. You know, I got to commend our
Health ministers and how they take this on. And they work at it and they put it
together and spend hours and hours with their staff. They go out and they talk
to community leaders and hospitals, trying to keep services in all the
locations, as many as possible, with staff. You can build a building, but you
have no staff so you can’t do much with it. You know, it just sits there.
You
know, with the emergency care centres in the city we have some things we were
working on with that. And I think they’re doing, you know, exceptionally good
things.
Anyway I got to mention I had
a change of CAs [constituency assistant] in my office. Sean, he took on another
career and moved on. And my first CA that we cut our teeth with, she was my CA
and I was a politician — guess I still am — she’s back. And I think some of the
veteran politicians will remember what her son and her husband went through in
the fire out west. They were cooked. They were on life support in Calgary for a
number days, months, a year. And you know, they still have some trauma and they
have scarring issues and all that stuff, and they made it.
But Twila just jumped on it.
She did start her own bakery; she wanted to do that. She has staff working in
there, and she just loves it back. And she was here at budget. We had four
other ladies from the cattle industry come up and took part in the budget and
that. But it was a shot in the dark. I went to talk to her. She says yes; she
had to talk to her husband.
Man, you know, between Sean
and between Twila, both good, both good. But that lady’s touch in that office
is amazing. That thing is spotless. I don’t know if I can say that kind of
stuff anymore. But I mean, it is. It’s just great. I’m going to say it.
But I wish Sean all the best
on his career move and all that type of thing, but she’s just doing a wonderful
job — following up on files, doing things, phone calls and that, and still
managing her bakery and stuff like that. But you know, it was mentioned here
today from one of our MLAs that if you want to hire somebody, hire somebody
that’s a busy person because they know how to get things done.
So anyway, I’m going to wrap
’er up here for the boss. He’s giving me the poke here. And I will be
supporting the budget as presented and seconded by the member from Canora-Pelly
. . . . [inaudible interjection] . . . Carrot River.
How come I wrote that down? Okay. And not the amendment, sorry.
Speaker
Goudy: — I recognize the member
from Cumberland.
Jordan
McPhail: —
Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. I tell you, we learn so much here at night
sitting. It’s great to join my colleagues on this side and all sides of the
House to debate this year’s budget.
I want to start today in a
way that I always do and thank, first and foremost, the good people of
Cumberland who have afforded me the great honour of serving them on the floor
of this Legislative Chamber. The countless conversations that I’ve had with the
people I serve — from coffee rows to the Uniplex to our local library to the
coffee shops all across the North — have always and will always inspire me to
fight for better in this province.
I also want to thank the
Leader of the Opposition for giving me the opportunity to serve as her shadow
minister for Northern Affairs, forestry, SaskTel, and ethics and democracy. The
work we get to do for the people of the North, the industries that we’re all so
proud of, the unions who represent their workers, and the work we all get to do
in this Legislative Chamber only deepens my belief that we can do a lot for
this province when we form government.
To my legislative colleagues,
I thank you for the good conversations, the odd time we get to share some witty
banter in the hallways and some insights to the issues that matter to us across
this province and share ideas of how we can better them. I appreciate your
insights and always happy to share the views of the people I serve, whether it
be on this floor or over at coffee anywhere.
As we all know in this
Chamber, there isn’t a single one of us who serves alone. I have been able to
serve the people of Cumberland and fulfill my duties bestowed upon me from the
Leader of the Opposition because I have the world’s best wife, who is probably
in the middle of tucking our two sick daughters into bed after a long day at
the office. She does incredible work to bring health services to the people of
the North in a way that respects and honours culture, language, and
reliability. And I thank her for everything that she does.
Our family is also supported
dearly by our incredibly selfless mothers and my sister-in-law, or as we all
call them, Kooks, Lola, and Mama Wee. When I’m away, they somehow find time in
their busy schedule to
grab some groceries, be ready at a moment’s notice to watch one of the girls so
my superhero wife can make yet another dance class or a skating lesson, or to
be ready to chat with my wife from afar despite the two-hour time difference to
support her when the days get long and tiring. I thank you all for the shared
sacrifice in helping this team make Saskatchewan a better place.
Lastly of the thank yous, I
want to thank my CA, Modeste McKenzie. Some folks might have seen him across
the Facebook world. He’s a world-class jigger. We’ve brought him up into places
like Fond-du-Lac on the ice road, you know, standing on 40 inches of ice, and
partook in some good Métis culture between me and my colleague from Athabasca’s
CA and ourselves had a bit of a jig-off.
He works incredibly hard for
the people of Cumberland, and I thank him for the service that he gives not
only to the constituents, but to me as the MLA from Cumberland. I couldn’t do
what I do on a daily basis without the support of my team.
And on that note as well, the
caucus staff here in the Legislative Building I thank them for everything that
they do for the people of the province and for our team to stand up for what is
right here in the province.
Now I’ll turn to this year’s
budget. And I want to congratulate the minister on tabling a second budget to
the floor of this legislature. And for the sake of my great-, great-, great-,
great-, great-, great-grandkids, I really hope his math is a little more
accurate than last year, as I’m sure they will still be paying off the debt of
this Premier and this government.
$43 billion, Mr.
Speaker, a debt that has doubled since this Premier took that seat in this
legislature. And this government has added over $30 billion since taking
office. Now you would think that after a horrible year where wildfires destroyed
the lands, homes, livelihoods of the people that I serve in the North that this
government would invest the money to fix their processes, to retool their
Public Safety Agency, and be ready for the future wildfire responses.
I was hopeful for a moment
when this government did decide to finally fire the minister from his position,
as I knew he was a major piece to the downfall of our response last year in the
wildfires. However yesterday while I was medicating my daughter’s fever and
between the screams of a toddler’s uncomfort with a headache, I hear the
minister accusing our team of instilling fear in the people of the North in
response to a question from my brother from Athabasca.
And I’m going to be very,
very clear for that minister and his government here today. We did not instill
fear in the people of the North — they did that. They did that when they didn’t
respond. They did that when they didn’t call in for help. They did that when
people were left unsupported after having to drive through smoke and flames
fearing for their lives, and being left to their own devices once they got
through to a safe community.
[19:30]
They are furthering that fear
when they don’t hold themselves accountable, when they don’t allow for a public
hearing, when they don’t even commit to non-budgetary commitments like hearing
the voices of the North when it comes to building a plan for wildfire
responses, and passing my colleague’s bill from Athabasca so that those
northern voices can be heard in our future responses.
So my suggestion to the
minister, and through you, Mr. Speaker, to the Minister of Community Safety is
simple. Take the speaking notes, the sad attempts of clapbacks and one-liners
that the previous minister may have drafted for you, throw them in the trash,
and get to work delivering the lines in the upcoming budgets. Because you have
failed the people of the North by focusing on the political game of your
predecessor rather than the services you are supposed to deliver. And I will
say this. If you continue to use those lines, it didn’t pan out well for the
last minister, so I suggest you be wary of the advice that you receive.
On a final note of instilling
fear in the people of the North, I would kindly suggest that the minister
clearly hasn’t heard the stories of the northern people, or he has and simply
has disregarded them, which after yesterday’s comments, I might argue at this
point is about 50/50 odds.
When I spoke in the fall that
this government has threatened public safety, not only in last year’s response
but the many years in the future, the people I serve are already getting ready
to defend their homes and their communities and stay behind. Because they know
this government’s word is worthless when it comes to actually delivering their
promise and protecting them and their livelihoods.
When we talk about
affordability measures in northern Saskatchewan, I often think of the prices of
food and fuel here in Regina today, and often think that once the prices reach
what the North pays year-round, the members opposite seem to start caring. But
if it’s only the people that I serve and the people that the MLA from Athabasca
serve, it’s somebody else’s responsibility. And they don’t think it’s a problem
worth solving or just don’t know or want to care to know on how to solve those
issues.
When I travel this great
province, I often think of both of the challenges and opportunities of all of
our towns, villages, RMs [rural municipality], and cities face, from crime,
homelessness, gangs, mental health and addictions challenges, and so much more.
I think of the incredible work done by mayors, chiefs, reeves, Métis
presidents, councillors, teachers, nurses, doctors, and labourers and what they
do to help build this province. They deserved better.
From every corner of this
province I hear of the struggles of the family of four. While this government
stands up nearly every day and tell people how good they have it, they struggle
to pay their power bills, their taxes, and put food on the table. It’s a slap
in the face to the people that this government claims to represent.
Just over a year ago my
brother from Athabasca and I were up in places like Stony Rapids, Black Lake,
and Fond-du-Lac, where we saw power bills of $1,200 in a single month, where we
saw grocery bills over $400 for a single bag of groceries, maybe two if you
were lucky. We heard of stories of the family watering down the milk and the
baby formula just to bring some costs down. We saw a scurvy outbreak. And yet
we have a government that stands in its place, beats its chest, and says that
we are the most affordable place to live in Canada.
When scurvy hit, the minister
brought out a healthy eating information campaign. There’s no further place, no
more evidence needed to prove that this government is out of touch and out of
ideas to solve the problems in the North or anywhere for that matter. The issue
was never about knowing what foods to eat, but the foods that families can
afford.
I doubt the members opposite
will ever know how to fix these issues, so the people of this province know
that it’s time for change. Our team has seen, heard, and believed these folks,
and we will deliver the change that they deserve.
Now when it comes to our
industries operating in the North, I think of our trappers, our outfitters,
uranium workers. And I want to take pause to recognize the hard work of Cameco,
Urano, Denison, NexGen on their respective wins for their industries and the
people that they employ. The world truly does need what Saskatchewan has to
offer, and when they win, we all should win.
That is not what we see from
this government’s budget. The cost to haul these ores, these commodities, and
the memories out of northern Saskatchewan is still felt by the truckers, the
parents, the families, and industries on these broken highways in northern
Saskatchewan.
In this last fire season, we
saw how critical highways infrastructure is to transport the goods and the
people safely from community to community. This year was not the time to cut;
it was the time to invest in the North.
We saw heightened importance
for airports in the North when we saw fires close the only roads in and out of
small and large centres alike. We saw the need for good infrastructure when the
ministers wanted to fly into the North and see devastation their negligence
created. I still get a chuckle from the good old Denare Beach fire department’s
wave, but as I understand the rules of the Chamber and the protocols on this
floor . . .
Speaker
Goudy: — There’s just a few rules
that, you know . . . I know we need to debate the budget and things
went on in the summer. But just, offensive words against the Assembly, imputing
motives, I feel that, you know, we can get our point across with, you know, a
little less. If you can lighten up on the tone towards the members, the
ministers, I would and they would and the whole Assembly would appreciate that.
Jordan
McPhail: —
I’ll have to reserve the Denare Beach fire department wave, I guess, for
another setting.
When we think of the absolute
atrocious vacancy rates in the North for mental health and addiction spaces,
despite our government’s call for better for the people of the North, we see
the government refuse to lift a finger and help the people of the North who are
affected by mental health and addictions challenges. The people of the North
are ignored.
I also wonder if the stats
that face northern Indigenous kids were anywhere else in the province, that it
wouldn’t be treated with a little bit more urgency. This is a government who
claims to have the best recruitment strategy in the country, yet refuses to
expand it to mental health professions in the North or to places like Sandy
Bay.
A few years ago on the front
lawn of this legislature, a good friend of mine, Tristen Durocher walked 635
kilometres to let the Premier know of his disgust with his government not
passing the suicide prevention bill. This Premier wasn’t willing to walk 635
steps outside of this building to meet with him and the families who have lost
so much. Yet he and his ministers can stand in this House and say every day
that every death is a tragedy.
Mr. Speaker, the only tragedy
is this government’s willingness to turn the other cheek while me and the
member from Athabasca attend funerals near weekly for a family without a
husband, without a brother, a mother, and son or daughter.
You know, I’ve had the
opportunity from legislative duties here, when we’re down here serving in the
Chamber, to be able to sneak out to some communities close by. And I think of a
community that has a couple of members of my family. It’s always nice to go out
and see them out in the community of Moose Jaw.
And on the odd evening while
we’re here in session, I like to go out there and have a good chat with the
folks in Moose Jaw over some world-class fish and chips at Bobby’s
. . . [inaudible interjection] . . . It is good fish; it is
good fish. Even as a northerner, I must say it is pretty good fish. And we have
some pretty good chats out on the doorstep there as well with the good people
of Moose Jaw.
You know, it’s great to hear
that they enjoy our presence out there. I remember hearing from a young dad
who’s had some struggles with his family accessing care, his kids finding
affordable housing, and the opportunities his friends and family can’t seem to
find to make his ends meet. He thanks our team for the work we do to try and
build a stronger economy here in Saskatchewan.
And that family knows it’s
our team that’s actually listening. That family wonders where in the world
their MLAs are, and why they aren’t delivering for them. So to you and through
you, Mr. Speaker, to the members from Moose Jaw North and Wakamow, I say on
behalf of our team, you’re welcome. We will help deliver the change that you
can’t for the people that you serve.
On the way back from Regina,
I get to stop in for a meal at the Spice Trail in Prince Albert and chat with
the folks on the doorsteps in P.A. [Prince Albert] who are happy to hear that
we’re standing with cancer patients as they ask for fairness. For standing with
their municipal government to demand that the money this province wants to take
from P.A. is better spent on housing across the spectrum to help with the
Victoria build and make sure that it remains successful.
They also wonder where in the
world are my MLAs? Why aren’t they fighting for me? Why can’t they deliver
change for me? Well to you and through you, Mr. Speaker, to the members from
P.A. Carlton and Northcote, I can also say on behalf of our team, you’re
welcome. Our team will help deliver the change that you can’t for your
residents.
I hear the stories from my
colleagues on this side who have been to White City, and the good people of
Brighton, talking about the much-needed schools. They thanked us for our work
in getting out and talking to them, delivering petitions on the floor of the
legislature, to understand their stories. And they also wonder why their MLA
can’t deliver for them. Well to you and through you, Mr. Speaker, to the member
from White City-Qu’Appelle and Saskatoon Willowgrove, on behalf of this team, I
say you’re welcome. We’ll help deliver for the people that you can’t in your
riding.
Our team was also in Yorkton
— a beautiful city. We heard the issues raised from them about their
planned-but-not-planned, that conceptual-but-not-conceived hospital of many
years past. I think that the Yorkton hospital folks should get in touch with
the P.A. pulp mill folks for a tea and see how similar their stories that
they’ve been communicated to match up.
And it was proof that you can
get things done through opposition, Mr. Speaker. Our team delivered that
long-term care from opposition to the people of the North. It would almost be
fitting that this government could consider naming a room or a wing after the
man who championed that cause and delivered that care home to the people of the
North. Thousands of petitions, Premier — thousands. That’s who opened up the
long-term care facility, not your government.
Now back to Yorkton. The
folks in Yorkton have pulled me aside at some of these conferences that we have
the honour of attending. And out of general curiosity I asked them, how’s the
new MLA? They say, who? I asked again, thinking I don’t speak loud enough . . .
Speaker
Goudy: — Okay, I’m going to stop
you right there. The level of . . . Like there’s some offensive,
provocative language. It has been fairly high level along the way, but I’m
going to stop you before you make a personal comment of another one of the members
on the other side. I know there’s back-and-forth conversation about what one
member said, but I think we’re crossing the line here on this message. So
please move on from whatever might be being said about the member from Yorkton.
Please speak about the budget. I know, both sides. But please, this is going
too far. Please continue.
Jordan
McPhail: —
Mr. Speaker, I am looking forward to the day that we get to . . .
Maybe the official Leader of the Opposition will have the great honour from the
people of Saskatchewan to cut the ribbon finally in front of the Yorkton
hospital and open up that hospital for the people of Saskatchewan. And maybe
when that ribbon is cut, Mr. Speaker, the member from Yorkton will be on the
same side as me and my colleagues on this side here.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I
want to say, there’s some good news out of this budget for the people of
Saskatchewan. And that’s with enough hard work from the members on this side of
the House and the people of the province putting their trust in a better tomorrow,
that there will only be a couple left from this tired and out-of-touch
government on their way out before a new era of financial stewardship here in
the province. One where people know that 200 million in tax dollars are
going to staff at their local hospitals, not to overpay on mismanagement,
government projects. One where the hundred million dollars allocated to protect
the North won’t be spent on overspending by a hundred million dollars on the
planes but hiring northern First Nations-Métis fire teams.
[19:45]
They will know that their
government will respond to their challenges and not boast about being the most
affordable place in the nation while one-third of the kids in the province live
in poverty, and 6 in 10 in the northern half.
In closing, I know this is a
bad-news budget and will cost the people of not only my constituency but all
across the province in ways that this government has yet to comprehend. I know
our team could have and would have delivered better for the people who work so
hard to get by in this province.
And for the many reasons
outlined by my colleagues and on behalf of the good people I serve in northern
Saskatchewan, I will be supporting the amendment put forward by my brother from
Mount Royal, and will not support the motion from the Finance minister. Thank
you. têniki. hay-hay. mahsi cho. ninanâskoman, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker
Goudy: —
I recognize the Minister of Remote and Rural
Health.
Hon.
Lori Carr: —
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to stand in my place and respond to
the 2026‑2027 budget that has been put forward by the Minister of
Finance. The theme of this year’s budget is Protecting Saskatchewan, and that
is exactly what this budget will do.
I would start off by saying
that Saskatchewan is strong, but tariffs and the realignment of the world trade
relationship as well as conflict in the Middle East, it created a climate of
global economic uncertainty. Every province in Canada has been affected by
this, not just Saskatchewan. More demands and fewer resources to address them
have undoubtedly put pressure on our finances.
Despite these challenges,
Saskatchewan’s strong and diverse economy means we are better positioned than
most other provinces to weather this current storm. But it is a challenge. And
this difficult climate left us with a choice — a choice to cut services, to
raise taxes, or to protect Saskatchewan. We chose to protect Saskatchewan.
So while we have projected a
deficit, there are so many things going for us. We have one of the fastest
growing economies in Canada, the lowest unemployment rate. We lead the nation
in growth in housing starts. We have one of the highest percentage of exports
with countries other than the US [United States] than any other province in
Canada. And we have the second-lowest debt-to-GDP [gross domestic product]
ratio.
Mr. Speaker, just before I
talk specifically about the budget, I would like to take a moment to thank
those that support me every day — to my family, my friends, my constituency
assistants, and to my constituency association.
As well I would like to thank
my constituents, who have supported me for the past 10 years in this role. I
have not taken one day for granted that I’ve had the opportunity to serve
Estevan-Big Muddy. And I will continue to listen and bring their concerns and
views forward so we can continue to be the best constituency in Saskatchewan to
live, work, and raise a family.
It is an honour to serve in
the health file as Minister of Rural and Remote Health, Mental Health and
Addictions, and Seniors. This year the health budget is putting patients first
by continuing to invest in the programs and services that Saskatchewan people
expect, and there is no exception in this health budget. And we are protecting
the programs and services with a 5 per cent increase to the health budget. And
within that, there is targeted funding for the Estevan-Big Muddy constituency.
And I’m going to focus on my
constituency during this speech, Mr. Speaker, but I think a lot of what I’m
talking about you could drop in any constituency in this province. There are
very direct ties right across the entire province.
Mr. Speaker, I’m going to
start off by telling you about Elaine Walkom and her wish to bring MRI
[magnetic resonance imaging] services to Estevan. She offered to donate
$2 million for that purpose. Elaine donated the money in memory of her
late husband, Grant. Grant and Elaine ran a very successful oil field
maintenance company servicing southeastern Saskatchewan. She felt that it would
be nice to give something back to the region that supported their business over
the years.
Emmanuel Health and St.
Joseph’s Hospital put a proposal forward — it was a great proposal — where they
addressed the capital portion and included recruitment dollars and incentives
as well. It was accepted and it proceeded. The fundraising goal was set at
$6.5 million, including Elaine’s $2 million. The campaign started in
May of 2025, and in November of 2026 they had raised the entire
$6.5 million.
In just 18 months the St. Joseph’s
Hospital Foundation, under the leadership of their executive director, Lori
Jarvis, raised all of the funds. I would like to extend a huge thank you to
Lori and her team for their dedication, not only to the foundation but to this
specific project. Today that dollar amount sits at just over
$6.687 million, so they’ve actually raised more than their goal. This is
truly a southeast labour of love.
There were many individuals,
companies from many communities who donated to this project, but as well there
were surrounding towns and municipalities. I remember before the campaign
started, municipalities had been writing, advocating for the MRI. And when the
time came to donate, they did in a big way for a total of $1.574 million.
What will this project mean
for southeastern Saskatchewan? It will mean better access and services much
closer to home. It will mean saving time and money for individuals that have to
drive long distances for services. It will mean shorter wait times for
receiving an MRI. And not only for those in the southeast, but it will help
reduce wait times in the Regina area. So it really is a win-win for the entire
province. The right care at the right time in the right place, Mr. Speaker. We
are putting patients first.
There are dollars included in
this budget so when the MRI is installed and ready to start operations, there
will be operational dollars for staffing and supplies. This project would not
have been possible if it had not been for the generous donations of individuals,
companies, and municipalities. So to all of them I say, thank you.
And when we talk about our
patients-first plan, one of the goals is modernizing diagnostics with working
towards the 2028 goal of 90 per cent of patients receiving diagnostic scans
within 60 days. Having MRI services in Estevan will, without a doubt, help
achieve that goal.
And as we continue to try and
ensure that services are brought closer to home, our government will continue
to invest in modern health facilities. In fact that is one of our goals within
our patients-first plan. This budget will continue to support the request for
proposals for a new Estevan regional nursing home. The goal is to have a
proponent chosen later this spring. I know this is something that myself and
the community, as well as the region, have been looking forward to. With the
additional 65 beds, we will be bringing services closer to home and putting
patients first, Mr. Speaker.
Another really exciting
initiative I would like to talk about is the work we are doing with nurse
practitioners across the province. As we look towards the future of having
access to a primary care provider, we are taking the approach of using all of
our professionals to the top of their scope of practice. When we think about
having access, it is really important to know that access does not necessarily
have to be with a physician. Depending on your ailment you are dealing with,
there are several other professionals you can access, nurse practitioners being
one of those.
Our government has expanded
options for independent nurse practitioners who run their own clinics. To date,
there have been 23 independent contracts awarded. And we have opened it up so
that there’s no limit on the number of contracts across the province. For my
constituency, this has been a game changer when it comes to access. Two of
those contracts were awarded in Estevan. What does that mean, Mr. Speaker? It
means access to a primary care provider for 1,600 people.
Now I did not know Jenna
Kress until recently. But as I get to know her, I know that the passion that
she has for transforming the way health care is provided . . . She
wants to be a part of the solution. She was an RN in Estevan who chose to take
schooling on her own and upgrade to become a nurse practitioner. And I am
thankful that my community is benefiting from her passion. She is truly putting
patients first — the right care in the right place at the right time.
Within our patients-first
plan and our modernizing care delivery and scope of practice, there are a
couple of goals that are important. One is to further expand the scope for
nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and paramedics, as well as other professionals.
The other one is to continue to enable support for team-based primary care
models.
Once again, what does that
mean for my constituency? It means funding within this budget that will allow
someone like nurse practitioner Jenna Kress to be able to hire professionals
within her clinic to provide services. For example, she could hire a registered
nurse, a licensed practical nurse, or even a dietitian. Depending on the type
of services Jenna would like to provide, she will be able to hire the
professionals she needs to provide access to patients. This is truly the type
of thing that puts patients first — the right care at the right time and in the
right place.
Mr. Speaker, there is more
work to do and that is exactly the work that will continue to happen under our
patients-first plan. There are also other things in this budget that will
benefit the Estevan-Big Muddy constituency. While there has been significant
work done in the area over the past several years, there’s always more work to
do.
There will be some culvert
work done on Highway 47 north of Estevan, as well as funding for functional
study for the preservation work and improvements on that same Highway 47 north
of Estevan.
There will be funds available
through SaskPower to continue on with the refurbishment of coal units at
Boundary dam. This is necessary work to protect the energy resources we have in
our province, to ensure that we have affordable and reliable power production
as we work towards nuclear, Mr. Speaker.
The decision to continue with
the fuel source was incredibly important to the community of Estevan and
surrounding area. If these units had been shut down, there would have been
devastating economic consequences. Hundreds of individuals would have lost their
jobs. Supporting contractors would have had less work or even needed to shut
down as they set up specifically to support that industry. People would have
moved out of the area.
And I would argue, it is also
important for the province as these megawatts are needed to supply power to
industries that make our province as successful as it is economically. Recently
there was an announcement for a data centre for the province. One of the
deciding factors was the fact that we have dispatchable, dependable baseload
power.
This
budget continues to protect and support our agriculture industry by supporting
innovation, investing in emergency technologies, strengthening market access,
and fully funding our suite of business risk management programs. This will
help producers stay competitive and ready for the future.
Municipal
revenue sharing will continue for all of our municipalities in our
constituency. This is predictable, reliable, and stable funding that has no
strings attached. Municipalities can direct those funds to whatever they feel
is a priority for their ratepayers.
In
education, funding has increased approximately 20 per cent over the past three
years, which includes a 2.6 per cent increase this year. These are significant
dollars and they are being put into investments that will help the system as a
whole. When I think about the expansion of the specialized support classrooms,
these are classrooms where students can receive the additional support that
they need, while at the same time the teachers throughout the school are able
to focus on teaching their curriculum, and all students should be able to learn
to the best of their ability. Protecting our students, Mr. Speaker.
This
budget also continues to support the energy and resource sector as we work
towards our goal of 600,000 barrels per day by 2030. This will be achieved by
continuing to support programs which help with oil production or investing in
geological initiatives that will improve access to new, high-quality
information to encourage exploration of new critical mineral discoveries.
As
well when I think of affordability, I think of our tax structure. Tax cuts
combined with indexation are providing approximately $200 million in tax
savings this year, meaning a family of four pays no provincial income tax on
the first $65,000 of income, the highest threshold in Canada.
Today
a family of four earning $100,000 is paying $4,484 less in personal income tax
than they would have when our government was first elected. If we just think
about that for a minute, we are paying what I would consider is significantly
less than 19 years ago. And those are not one-time savings. These are
significant tax reductions that save Saskatchewan individuals and families
thousands of dollars every single year.
All
of the investments I talk about above would not be possible if it was not for
the strong economic environment we have in our province. Right now in our
province we have 60 projects in various stages of development. Those projects
are bringing $60 billion worth of investment. This means more growth, more
jobs, and more revenue for the province to help support our health care system,
our social services system, our justice system, all of the services that are
provided by the province. And we’re going to protect those within this budget,
Mr. Speaker.
[20:00]
We
will continue to put patients first with the right care at the right time and
in the right place, Mr. Speaker. We had a choice. We had a choice to cut
services, to raise taxes, or to protect Saskatchewan. We chose to protect
Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker.
I
will not be supporting the amendment brought forward by the members opposite,
but I will be supporting the motion brought forward by the Minister of Finance
and seconded by the member from Carrot River Valley. God bless Saskatchewan and
God bless Canada.
Speaker Goudy: —
I recognize the
member from Saskatoon Centre.
Betty Nippi-Albright: — Before I begin, I want to
say a few thank yous. First of all I want to say thank you to my constituency
assistants. I have two half-time CAs, Kate Greyeyes and Cameron Robinson. Thank
you for taking care of me during this last year in the office with the
half-time hours that you guys both put in. Thank you.
I
also want to thank our caucus staff. You know, they work long hours. They make
us look good. They push us and they plan. They’re so well organized, and I just
want to say I’m so grateful that we have such a strong caucus staff.
I
also want to thank my colleagues, you know, for the hard work in serving the
people of this province, listening to them. And I just want to take a moment
here to thank one of my colleagues from Regina Lakeview. I’m really proud to be
part of her team. Thank you, Carla.
And
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my family. Now first of all I want to say
thank you to my sweetheart — my sweetheart who has taken care of me, who has
supported me, loved me, who has taken care of our grandchildren, has gone to
their hockey games when I couldn’t go. And I want to thank my family for the
strong foundation that they have laid for me in our cultural ceremonies as a
Cree and a Saulteaux woman. Thank you.
And
of course my constituents in Saskatoon Centre. The belief that you all have in
me, continue to have in me, and the trust that you bestow on me to serve you in
this Chamber and in this province. Thank you.
There’s
another group that I want to thank and that is . . . One of them is
my First Nation, Kinistin Saulteaux Nation. I’m so proud to be a member from
Kinistin. My great-grandfather was one of the signatories to the adhesion to
Treaty 4, and I wear this Treaty 4 medallion proudly. Thank you, Kinistin, for
loving me, for encouraging me, for believing in me.
I
also want to say a special thank you to the First Nation communities across
this province. I know many times when I go and visit you, you all say to me,
“You’re my MLA.” And I keep telling them, “No, I’m Saskatoon Centre’s MLA.” But
they’re like, “You’re our MLA though.” So I want to say thank you, and thank
you for the encouragement and believing in me in the work that we do.
So,
Mr. Speaker, each of my colleagues will speak to their critic areas in response
to this budget. And for my part, I will focus on Mental Health and Addictions
as the shadow minister because that is where the need is tremendous and where
this budget failed Saskatchewan people most.
Mr.
Speaker, I want to begin with the people who are too often forgotten in these
discussions: our first responders. It’s great to see that volunteer first
responders are getting an increase in their tax credits. But I want to talk
about those first responders that we often forget about, the ones that show up
when the rest of us run the other way. They see things most of us will never
see. They carry the weight of those experiences home to their families.
And
yet despite everything they face, Mr. Speaker, there’s nothing in this budget
for their mental health. There’s no dedicated supports, no family supports, no
trauma-informed and trauma-practised care, no long-term services for cumulative
stress injuries — absolutely nothing in this budget for those first responders.
These are people who respond to overdoses, suicides, fires, violent incidents,
and unimaginable tragedies. They carry those images for the rest of their
lives. And this government, this Sask Party government cannot find a single
dollar to support their mental health. That is not protecting communities, Mr.
Speaker. That is abandoning people who protect us.
Mr.
Speaker, Saskatchewan is in a mental health and substance use crisis. People
across this province — adults, youth, children, families, front-line workers,
health care workers, teachers, and first responders — are struggling. We have
one in three children living in poverty, and we know poverty and mental health
are deeply connected. When families are choosing between rent and groceries,
when parents are working multiple jobs just to stay afloat, when children are
going hungry, mental health suffers. And when mental health suffers, Mr.
Speaker, everything else unravels.
This
budget claims to be protecting patients by improving access and putting
patients first, but the reality on the ground, Mr. Speaker, is it tells a
different story. For years this Sask Party government has underfunded mental
health services and supports in this province, and we are seeing the
consequences everywhere. Poverty, rising food bank usage, houselessness, toxic
drug deaths, and suicide rates that continue to climb — these outcomes are not
accidents, Mr. Speaker. They are the result of policy choices, choices made in
this very Chamber by the Sask Party government.
Across
this province, regardless of income, Mr. Speaker, people are suffering from
mental health challenges, and many suffer in silence. When someone reaches out
for help, they are in a life-or-death situation. They are not reaching out
because things are a little tough or a little difficult. They are reaching out
because they are at the edge. Yet when they do seek help, they are often sent
home with nothing more than a pamphlet, if they are seen at all. People are
told, “Come back when things get worse,” as if things are not already
unbearable, Mr. Speaker.
At
the Dubé Centre, staff have had to modify physical spaces to prevent self-harm
because so many people arrive in crisis, Mr. Speaker. That is not a sign of a
healthy system. That is a sign of a system overwhelmed, under-resourced, and
unable to meet the needs of the people it is supposed to serve.
I’m
going to talk about youth. Youth mental health, a system that is failing our
young people. Youth mental health supports are nearly non-existent. Young
people are placed with adults or sent home without care. Parents are excluded
from treatment decisions when their children age out of youth services, even
when those parents are the ones keeping their children alive.
Mr.
Speaker, I want to share one story. There’s this family that came to see me.
They live in the province here. They have a teenager who has struggled for
years with severe mental health challenges. When she is admitted to hospital,
wraparound supports are there. But the moment she is discharged, Mr. Speaker,
those wraparound supports, that continuum of care ceases. It disappears. She is
expected to return to school with no mental health resources. The school does
not have the capacity to support her, so she is repeatedly being sent home. Her
parents take turns missing work to care for her, and there is no mental health
support for her parents either. This is not a failure of this family. This is a
failure of this Sask Party government.
Children are breaking down in
classrooms, on the playground, in hallways, in bathrooms, and the only option
schools have is to call parents to come pick them up. Mr. Speaker, that is not
support. That is a system failing children and youth.
We need mental health
professionals in schools, Mr. Speaker. We need trauma-informed and trauma
practice supports in schools. We need early intervention, not emergency room
intervention. And we need a government that understands that children cannot
learn when they are in crisis, and teachers cannot teach when they are trying
to keep students safe with no help.
There is nothing in this
budget to support school-based mental health supports and services. Not one new
investment, not one new initiative, not one acknowledgement by this Sask Party
government of the crisis unfolding in classrooms across Saskatchewan.
Mr. Speaker, families are
drowning. They are trying to keep a roof over their heads, put food on the
table, pay bills, raise their children, and somehow, somehow maintain their own
mental health. This budget offers them nothing, Mr. Speaker.
We are losing people of all
ages, including children, to suicide. Saskatchewan loses nearly one person per
day. There are no government-funded grief support programs or services for
families left behind. We only have volunteer-led ones, and they are in demand.
There’s absolutely nothing in this budget to support those that are left
behind. These deaths, Mr. Speaker, are not statistics. They are our loved ones,
loved ones who were suffering and could not find help, Mr. Speaker.
[20:15]
Front-line workers, the very
people supporting those in crisis, are also struggling, Mr. Speaker. They
experience vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Yet there is
nothing in this budget for their mental health needs. Instead, this Sask Party
government is paying out-of-province, for-profit services three times more than
what local, community-based, government-funded services receive.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to
address the claim in this budget that the government is opening approximately
200 more addiction treatment services. These 200 services are not new, 200
spaces are not new. They’re actually part of the commitment that was made
several years ago, the same 500 spaces this government has re-announced again
and again. There’s no expansion beyond what was promised years ago. There’s
also nothing in this budget to increase education or training spaces for mental
health and addictions professionals.
What I do want to say is it
is good to see additional seats in the registered psychiatric nursing program.
That is welcome. But it is nowhere near enough to meet the scale of need in
this province, and that need is great.
Mr. Speaker, people have
reached out to me asking who will receive the contract for forced treatment
under The Compassionate Intervention Act. And many fear, Mr. Speaker,
based on this Sask Party government’s track record, that it will once again be
awarded to an out-of-province, for-profit service provider. Meanwhile service
providers — community-based, government-funded, in-patient treatment centres
here in Saskatchewan, the ones rooted in our communities, the ones who know our
people — have received no increase to expand their capacity to support more
people seeking help for substance-related harms.
Mr. Speaker, Saskatchewan
people deserve better. They deserve a government that sees them, that hears
them, and responds to the reality of their lives. They deserve a government
that understands that mental health is not a luxury — it is a lifeline. They
deserve a government that invests in people, not in out-of-province, for-profit
organizations that do not have the pulse of the community that we live in. They
deserve a government that strengthens the workforce we need, not one that
leaves training seats frozen while demand grows. And they deserve a government
that keeps its promises, not one that re-announces the same treatment spaces
year after year while people continue to wait for help that never comes.
Mr. Speaker, this government
has doubled the debt to $43 billion. Devine would certainly be blushing
right now. Taxpayers will pay $1.2 billion just to service that debt,
money that could have gone to mental health supports, to the massive expansion
of in-patient treatment beds for detox, long-term treatment, sober living
homes, to school-based services, to first responders, to families who are
barely hanging on.
That $43 billion debt
has doubled since this Premier took office. And what do people have to show for
it? Longer wait times, fewer supports, more suffering, more loss. Budgets, Mr.
Speaker, are moral documents. They show what a government values and who a
government chooses to stand with. This budget does not stand with the people
who need help the most.
I cannot and I won’t support
a budget that leaves people behind, that allows them to suffer and die. I
cannot support a budget that ignores the suffering in our communities. And
we’re suffering, every corner of this province, every community, rural and urban.
I cannot support a budget that fails to invest in the very services that save
lives.
And that is why I will not be
supporting the government’s budget and will instead be supporting the amendment
made by my colleague from Regina Mount Royal. Miigwech.
Speaker
Goudy: — I recognize the member
from Cut Knife-Turtleford.
James
Thorsteinson: —
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s truly an honour to rise today and put some remarks
on the record about how this year’s budget is protecting Saskatchewan. In this
year’s budget our government outlines the investments we are making in
Saskatchewan residents in an effort to protect all of Saskatchewan from the
uncertainties created by the geopolitical situation around the world. We’re
investing in what matters most to the people of our province: health care,
education, public safety, municipalities. And we’re doing all this while making
life more affordable and keeping Saskatchewan the best place in Canada to live,
work, and raise a family.
Before I take a deep dive
into all the great things we are seeing in this year’s budget, I’d like to take
a few minutes and thank a number of people. First I would like to thank both
the Premier and the Finance minister for their leadership not only through the
budget process but throughout the entire year. Together they keep our team
energized and on track to deliver for our constituents and the entire province.
I’d also like to thank cabinet for all of the hard work each and every member
puts into their portfolio and for coming together to ensure we put forward the
best budget in the country.
I’d like to thank my fellow
treasury board members for your long days and longer nights, for going through
every item with a fine-tooth comb, bringing forward ideas and options, and
having those frank and sometimes difficult conversations. I’d like to thank all
the Finance officials. These folks do yeoman’s work breaking down the numbers,
doing the analysis, and explaining it all.
But I also need to thank the
people at home. My constituent assistant Jackie, for answering all of the calls
and emails coming into the office, dealing with concerns from constituents, and
keeping, most importantly, me on track. My constituency team of great
volunteers: Daryl, Mitch, Becky, Steve, Harold, Richard, and Brad to name just
a few.
But above all others, Mr.
Speaker, I need to recognize my family: my sons. Cody and Hayley, Shane and
Amanda, and Jacob, I am so proud of you all.
Now, Mr. Speaker, today is
kind of a special day. It’s exactly 365 days since I gave my first budget
reply. And the reason I know it’s exactly 365 days is because it’s my son
Shane’s birthday today. And last year I recall wishing him a happy birthday in my
budget reply. So once again, happy birthday, Shane.
I’d like to thank my parents,
Lorne and Marilyn, as well as my in-laws, Colleen and Ray and Helen. Your
support and encouragement means so much. And of course, Mr. Speaker, my wife,
my life, Lana. Lana’s my biggest cheerleader. She’s also my rock. She keeps me
grounded, focused, and humble. And I couldn’t do this without you.
Mr. Speaker, there’s nothing
better than having the family over and enjoying a meal together. I’m sure you
can tell, Mr. Speaker, that I like to eat. What may surprise you is I also like
to cook. I mean I’m no Fred Bradshaw, but I like to think I can handle myself
fairly well in the kitchen.
Lana and I, recently we had
everyone over for dinner. So Lana and I did a big grocery run for the evening.
We picked up a nice plump chicken. Now, Mr. Speaker, there’s a number of
different ways you can cook a chicken. You can cut it up and fry it. You can
smoke it. That’s pretty good. You can make beer can chicken. Heck you can even
put it on a rotisserie. This time however, we decided to roast it.
So Lana and I got everything
you need for the stuffing: celery, onions, bread crumbs. We got a bag of
potatoes that were produced locally, a couple cans of corn mostly for my son
Cody. We got everything you need to make a Greek salad: peppers, cucumbers,
tomatoes, red onion, olives, feta cheese, and of course the best Greek dressing
you’ll find anywhere from Spiro’s in Lloydminster, a long-time family-run
restaurant in Lloydminster. And you can now buy that amazing dressing at finer
grocery stores across the area.
Dessert was one of my
specialties, Mr. Speaker: hot fudge pudding. Similar to one of those chocolate
lava cakes you can get, it’s easy to make with simple ingredients. And put over
top of ice cream, it’s a hit every time.
Now, Mr. Speaker, I don’t
normally look that close at my grocery receipts when I get home. But given how
the NDP opposition go on and on and on about PST [provincial sales tax] on
groceries, I thought I’d take a closer look. Guess what I saw, Mr. Speaker?
Chicken, no PST. Potatoes, no PST. No PST on the gravy, the salad, the dessert.
Nothing. All those groceries for that meal, and there wasn’t one penny of PST
on any of it. Perhaps before the members opposite make their claim we put PST
on groceries, they should take a closer look at their own grocery receipts, Mr.
Speaker.
Other
affordability measures include the continuation of the home renovation tax
credit, the graduate retention program, and keeping our Crown utility costs
low, to name just a few. When you combine taxes, utilities, housing costs,
Saskatchewan is the most affordable province in Canada for a family of four to
live, work, and raise a family. That, Mr. Speaker, is what protecting
Saskatchewan looks like.
I
recently had the honour of joining the Minister of Community Safety to present
the Premier’s Commendation medallions to volunteer firefighters from Maidstone,
Turtleford and the RM of Mervin, and St. Walburg for their roles in battling
the northern wildfires last summer. I would like to once again thank them for
their service to their communities and to our province.
To
recognize the service of all of our volunteer firefighters across the province,
we are doubling the Saskatchewan volunteer first responders tax credit from
$3,000 to $6,000. In response to this announcement, the president of the
Saskatchewan Volunteer Firefighters Association, Aaron Buckingham, stated, and
I quote:
None of us do it for the money. None of
us do it to be reimbursed. None of us do it to be recognized. This is a nice
thing the government is doing for us.
Mr.
Speaker, the brave men and women who take time away from work, from their
families to protect the rest of us are true heroes, and we thank you.
Keeping
our communities safe is a priority for our government and is something I hear
on a regular basis from constituents. Rural crime is on the rise, fuelled by
drugs and gangs. Police response time in rural areas can be hours, and
criminals know it. That is why we are continuing to invest in more policing
across the province, putting more boots on the ground to lower response times
and keep our citizens safe. On top of the 310 million we’ve committed to
support the RCMP in this province, including the $26 million targeted
policing on First Nations, $4.8 million will be used to hire new officers
for the Saskatchewan Marshals Service.
[20:30]
Marshals
work alongside our RCMP and are focused on our provincial priorities such as
gangs, trafficking of drugs and illegal guns, and the location and apprehension
of dangerous, high-risk offenders.
But,
Mr. Speaker, what I find the most exciting, while not a huge number in the
budget, is the brand new small town and rural policing grant program. This new
program will help towns and RMs, which have their own small police force such
as community safety officers, support the RCMP in their area and potentially
expand their services to respond to the unique needs of rural communities. I
have a number of RMs in my constituency of Cut Knife-Turtleford that have
already reached out to me, excited about this new program.
Mr.
Speaker, health care is obviously a big part of this budget, and the
patient-first health care plan is an amazing plan. And I’d just like to talk
about some of the things that are happening in Cut Knife-Turtleford as far as
health care. Mr. Speaker, nurse practitioners have been a godsend to the people
of Cut Knife-Turtleford. The initial expansion of the nurse practitioner
contract, one of those nurse practitioners actually was set up in Wilkie. That
nurse practitioner was seeing as many as 800 patients, most of whom were
previously without a primary care provider.
That
is amazing news for that community, who was short a health care practitioner.
Now they have that, and they are very happy to hear that. Following the success
of that pilot, now we’re expanding the program province-wide and removing the
cap on the number of contracts available, which is great news — great news for
towns like Edam, Cut Knife, Neilburg, and more who could really use a nurse
practitioner in their community.
Another
significant part of our patient-first health care plan is the expansion of
scope for our nurse practitioners. This will give them expanded hospital
privileges, emergency room oversight, and greater long-term care
responsibilities. In fact, Mr. Speaker, in the community of Turtleford, which I
am proud to represent, nurse practitioners are already doing the bulk of the
work at the long-term care facility there, and by all accounts it is going
extremely well. These measures will help us ensure that Saskatchewan residents
will receive the right care in the right place at the right time. That’s
protecting Saskatchewan.
Mr.
Speaker, agriculture is not only a key economic driver in Cut Knife-Turtleford;
it’s a way of life. Agriculture fuels communities, schools, local arenas, and
curling rinks. From the rich farm land around Unity, Maidstone, and Edam to the
ranchland around Senlac, Cut Knife, and along both sides of the North
Saskatchewan River, our agricultural producers continue to provide the very
best in wheat, canola, and beef. That is why we continue to support those
producers by fully funding the suite of business risk management tools that are
available, with an over $500 million investment in crop insurance and
AgriStability. These programs allow producers to sleep well at night, knowing
that in the event of drought, market downturns, or other negative impacts out
of their control, they are protected.
There
is that word again, Mr. Speaker — protect. It makes me think of a long-standing
tradition when it comes to budgets. Apparently this tradition goes all the way
back to 1960 when John Diefenbaker’s minister of Finance, Donald Fleming,
bought a new pair of shoes to deliver his first budget. This year, our Minister
of Finance took a different path. He kept the same shoes as he wore last year
because they were still in pretty good shape, much like our economy is today.
However he did spray a nice coating of protectant on those shoes to ensure they
would remain in good shape in the future, much like our budget does for the
economy and the residents of Saskatchewan.
It’s
because of our strong and diverse economy that we are able to keep our deficit
low while keeping our campaign promises of lower taxes and protecting
Saskatchewan families, unlike NDP British Columbia who brought forward a
massive deficit and broke their campaign promises by increasing taxes. In fact,
Mr. Speaker, their per capita deficit is four times what ours is, and they
increased taxes. We continue to have the best credit rating in the country, the
second-lowest debt-to-GDP ratio, and are the most affordable place for a family
of four to live, work, and play.
But
I do wonder, Mr. Speaker, what would happen if the tradition was extended to
the opposition? What kind of footwear would best represent their take on the
budget? Well I decided to do a little research. I have listened intently to the
members opposite as they have given their replies, and I looked back in Hansard
to see what they had said in previous years. I am sure, Mr. Speaker, you won’t
be surprised to hear what I discovered.
It
doesn’t seem to matter which year you look at — the same old, tired lines are
repeated over and over, year after year. First they’ll criticize us for
overspending. Then in the very next breath they’ll criticize us for not
spending enough. They claim we need to get to balance, then they say we need to
lower taxes. Year after year it’s always the same thing: spend more, spend
less; make more, tax less.
I
think the evidence makes it clear, Mr. Speaker. While it would take some
lenience from you on the Assembly dress code, I look forward to seeing the
Finance critic, the member from Mount Royal, wearing an old, worn-out pair of
flip-flops at next year’s budget.
But,
Mr. Speaker, on a more serious note, I did notice something else as I was
reviewing Hansard. Over the past number of months, the opposition NDP
have been asking the government to condemn certain people and groups. We even
had a 75‑minute debate on it. They’d like us to condemn leaders of other
countries. They’d like us to condemn premiers of other provinces. They even
want us to condemn our own citizens . . .
Speaker Goudy: — Sorry . . .
[inaudible] . . . I don’t think you can be saying that that’s what
they’d like you to be doing. You can’t impute what their thoughts are.
James Thorsteinson: — I’ll withdraw that and
apologize. Mr. Speaker, they refuse to condemn one of their own even when that
person is inciting hate towards other individuals. Mr. Speaker, most members of
this Assembly know that I served as the Saskatchewan Party president for almost
nine years. If anything had come out of the party office that was this
egregious, I would have acted immediately to ensure that the individual
responsible was held accountable. And if I hadn’t, Mr. Speaker, I can guarantee
you that I would have received a very quick call from the Premier demanding
action. Mr. Speaker, the silence and inaction from the Leader of the Opposition
and all members opposite on this speaks volumes.
And,
Mr. Speaker, with that, I’m happy to support the budget brought forward by the
member from Rosetown-Delisle, seconded by the member from Carrot River Valley.
And I will not be supporting the amendment.
Speaker Goudy: —
I recognize the
member from Saskatoon Meewasin.
Nathaniel Teed: — Mr. Speaker, the moral high
ground we’re standing on here, its heights, it’s tipping too, Mr. Speaker. I
have some thoughts about this later on, but I think I’ll save it for another
part of my speech because I’d rather start with some of the good stuff than
dive right into this pile of stuff we’ve been hearing from the other side, Mr.
Speaker.
You
know, we’ve been hearing a lot of thanks to our families. Everyone kind of
starts in a different direction, but I’m going to start with a big thanks to my
support system, my partner, James, who is actually in Regina tonight in the
city at the Sask Realtors Association awards happening at Casino Regina. I’m
trying to get him to come for a sitting tomorrow, but we’ll see how it goes.
James
has been a real estate agent now for about three years and just absolutely
loving that career. He has met so many new people and he’s just having a blast
tonight with all of them, alongside my colleague I think from Regina South
Albert whose partner is also a real estate agent. So they get to have fun.
We’re holding down the fort here in the legislature.
But
I just want to say a big thanks to him. He always teases me that if he ever
does show up, he really wants a heartfelt introduction like the member from
Saskatoon Fairview has given her partner. Every single time, Mr. Speaker, I
hear about this introduction that the member from Fairview gave to her partner,
and it’s impossible to top at this point I think. It’s legendary now.
I
want to say a big thanks to the rest of my support system. My mom and sister.
The family that we’ve had recently move to Saskatoon — James’s mom and her
husband, who we moved from Grande Prairie, Alberta out to Saskatchewan, out to
Saskatoon. I kind of spoke about it last time, but it’s just so nice to have
that family closer to home. We’d been working on them for a while and finally
got them out to Saskatoon for their retirement that they so deserve.
Every
time I do a response I try to say a thank you to some of the . . . We
kind of talked about friends, friends that recharge the battery. In this work
you really do have to carve out that time to see those friends because it can
sometimes just be such a busy job. But I do want to give a shout-out to a
couple friends here. So Rachel, Jesse, Katie, Ross, Spencer, Jordan, Thomas,
and Brayden — these are my board game crew.
So
I have seen these folks sometimes, you know, on the weekly, where we’ll play
board games, recharge the batteries. And I just so appreciate that time that
we’re able to spend. During session it’s a little tougher. I usually will try
to book it home. But you know, like after a long week you’re going to be tired.
But been trying to get to see them as much as possible because, you know, when
you get to spend that time recharging, you’re just better for the rest of the
week.
I
also want to say a big thank you to my constituency assistant, Avery Beaudin. I
spoke a little about her joining my office in the Throne Speech response. But I
just think that, you know, the people of Saskatoon Meewasin are so lucky to
have someone who is so passionate at representing their needs and is so ready
to dive into the hard work it does to make a difference in folks’ lives.
And I’ll say that her along with the
member from Saskatoon Fairview probably do give the best romantasy book
recommendations in the province. So if you’re really looking for something new
to read, you’ve got to reach out to saskatoonmeewasin@ndpcaucus.sk.ca
and you could probably get a good book recommendation while you’re getting your
casework taken care of in the constituency office of Meewasin.
To the people of Saskatoon
Meewasin, it is an absolute honour to continue to do this work representing you
in this Chamber. You know, again we’re all biased about how beautiful our
ridings are. I know we spoke about the Maple Creek area, and my colleague from
South Albert talked about how beautiful she thinks her riding is. Well we all,
you know, think those ridings that we represent are beautiful.
Saskatoon Meewasin is always
. . . It’s always such a joy to go door knocking in those communities
and getting to chat with folks, getting to learn more about what makes them
tick and what are the issues that are important to them. So I have to say a big
thank you to them and say, yeah, I think my riding might be the most beautiful
in the province. So we’ll have to debate that at some point, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I’m going to
jump into the ’26‑27 budget here because I know we’ve got some
. . . try to keep to the clock here. I can talk a little longer, so
I’m going to set my little timer here.
You know, Mr. Speaker,
whether it be on cost of living, access to health care, quality of education
for the future generation, you know, I think that this is a bad-news budget,
Mr. Speaker. There’s not a lot to celebrate when you come to the ideas around
cost of living, around health care, around education.
Budget ’26‑27 is full
of flatlined funding, Mr. Speaker. And flatlined funding in health care and
education, it means cuts when you’re up against inflation that just keeps going
up year after year. So in every one of those areas, folks that are working on
our front lines are doing more with less.
On cost of living, for all
the boasting that this government does about Saskatchewan being the most
affordable place to live in the country, Saskatchewan workers and families
continue to tell us that the cost-of-living crisis is one of their biggest concerns.
Saskatchewan people have been reporting for some time — not just this year, but
for many years — the highest financial anxiety in the country, and 4 in 10 are
borrowing money just to put food on the table.
And despite this we did not
see a single new measure of cost-of-living relief in budget ’26‑27 to
help working people weather the storm. No new measures to lift the almost
78,000 children out of poverty in Saskatchewan.
On cost of living, this
government will talk you blue in the face telling you that you have it all
wrong, that it’s the most affordable place to live. Every year they will pat
themselves on the back for the 2.5 billion in annual affordability relief
baked into every year’s budget. But the truth is that after that affordability
relief baked into every year’s budget, quote unquote, Mr. Speaker, it’s cold
comfort for the folks who work a full day shift in our health care systems or
in our education systems who are stopping at the food bank on the way home from
that full-time shift.
[20:45]
These are the same working
people who are turning to selling their blood plasma to supplement their
income, after receiving the Saskatchewan Party’s $2.5 billion
affordability annual baked-in in every budget, Mr. Speaker. This is the state
that we really have in Saskatchewan.
Instead of making life more
affordable, Mr. Speaker, this government actually made your life more
expensive. Just days before this budget was announced, on a Friday afternoon in
a quiet little news dump, Mr. Speaker, the government chose to actually make
the people’s lives in Saskatchewan more expensive.
Hikes to SaskPower rates
hitting small businesses and agriculture producers. Hikes to SGI [Saskatchewan
Government Insurance] rates and deductible rates. Hikes to deductible rates:
we’re seeing up to 36 per cent increase, $700 to $950. Hikes to SGI fees: we’ve
got a $15 fee to register a vehicle or renew your licence. Hikes to vehicle
registrations: a $5 fee to renew your vehicle registration. Heck, there’s even
a new $2 fee when you go to renew your licence.
Mr. Speaker, that’s not all.
We’re not even done. Because now, if you are a qualified health care worker or
in ag or you want to work in any of the in-demand fields, you will now have to
pay $500 to apply for the Saskatchewan immigrant nominee program.
Mr. Speaker, another cherry
on top of this affordability crisis that we’re seeing is that the government
decided that we should also be taxing our fun too. We saw new fees for hunting
and fishing added on to all the things that we want to do after work. It’s all
becoming more expensive.
They’ll say, Mr. Speaker, on
this side they’re also protecting services and they’re not raising taxes, while
making a huge cash grab into the pockets of working families with this budget
and those tax hikes. This is a bad-news budget, Mr. Speaker, for families
desperately looking for relief from the affordability onslaught.
On health care, let’s talk
about health care. This is a bad-news budget that fails health care workers,
and it fails the people of Saskatchewan when it comes to accessing publicly
funded health care. Again, flatline budget, Mr. Speaker. Budget ’26‑27
sees a 0.3 per cent increase in health care funding over last year’s spending.
Flatline funding is a cut in the face of inflationary pressures.
But where else budget ’26‑27
fails the people of Saskatchewan on health care is that it fails the very
front-line health care workers working every day, holding on to our unravelling
health care system. There is nothing in budget ’26‑27 to get health care
workers the real wage increases they so desperately deserve. Health care
workers have gone three years without a collective agreement in Saskatchewan.
They’ve gone four years without a raise, Mr. Speaker, in a recruitment and
retention crisis where every single jurisdiction in Canada is fighting to
incentivize health care workers to take up jobs in their province.
This province continues to
fight those health care workers at the bargaining table and continues to
disrespect them by blocking real wage increases that they desperately deserve
and that they need. There are no dollars set aside in budget ’26‑27 to
signal that that government has any interest in bargaining in good faith. No
signal that this government will sign a health care deal after three years of
negotiating.
We will continue to lose
those health care workers to other jurisdictions who are making their salary
grids more and more competitive, who are listening to those health care workers
and making the changes in health care that encourage folks to take up the
career in health care or move for that job in health care. It’s time to sign a
deal and get a real raise for health care workers.
Mr. Speaker, this is also a
bad-news budget when you look at it from an education perspective. A bad-news
budget for students and their families. This budget means cuts for those very
students and families. Let’s look at per-student funding. The ’26‑27
budget actually cuts per-student funding by $33 year over year when you take
into account inflationary pressures and the influx of students that our school
system is seeing.
There are also cuts to the
infrastructure budget. And when you read the small print in that budget, you
will discover that of the ’26‑27 budget, the Minister of Education has
paused numerous school renovations across the province, schools in desperate
need of repair. And we’ve toured through these schools, Mr. Speaker, their
leaky roofs, water pouring into classrooms and hallways, buildings that are
bursting at the seams.
There are no updates on the
desperately needed schools in Brighton where 9,000 Saskatonians are calling
home, one of the fastest growing communities in Saskatoon. And there’s no new
high school in this budget for White City, the largest community in Saskatchewan
without a high school.
But very curious, it seems
here that while we saw a pause on school renovation because of budget cuts,
there was one curious exemption. And I’m going to walk through this one very
narrowly, Mr. Speaker, as per your ruling.
A new school was announced
for Shellbrook. A curious, curious, situation. I think the through line is very
clear without having to say it in explicit words. When you dive in a little
tiny bit more into that situation, you find that there are actually almost 200
more schools in worse shape than the school in Shellbrook. We jumped right out
the line and up to the top.
So let’s review: budget cuts,
per-student funding for education; budget cuts, renovations projects stalled or
paused. But through this a new school was announced for Shellbrook. I think
that this Premier and his Minister of Education have a lot of explaining to do
to the people of Saskatchewan.
I’m going to jump over to
social services, and I don’t want to take too long in here, but I think that I
really need to point out a few things that I found very glaring in the social
services section of this budget, Mr. Speaker.
You know, what we saw from
this government was that we cut direct payments from Social Services to
landlords. We were warned. We were told that if you cut those direct payments,
you are going to see evictions. This government decided to cut the direct
payments to our power utilities. We were warned, Mr. Speaker. They said that if
you cut those direct payments to the landlords and the power utilities, the delinquencies
are going to go up. And, Mr. Speaker, we have seen that.
We have seen the onslaught of
homelessness hit absolutely every community in our province, and the through
line goes right back to that decision to cut the direct payments from Social
Services to landlords. Homelessness is at record highs. And what I thought was
absolutely . . . I’m just gobsmacked, Mr. Speaker, that this
government chose in this budget to bring in a new measure: $1,000 for those
individuals to make up for the power utility delinquencies that this
government’s choices have caused. So now we’re digging out our old mistakes.
But, Mr. Speaker, it gets
even better. That $1,000 is a loan, and what we’re told is that no, no, no,
don’t worry. This won’t affect your payments, your social services payments.
But at some point, you’re going to have to figure out how to pay that back.
We’ve seen this story before. Those payments get deducted.
These are folks that are
already living in precarious, precarious situations, and any kind of loan or
deduction, it’s going to wind up in the constituency offices of the MLAs
sitting on this side of the House to deal with when those folks are seeing their
payments deducted and they’re in conflict with the Ministry of Social Services.
We knew that this is going to be a problem. We’ve said, go back. Go back to the
way it used to be, and we’ll start to bring down the mess. Mr. Speaker, it was
really just baffling to me to see this — just cleaning up a mess with another
mess. We’ll just keep cycling it through.
Mr. Speaker, I’ve got a few
more minutes, I’ve only hit 10 minutes here. I thought oh man, this speech is
going to take me 20 to 30 minutes to get through.
An
Hon. Member: — You had seven before you
pushed the button.
Nathaniel
Teed: —
That’s true. Okay, uh-oh. Okay, so we’re really actually way ahead
. . . The member from Saskatoon Fairview here is telling me I have
eight minutes. Okay. I’ll really hurry it up here, I promise.
You know, I really got to the
part of my statement that I was going to kind of respond to. Mr. Speaker, we’ve
seen a lot of . . . And I, you know, I was really bandying around
parliamentary language, intent. I landed on “disingenuous” statements made. I
really don’t feel like the members — and maybe I’m putting . . . —
really meant what they’re saying. You know, maybe they do, but it’s a tough one
because I really think that this is a really big attempt to change the channel
on a really terrible budget. You know, and I really don’t feel like there is a
lot of ground to stand on, on that side of the House, on that moral high ground
that we’re talking about.
You know, it’s been three
years since this government used the full weight of an emergency session, the
first in 20 years, Mr. Speaker, to ram through harmful — and some in our
community might say hateful — legislation targeting members of my community, targeting
queer and trans kids in our schools.
You know, that’s also been
three years since this government blocked third-party educators from talking
about consent and safe relationships and bodily autonomy in our schools. It’s
been three years, Mr. Speaker, since Saskatoon Sexual Assault and Information
Centre has run their program I’m the Boss of Me, a puppet show that helps
children understand that they’re not at fault for abuse that’s happening in
their homes. You know, that’s really what concerns me. Well I’ll say both: both
the pronoun policy but also that we’re blocking such valuable education from
our schools.
And there’s so many other
organizations that were doing so much important work, bringing expert-driven,
age-appropriate education to our classrooms. So I will once again stand in this
Chamber and say that if the government wants to do the right thing, if they
want to “debate, not hate,” they can repeal Bill 137, and we can start to
rebuild the now non-existent relationship that this government has with the
queer and trans community in this province. Then we can have a conversation and
really see eye to eye, I think, Mr. Speaker.
It
doesn’t have to be this way though, Mr. Speaker. And I think that is what this
team on this side of the House brings to the doorstep every time we talk to
someone and every conversation that we have. The Saskatchewan NDP has the backs
of hard-working people in this province. And there’s a choice in front of us
because I think Saskatchewan does deserve a government that will choose them.
So
in closing, I will not be supporting or voting for this budget. Instead I will
be supporting the amendment brought by my colleague, the member from Regina
Mount Royal. Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker Goudy: —
I recognize the member from Lloydminster.
Colleen Young: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As
we customarily do and as many have already done in their replies in this
Chamber, we take the opportunity to thank folks who have supported us in our
role as members of this Assembly.
And
I want to begin by thanking my constituents. It truly is humbling and an honour
to serve them, and I thank them for the confidence and trust they have placed
in me to advocate for them and be their voice within government. Their issues
and concerns are sincere and require my full attention, no matter how big or
small. I am always so grateful to be invited to many organization and community
events, not just bringing greetings and speaking at these events, but feeling a
warm and kind welcome as a friend and supportive community member.
Mr.
Speaker, Tracy Patterson was my CA for the past 12 years. She was my lifeline
when it came to handling constituency business, doing yeoman’s work when I was
away in session, tackling every task with enthusiasm and professionalism. She
could handle even the toughest of phone calls, constituent office visits,
organize events for me, and always with pleasantry and a caring and
compassionate attitude.
Tracy
has had a very trying past two years with her husband’s passing in the spring
of last year at the young age of 55. And earlier this year she had to step out
as my CA due to having to work through some of her own medical challenges. I
miss her strong, caring work ethic and wish her all the best during her very
trying journey. Life is definitely not fair.
[21:00]
Mr.
Speaker, thank you to my very supportive and loving husband, Kim, who now,
after 35 years on the bench as a Provincial Court judge and doing another five
years as a relief judge, is finally fully retired. So to him and my family for
always being there to encourage me in my role, but also for always sharing
their two cents, thoughts, and advice about what should and shouldn’t be done
as a government. It keeps me grounded in what matters to the next generation of
young families and businesses and entrepreneurs who look to Saskatchewan to be
a leader in continuing to remove red tape and allow for growth opportunities
for young families to thrive and prosper.
This
is the first time in a while that I’ve had to stand up and talk about my own
family and where they’re at in their lives, so I’ll take a little bit of time
to do that here. So my daughter Nevada has a master’s degree from the
University of Saskatchewan in biology and a teaching degree, and continues to
teach grade 12 biology, and has taken on a new role as an academic advisor and
student support at the Lloydminster Comprehensive High School.
Dr.
Casey Young is a radiologist working part-time at his clinics in Lloydminster,
but is also the community development officer for the last two years for Canada
Diagnostic Centres, and travels to cities across this country working with
other radiologists and physicians to build diagnostic clinics and create more
efficient opportunities for diagnostics within Canada. He and his wife,
Jessica, a special ed teacher, have five girls and one son: Pearl, 13; Belle,
11; Hazel, 9; Ruby, 7; June, 5; and Otto, one and a half. A very busy household
to say the least.
Dr.
Chester Young is a dentist and partner of Rainbow Falls dentistry in
Chestermere Lake, Alberta along with his brothers, Dr. Riley and Dr. Duke
Young. They also own a second clinic in a new development near the Calgary
airport. Dr. Riley is married to Ashley, a pharmacist who works for a company
managing pharmacies in western provinces. They have two three-year-old twins,
Dax and Tenley, and a two-year-old, Cade. And just on Friday they told us they
were expecting their fourth.
Dr.
Duke Young is also an owner with a partner of a dental clinic in Kindersley and
did training in January and February of this year to practise orthodontics at
the Rainbow Falls clinic.
Dr.
Fraser Young is an orthodontist, owns and runs Edge Orthodontics in
Lloydminster, Camrose, and Cold Lake. He and his wife, Chantal, a dental
assistant, have three very young children: Beck, six; Harris, four; and Nellie,
one.
Dr.
Percy Young, a dentist, works with his brother Fraser at Edge Orthodontics. He
is married to Lesia, a dentist at SmileWorks in Lloydminster. They have a
two-year-old son, Wells, and are expecting their second child this summer.
Dr.
Ace Young owns and practises dentistry at Lloydminster Dental. He and his wife,
Shelby, an RN, have two-year-old twins, Briggs and Brinley, and are expecting
another child in May. Yes, Mr. Speaker, 15 grandkids and 3 more on the way. It does
appear my kids are taking care of population growth.
Mr.
Speaker, the NDP opposition have called this a bad-news budget. Well I stand
here before you to say I am proud to be a member of a government that has
chosen not to raise taxes or cut the very important services to the citizens of
this great province. This is a good-news budget.
During
some very challenging economic times in the history of our country and our
world, to be able to have the lowest debt-to-GDP in all of Canada while
continuing to make strong investments in affordability, health care, education,
and communities shows our government’s commitment to protecting Saskatchewan
and all that we have worked to grow, build, and provide for those whom we all
serve.
Mr.
Speaker, our government has enacted policies that foster economic growth while
maintaining strong financial management. All provinces have had to make tough
decisions in how they can continue funding key services while trying to keep
life affordable. Mr. Speaker, this cannot be repeated enough: Saskatchewan has
among the lowest personal taxes in the country.
On
top of our annual 2.5 billion in affordability measures, we have
introduced taxation changes to the tune of $200 million in tax savings
this year. We have the highest tax-free threshold in all of Canada. A family of
four pays no provincial income tax on their first 65,000 of combined income.
Indexation of personal income tax for 2025 will save taxpayers an estimated
42 million on their 2026 taxes. And the combined effect of indexation of
the tax system from 2007 to 2026 will save taxpayers a total of $489 million.
Mr.
Speaker, our government continues to make significant investments in our
municipalities with an 8 per cent increase to municipal revenue sharing,
protecting the investments already made and allowing our communities to
continue providing necessary services, infrastructure, and programs for their
residents.
Lloydminster
has benefited greatly from the MRS [municipal revenue sharing] since
implemented by our government, which is the only program like this in all of
Canada. We are a border city, and so for the Saskatchewan residents of the
city, they received $713,166 in 2007. And today the current 11,000 Saskatchewan
residents, the city now receives $3,194,148. That’s a 347.9 per cent increase.
Lloydminster
has also benefited and received funding as part of the past Canada
Infrastructure Program, upgrading their new wastewater treatment plant, and the
recent new recreational entertainment facility, the Cenovus Hub. And under ICIP
[Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program], the RM of Britannia received
197,606 for the community of Greenstreet’s lagoon expansion.
Our
government’s municipal economic enhancement program supports the rural
communities in my constituency too. The RM of Britannia received $309,447 and
the RM of Frenchman Butte received $214,730 under this program. Continuing to
increase funding to the municipal revenue sharing allows these communities to
protect these investments for their residents.
Saskatchewan’s
27 school divisions will receive $2.4 billion in school operating funding.
The Lloydminster Public School Division, the Lloydminster Catholic School
Division, and the Northwest School Division have benefited from the
$54 million that has helped to address non-teacher salary increases,
inflation pressures, and the specialized support classrooms. The school
divisions in my constituency have expressed to me personally their appreciation
for the financial support they receive from the government to develop these
specialized support classrooms.
Mr.
Speaker, I attended the U of S [University of Saskatchewan] College of
Education. My husband, Kim, received his law degree from the U of S College of
Law, and all eight of my children received their degrees from the U of S. And
as you heard in my introduction — you can count — 11 of my family members are
in the health care fields in one manner or the other.
I
am so very proud of all my children, all that they’ve accomplished and continue
to accomplish in their professional lives, their businesses, and their young
and growing families. They get excited about new innovations, medical
equipment, and research yet today. So I was extremely disappointed and angry to
hear the opposition member from Regina Elphinstone-Centre state that she tells
young people in this province not to go into health care.
An
847.1 million investment in our post-secondary institutions for the
expansion of training seats, including 9.9 million to finalize
implementation of three new domestic health care training programs that will
begin this fall — respiratory therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and
language pathology — and 3.8 million for continued implementation of the
physician assistants program. These investments within our post-secondary
institutions are critical to support our new patient-first health care plan.
More
post-secondary seats that will see more doctors and nurses, nurse practitioners
be trained in Saskatchewan. The budget provides 4.1 million in new funding
to add 20 physician and 26 nurse practitioner seats in the new academic year.
My son was a graduate of the 60 seats in the College of Medicine back then, and
it’s wonderful to see the investment we’ve made to expand to 120 seats,
prioritizing Saskatchewan students.
Mr.
Speaker, here’s a telling and strong comparison when protecting our education
in this province. Under the NDP 176 schools were closed. Under this Sask Party
government we have built 74 brand new schools and 25 major renovations. That’s
109 new schools. Add onto that numerous minor renovations, along with providing
preventative maintenance and renewal funding to school divisions, a program and
funding that didn’t exist under the NDP. Mr. Speaker, there are more schools to
come, and we are not cancelling any school builds. And it appears the only
expertise in school building the NDP has is mothballing schools.
Mr.
Speaker, we are protecting the safety of our highways in this province. This is
key to ensuring our resources can get to market and our businesses can move
products and keep our families safe as they come and go. A total budget of
764 million continues to keep this province’s thousands of kilometres of
highways safe for all. The ’26‑27 rural integrated roads for growth will
provide $348,750 to the RM of Frenchman Butte for surface strengthening. Total
planned expenditures of $12.8 million will see the continuation of trading
passing lanes on Highway 17 north of Lloydminster, which will include culvert
replacements, bridge repair, and other safety improvements. Protecting
Saskatchewan.
We
are better positioned than any other province in all of this country to protect
our services, infrastructure, programs, and the citizens who choose to live,
work, and raise their families in this great province. The NDP opposition can’t
handle the fact that we are making good-news announcements and our economy is
strong and leading the way. They make statements like there’s nothing here to
be proud of. Well, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we strongly disagree, and so do the 60‑plus
companies who have chosen to make significant investments in this province.
Importantly,
it signals that Saskatchewan remains a steady and attractive place to invest
and grow and that it recognizes the critical role businesses play in local
economies and communities. Balancing the books takes a one-two punch. It
requires a combination of fiscal discipline by government and private sector
growth to close the gap.
As the
province explores efficiencies and savings across government ministries, Crown
corporations, and agencies, this budget will enable our businesses to do their
part, create jobs, expand the tax base, and help fund the officers, doctors,
nurses, and teachers we need.
Mr. Speaker, when any member
of this Assembly supports the promotion of hate speech from within their own
team that targets individual elected members, they should immediately remove
that person from their staff and condemn those words. It’s disappointing that
not one member on that side of the House has taken the opportunity to stand up
and condemn the actions of this employee. And it appears that the NDP’s leader
position is strong on this, and this is also the entire NDP’s caucus position.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, silence is telling.
And in closing, Mr. Speaker,
here’s some advice I gave to my children that I would like to pass on to
members opposite. A quote, a quote attributed to ancient Chinese philosopher
Lao-tzu. It offers mindfulness — a simple, actionable philosophy for personal
transformation and behavioural control:
Watch
your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words; they become your
actions. Watch your actions; they become your habits. Watch your habits; they
become your character, and it is your character that determines your destiny.
Mr. Speaker, I will be
supporting the budget put forth by the Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance,
seconded by the member from Carrot River Valley, and I will not be supporting
the amendment put forth by the opposition.
Deputy
Speaker B. McLeod:
— I recognize the member from Regina Walsh Acres.
Jared
Clarke: —
Thank you, Speaker. Hoo, this is a bad-news budget. Now we know that everything
is getting more expensive, and yet this budget is going to cost Saskatchewan
people more.
[21:15]
Now when I look at this
budget, I think about the theme. And I think back to, you know, a previous
premier, when they would put out themes like making Saskatchewan the best place
to live for someone who has a disability, or aspirational themes where they’re
trying to improve things in Saskatchewan.
When I think about the issues
that we’re facing right now in this province around child poverty
. . . one in three kids in this province are living in poverty. We
think about record homelessness that has just ballooned in this province. I
think about health care in this province and that it’s worse now than it has
ever been. And yet the theme that we have in this provincial budget is
Protecting Saskatchewan.
And so I really got to wonder
about like, protecting Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker, when we’re cutting $33 per
student out of education. I think about, how are we protecting Saskatchewan
when there’s no new affordability measures in this budget whatsoever? There’s
nothing for wildfires in the North after an unprecedented wildfire season last
year and fears about another severe wildfire season this year.
There’s flatlining in health
care with a 0.3 per cent increase in funding. There’s no contract for health
care workers. We see a deficit of $118 million. We’re spending
$1.2 billion to service the debt, which has ballooned to $43 billion.
This is a bad-news budget, and yet they’re trying to put lipstick on a pig
here, Mr. Speaker.
And I got to say, one of the
lines that the government’s been using over the last couple days is that this
is a bad-news budget, which I agree with, but they add on “for the NDP.” And I
haven’t really understood why they’re saying it’s bad news for us. But as I’ve
listened to them tonight, I’ve come to understand that this is a bad-news
budget for the NDP because just like in 1991 when we took over and we were
three months away from bankruptcy as a province, in 2028 it’s going to be the
NDP who form government and have to clean up all of this mess. $43 billion
in debt, Mr. Deputy Speaker. It is unbelievable.
And I like the line from my
colleague from Saskatoon Westview, who said this budget is divine. Simply
divine. Simply divine.
Now as many members in the
Chamber have done, I’m going to take a moment to welcome my colleague from
Regina South Albert. And then I’m going to say some thank yous real quick to a
few people before I continue on with my skewering of the budget, Mr. Deputy
Speaker . . . [inaudible interjection] . . . You’re right.
You’re right.
I want to say thank you to my
constituency assistant, Wren, for all the work that she does in my office every
day to keep things going and keeping the good folks of Regina Walsh Acres well
served, making sure we’re responding to them in good time and taking their
feedback and being in constant communication. I appreciate the work she does
every day.
Also want to say thank you to
my constituency executive. These folks, as volunteers, put in countless hours
to support me, to support our team, and I just want to say a huge thank you to
each and every one of them.
I do want to thank my family:
my wife and my twin girls. My wife is just an amazing human being, works as a
biologist. And I think the world of her. I think she is a rock star in what she
does and working in the conservation field to make sure that the legacy that we
leave for our kids is better than the one that we’ve inherited. So really proud
of her.
And I also want to just give
a shout-out to my daughter Teal, who recently was part of her school basketball
team, and they won the league champion here. And she got to play in the
semifinal, which was really exciting. So congratulations to her. And then also
to Rowan, who has been curling lately and loving it. So she also played in kind
of a year-end tournament and got to skip, which was really exciting for her.
Nice to see them both growing up.
I want to say thank you to my
team on this side of the House. It is truly an honour and a privilege to get to
serve with each and every one of you. The level of compassion, of intelligence,
of care for the people of this province and the work that you all do inspires
me every day. And I know you would all make amazing cabinet ministers in an NDP
government.
Now a few other ones to
thank. I do want to say thank you to our staff here in the building, our caucus
staff. I love my 26 colleagues very much, but I think the staff here work
incredibly hard to keep us all organized and on track. So a big thank you to
them. And I do want to single out Kelsey Ochoski for her work in the big, bold
health care consultation that her and I and the member from Regina
Elphinstone-Centre have been working really hard on. And Kelsey has been a
really big part of that, so I just want to say thank you to her.
My last thank you is of
course to the good people of Regina Walsh Acres. It continues to be just a real
honour to represent you in this Chamber, from this seat. And it’s been an
honour to get to know you so well over the last almost three years now. And I
appreciate the feedback when it’s positive and when it’s negative. But it’s
very much appreciated to hear what matters most to you. And I bring all of
those conversations into this Chamber, into the conversations we have around
our caucus table for sure. So thank you to my constituents for sure.
But it’s through the lens of
my constituents that I look at this budget, Mr. Deputy Speaker. And I think
about all those conversations that I’ve had on the doorstep in two elections in
the last two and a half years, in the emails and the phone conversations that I
have, in the messages that come over social media. They all, they all weigh on
me, and I think and bring those ideas and thoughts into this building.
But when I think about this
budget, I think about the woman in my constituency that I met at her door. And
she was in tears talking to me as she described how she can’t afford to live in
the house that she has lived in for the last 30 years. And I remember talking
to her on the doorstep during the campaign. And I didn’t have a lot to offer
her, but she told me her story and she cried. And she said, “I don’t know what
I’m going to do. I don’t know where I’m going to go. I’ve lived in this house
for 30 years.” And I think about her often.
I think about a conversation
I had with a man, a constituent just recently, who has waited 17 months to see
a specialist for a hip replacement. He’s in incredible pain, incredible pain,
and he hasn’t seen the specialist yet. And he will probably wait another number
of months before he gets that hip replaced once he’s seen the surgeon or the
specialist.
I think about the parents
that I have talked to, whose kids are in one of the many schools in Regina
Walsh Acres who aren’t getting the supports that they need. And as a former
teacher, I know that story and that issue quite well. And I’ve talked at length
about the realities in Saskatchewan schools many times in this Assembly.
But this budget really fails
on a lot of issues, on a lot of . . . When we talk about
affordability, when we talk about health care, when we talk about education,
when we talk about the vulnerable people in this province, this is a bad-news
budget.
And again when we talk about
affordability, there is nothing new in this budget. We’ve seen rate hikes in
SaskPower and SGI recently. $136 million it’s costing people. And I think
about that woman on her doorstep and how is she going to cope. There’s nothing
in this budget to help her, nothing new.
When I think about education,
I think about the STF’s [Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation] numbers. About $33
per student cut to education funding across the province. So that will mean,
Mr. Deputy Speaker, that when school divisions are making their budgets, they
will be cutting supports. They will be making classrooms larger, cramming more
students in there. This is not a good-news budget. And for the government to
pretend like it is, is out of touch.
And I want to talk about
health care, Mr. Speaker. As shadow minister for Rural and Remote Health, I’ve
been spending a lot of time again with my colleague from Regina
Elphinstone-Centre. We’ve been travelling across the province talking to a lot
of different health care professionals, a lot of stakeholders, a lot of
innovators, a lot of people, and been hearing a lot of solutions and a lot of
excitement around what could be.
But I got to say that it’s
been really hard to sit in the rooms with front-line health care workers and
hear how so many of them are barely holding on, how so many of them are holding
on by a thread. And I’ve said this line before in this room. But we sat down
with some nurses from the St. Paul’s emergency room. And a nurse who has been
on the job for two years . . . She’s only been a nurse for two years,
young woman. And she said, Mr. Speaker . . . We were talking about
ideas and solutions and what could we do to make things better for them. And
she said, “Well I’ve only been a nurse for two years, so I don’t have a lot
maybe to offer. But I will say that I don’t want to go home after my shift
anymore and hate my job.” That is what she said.
I recently sat at an event
here in Regina, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and I was the only . . . I went
by myself, sat down — I didn’t know which table I was going to be at — sat down
at the table. And I sat down at a table with five nurses who worked in critical
care, all for 30 years. Mr. Speaker, I can’t say what they told me about what
they think about how health care is going in this province. That would be
unparliamentary language, Mr. Deputy Speaker. And so to hear the members on the
other side suggest that we are the issue, that we are telling young people to
not go into health care, they should talk to some actual front-line health care
workers.
Now the fact that there is no
contract budget line to add money in to salaries for health care workers who
have gone four years without a raise, who have gone three years without a
contract, is mind-boggling. And if we want to actually fix health care in this
province, we’ve got to take care of the people who are taking care of us. We’ve
got to stop pretending like front-line health care workers are the enemy. Why
are we not signing a deal and giving these people a raise? Health care workers
shouldn’t be stopping at the food bank on the way home from their shift. It’s a
disgrace, Mr. Speaker.
The other one I want to talk
about is urgent care centres. You know, this government is championing the
urgent care centre. We touched on this a little bit today in question period.
But I really . . . People ask me this all the time. When the urgent
care centre is not open 24‑7 like it has been promised since the election
— yesterday it closed at 4:30 p.m.; on Saturday and Sunday it was closed at 2
p.m. — we’re going to open another urgent care centre in this city and that’s
going to solve the problem? Like I don’t understand. And legitimately, Mr.
Speaker, people ask us, well if they can’t staff the one that they have, how
are they going to staff the second one? I would love to hear the actual answer.
I’d love to know how these urgent care centres are the answer.
[21:30]
I will give the government
credit, Mr. Speaker. Nurse practitioners should have been part of the solution
10 years ago, so I don’t know why it’s taken this long to figure this out.
Team-based care should be what we have done 10 years ago.
And I’ve got to ask, Mr.
Deputy Speaker, why is the Yorkton hospital still in the pre-design phase? When
I asked people in Yorkton — because I was there twice this last week — they
don’t understand. They don’t understand how. They had a full design concept in
place 14 years ago that went to town halls and the community talked about it.
They wanted to move forward on this. The hospital foundation paid for this work
to be done, and then it sat on the shelf for 14 years, and now we’re back in
the pre-design phase.
This is, I don’t know
. . . [inaudible interjection] . . . Yeah, building
hospitals faster. Maybe they can bring that. Maybe a private member’s bill we
could bring in there, Mr. Deputy Speaker. The bottom line is, Mr. Deputy
Speaker, there is no Yorkton hospital, t here is no funding for the Yorkton
hospital, and there is no timeline for the Yorkton hospital to be built.
And if you look at the
capital that they’re putting aside in the budget for health care facilities:
this year, 472 million; next year, 252 million; the year after that,
103 million; the year after, 133 million. Where in those years is a
hospital for Yorkton? Anyone who sees those numbers knows that a hospital is
not coming.
But hey, we got a
patient-first health care plan, the fourth edition. First launched in 2009,
2012 again, it came out again in 2015. They made a commitment to eliminate
emergency rooms’ wait times by 2017. You wouldn’t wait a minute in a hospital
emergency room. God, what happened? But this time, Mr. Speaker, this time,
they’re going to do it. I believe them.
Okay. This one is
interesting, Mr. Deputy Speaker . . . or Mr. Speaker, gosh. You
switched. I’m sorry, Mr. Speaker.
Cancer patient parking.
Dennis Ogrodnick has been working — a man with terminal cancer — has been
working to try and make this right. Some cancer patients in the province don’t
pay for parking. Other patients in places like P.A. pay for parking, and he’s
asking for fairness.
And he was told by members in
the government that he would like what he sees in this budget. He kind of
described that as meaning maybe there was going to be free parking for cancer
patients across the board. I haven’t seen that in the budget, Mr. Speaker.
But I think Dennis is such an
incredible man. I’m inspired by him, and I just thank him for his advocacy and
the fact that he has spent time . . . While he should be fighting his
disease, he’s fighting his government for fairness. And it is a shame.
I’m going to wrap up here in
a few minutes, Mr. Speaker. But one of the other lines that I really like loved
from the government this week is, “This is the best budget of the whole
country” — I don’t know — “The best budget of all the budgets of the world.” I
don’t know. They do know it’s an $819 million deficit, right? Like they
read that part.
Because here’s the piece that
gets me: $12 million surplus last year that eventually turned into a
$1.2 billion deficit. So I’m kind of worried, if we’re starting at
$819 million, where this is going to end up. And I think Saskatchewan people
are legitimately worried about that as well.
Now the last thing, because I
feel like one of the themes of the budget responses here has been the
discussion around hate. And so I will end my speech on this point as well.
It has been rich. It has been
very rich listening to government clutch their pearls and gasp about an email,
to throw stones from a glass house. I would like to just do a quick recap of
some of the division that we have seen in this House since I’ve been an MLA,
two and a half years. The member from Saskatoon Meewasin referenced Bill 137,
the emergency sitting. That was my first time in this Chamber, Mr. Speaker, my
maiden speech. Three and a half hours I talked.
If you go and you listen to
the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender] community of youth in this
province, you will hear the fear that they now live with because of Bill 137. I
attended a rally about Bill 137 a few months ago, and 11‑year-old kids,
12‑year-old kids talked about the increase in bullying that they have
seen since that bill has come out. I’m actually speaking at an event about Bill
137 on Saturday this weekend. I would challenge any members from government to
come with me and hear from the community about the fear and the division that
that government brought into this Chamber and into this province.
I will also speak and remind
members in this House about the Israel-Palestine war and for how many months
the Israel flag hung outside this Chamber, and no mention of the loss and
suffering of the Palestinian people was recognized ever. The division that
caused in this House and in this province is huge. There’s a reason why members
from the government aren’t invited to the Ramadan celebrations of the Muslim
community in this province. That’s real division right there. How about the
time one of the members in the government called members on this side of the
House antisemites before we broke for Christmas that same fall?
How about the time a member
from the government called the leader of the federal NDP a terrorist? That
wasn’t hateful? That wasn’t divisive? I know the Sikh community called that
hate. I know the Sikh community did not support that. What about that division
that was brought into this House, into this province by that government?
And I will end with this, Mr.
Speaker: the first order of business from that government in the election of
2024, that saw my children be the target of incredible hate to the point where
the RCMP and the Regina city police were involved in monitoring their safety.
That Premier wants to stand
up and talk about an email and talk about accountability from the Leader of the
Opposition, when I’ve stood up in this spot and I have asked for an apology,
and that apology has never come. In a year and a half, that apology has never
come. So where is the accountability from that Premier on that decision?
Crickets.
So do you want to talk about
division? It’s a glass house over there, and they shouldn’t be throwing rocks.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I
will end my comments for this evening. I will not be supporting this bad-news
budget. I will be supporting the amendment brought forward by the member from
Regina Mount Royal. Thank you.
Speaker
Goudy: —
I recognize the member from Cannington.
Daryl Harrison: — Thank
you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure to be on my feet today to reply to the
budget by the Hon. Deputy Premier and Finance minister, Mr. Speaker. I am
honoured to do so.
Mr. Speaker, before I get
into the budget I want to do a few thank yous. Once again I want with the
deepest heartfelt thanks, thanks to my constituents that put me in this chair
for a second term. Thank you very much.
To my CA, Trisha. She keeps
the office running smoothly. My two assistant CAs, Merilyn and April. They fill
in when needed, and I really appreciate all the hard work they do.
Now my family, Mr. Speaker.
Two months ago our daughter Jill had a baby girl, and that made number nine in
the family. It doesn’t compare to my seatmate, but we’re about half. All
healthy and . . .
An Hon. Member:
— Keep going.
Daryl Harrison: — I’m
sure they will. Mr. Speaker, also had a great-grandson about nine months ago, a
little more than nine months ago. So that makes nine and it’s five to four, so
we’ll see how it plays out here in the end.
I also want to thank my wife,
Cheryl. As the Minister of Agriculture would often comment, she’s the one that
does all the work around there. And she’ll be doing most of the calving here
this spring. And I have to say, I love you, Cheryl. Thank you for all your hard
work and staying with me.
Mr. Speaker, I want to
address that hate email. I want to state it: “Just take a moment and think of
the faces of all the ones you hate so much.” I’ll repeat that, Mr. Speaker:
“Just take a moment and think of the faces of all the ones you hate so much.”
And then it goes on to name the Premier and three other hon. members on this
side. They are fathers. They are fathers and they are sons and they have
families, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t know how
you grew up, but I have a pretty good idea. And I’m going to say, most of the
ones on this side grew up like I did. Hate was a word we didn’t use. Hate was
not a word we used in the house. It’s not a word we used in school, Mr.
Speaker. It was extremely discouraged. We never hate anyone. We can hate
. . .
Speaker
Goudy: — Okay. Shoot. Okay,
everybody. You should not speak out when the Speaker stands up. It’s not me;
it’s the Chair and still.
Can I ask a favour? Like
tomorrow I’m going to give a . . . Would you do me a favour and move
on? The ruling was made. And just because things are “follow the rules,”
doesn’t mean we have to do things. You are my friend. Would you move on? Thanks.
Daryl Harrison: — Thank
you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I’ll move on from that comment.
[21:45]
And I also want to say, when
the member opposite states about health care workers, discouraging young people
from coming in to the field, I have a wife that works in health care. Her mom
worked in health care. I have two daughters that work in health care, Mr.
Speaker. I have one daughter going to school to become a nurse. It is an
honourable profession.
Mr. Speaker, they enjoy their
work and I am so proud of the work they do. They go to work every day. It’s
nothing to be ashamed of. It should be encouraged. It should be encouraged to
make a career in health care. It’s very rewarding. I don’t want to discourage
anyone from taking that path, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I’ll move on to
the budget. The Deputy Premier and the Finance minister had some very good news
about the budget. I want to quote the Deputy Premier and Finance minister. “We
had a choice.” Cut services? No. Raise taxes? No. Or protect Saskatchewan. We
chose to protect Saskatchewan.”
Mr. Speaker, we continue to
invest in much-needed infrastructure. Over the next four years, we will invest
seventeen and a half billion dollars in capital projects across this entire
province — health care facilities, hospitals, long-term care, schools, municipal
infrastructure, highways and roads. Mr. Speaker, it’s one of the largest
capital budgets in the province’s history, with more than $4.3 billion.
That is something to be proud of.
Investing in Saskatchewan
highways, Mr. Speaker, over 820 kilometres in this year’s budget alone. And I
want to thank the Minister of Highways. One of the largest complaints I get is
Highway 13 from Redvers to the Manitoba border, and it is going to be done this
year. So thank you to the Minister of Highways. I’m just going to say, my list
got one shorter but I’ve got one more to add. So thank you is coming to the
Minister of Highways.
Lowest unemployment rate in
Canada, Mr. Speaker. One of our largest employers here in the province is our
small businesses, and they are reassured that the small-business tax rate was
left at 1 per cent. Mr. Speaker, that’s reassuring and encouraging the
commitment of small businesses to sustain operations here in Saskatchewan and
even start up new businesses as we go.
Mr. Speaker, affordability.
Saskatchewan is the most affordable province in Canada to live — a great place
to live, work, and raise a family, a large family. We have doubled the active
family benefits, Mr. Speaker, supporting those same families. And I’ll say it
again: it’s a great place to live, work, and raise a family right here in this
province. And it’s a great day in Saskatchewan, like the former MLA from
Riversdale used to say.
Mr. Speaker, education. One
hundred and nine schools built or major reconstructions completed, in progress,
announced. What an accomplishment. Our government, the Sask Party government
here, is a party that likes to build things here in this province to make
things better than they were under the NDP.
Mr. Speaker, the school
operating fund for ’26‑27 school year has an increase of
$62 million. Increased funding for 50 specialized classrooms providing our
students their very best start, Mr. Speaker. That’s important. Education is the
foundation of a family.
Post-secondary. A new
multi-year post-secondary funding agreement providing post-secondary
institutions with a 3 per cent increase each year for four years, Mr. Speaker.
And that provides our post-secondary institutions with the stability and
predictability they need. Along with this agreement, it ensures enrolment will
not increase more than 3 per cent. It will range from zero to 3 per cent in
those four years, Mr. Speaker. That is something to be proud of.
This budget provides
$4 million in new funding to add 20 physician seats and 26 nurse
practitioner seats to those same schools, Mr. Speaker. Those are the same
students that are going to graduate and be proud to take jobs right here in the
province.
This year the highest overall
health care budget, $8.47 billion, Mr. Speaker, a 4.9 per cent increase.
Investing in the new patients-first health care plan to ensure everyone has
access to the right care at the right time in the right place. Expanding the
scope of practice for all health care professionals to the maximum of any
province across Canada, Mr. Speaker. Utilizing their education and their
expertise is very key to providing our residents of Saskatchewan with the very
best care.
Mr. Speaker, I’d be remiss if
I didn’t talk about agriculture. An 8.4 per cent increase in business risk
management programming. Changes to the AgriStability to allow ranchers to claim
rented pasture land and stored feed on site that’s meant to be fed — huge
changes for our ranchers.
I also want to thank you
. . . Sorry, Mr. Speaker, I’m losing my voice. I also want to thank
those hard-working producers out there that are calving this time of year. And
I also want to thank the ones that are going to kick off our annual megaproject
right here in a few weeks. They’ll be putting in the seeds in the ground and
looking forward to a bountiful harvest in the fall, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, agriculture. To
keep our producers on the leading edge requires research, and our government
invests in research here in the province — $178.6 million in agriculture
science and research projects over the last five years, Mr. Speaker. And I
can’t emphasize enough how important research is to keep our farmers at the
cutting edge of farming technologies. And I thank, I thank every time those
producers that work so hard and utilize that research results that we’re
providing funding for, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I want to talk
about municipalities, you know, our local governments. They’re duly elected and
they’re our governments that’s closest to the people they serve. I want to talk
about municipal revenue sharing, Mr. Speaker. Nearly $400 million in this
year’s budget.
Imagine how many mill rates,
property tax dollars that saves cities, towns, villages, RMs. It’s very huge.
And guess what? It’s one of a kind. We’re the only province doing this kind of
thing. Nearly $400 million — no strings attached — for the municipalities
to apply to infrastructure, services that their ratepayers need, Mr. Speaker.
We are the envy of the entire country with municipal revenue sharing, and it’s
not going anywhere.
Mr. Speaker, investments here
in Saskatchewan: $62 billion from 60 different projects. That just doesn’t
happen, Mr. Speaker. It’s the policy of the Sask Party government led by
Premier Moe, having a strong economy, creating and enticing the investment
right here to the province. We have oil and gas, potash, uranium, lithium,
helium, hydrogen, aluminum, copper, and other critical minerals, Mr. Speaker.
We’re here. We’re an attractive investment location here in Canada. We’re
leading the world in mining investment. Mr. Speaker, I’m looking to the
Minister of Energy and Resources. We are the envy of almost the entire world
when it comes to mining.
Sorry, I might be at the end
of my speech, Mr. Speaker. Cameco just signed that huge deal in India. We’ve
got new uranium mines approved. We’ve got a copper mine coming on. Dipping back
to agriculture, canola crush plants. My God, Mr. Speaker, we’re drawing. We are
drawing investment here into the province. Policy does matter. It absolutely
does.
Mr. Speaker, we have the best
province in Canada, and I’m going to say the best jurisdiction in North America
and the best jurisdiction around the world. And we welcome more investment. And
we want more people to come. We want people to live, work, play, and raise
their families right here in Saskatchewan.
Mr. Speaker, I will support
this budget presented by the Minister of Finance, seconded by the member from
Carrot River Valley. And I will not be supporting the amendment. Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
Speaker
Goudy: —
I recognize the member from Saskatoon
Fairview.
Vicki
Mowat: —
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Things have gotten a little weird here tonight. I’ll do
my best to provide some comments here. I wasn’t looking at anyone in
particular.
Mr. Speaker, I’m happy to
provide some response to the budget here today. Not so happy about the hour,
although I will deal with it being past my bedtime as we all do when we do this
work, Mr. Speaker.
I
think the closest friends . . . And probably the best benefit of
having close friends is that you feel like you can kind of turn off in those
environments. And for me it’s very much where you can show up wearing
sweatpants and I don’t have to put any makeup on and we can go camping. And you
know, those are my people that I can spend time with and really feel like they
just rejuvenate me. So I want to thank them.
I
want to thank my family who unfailingly support me and remind me of who I am.
When sometimes it can start to feel like this work is all encompassing and that
it is every part of you, I think that family does a good job of reminding you
of who you are and what your character is and what your values are.
Which
that type of grounding is important in this work especially when so many set
out to put words in your mouth and make you feel like, you know, you’re
questioning sanity sometimes and trying to figure out which way is up, which
way is down. You know, where are my values. Where are people saying my values
are. Those things become kind of messy in this job. So I want to thank my
family for being that grounding force.
And
my constituency assistant, Twyla Harris Naciri, who’s been with me since the
beginning. I think she was hired about a month and a half after I was elected,
and so we’ve been together for about nine years doing this work. And I want to
thank her for all the time that she puts in and all the guidance she provides
to other CAs, but also to other members when they’re learning how this work
happens, how to do a budget, how the constituency office works, and all of
those pieces.
[22:00]
We
went through a little bit of personal change in our house. It’s sort of
customary to talk about what’s going on in your life when you start to do your
response. And it’s been a big change for us in our household as my partner,
Grayson, and I have welcomed in my nephew Tyler into our house. So we now have
a 17‑year-old sort of out of the blue. And so it’s been a pretty wild
winter adjusting to that and, yeah, didn’t set out to be parents but ended up
in this sort of situation. And yeah, it’s been quite interesting, and I feel
like I’m learning patience on a whole new level. But it’s been good, Mr.
Speaker.
I
will turn my attention to the budget. When I said it was a little bit weird in
here tonight, Mr. Speaker, I was sort of thinking about the excessive amounts
of back-patting that I’m hearing, of like this is the best budget ever, this is
the best . . . The hyperbole is very strong about how, you know, this
is the best thing we’ve even seen. And it feels like an off-tone hype situation
that doesn’t match the moment, Mr. Speaker.
And
so I want to speak a little bit about the moment we’re in, what I hear when I
chat with folks, and the importance of getting it right for the people of this
province and remind folks that that’s what it’s all about. And that’s why we’re
here, is to serve our constituents and not to get wrapped up in any kind of,
you know, political nonsense back and forth. So I think that, you know, that’s
what guides me and that’s what I want to speak about a little bit here tonight.
So
why are we calling this a bad-news budget? Well the deficit is
$800 million forecast. It adds costs and fees and we don’t see any
cost-of-living relief for the people of this province. The reality is that this
budget is going to cost the people of the province more. And it’s really
disappointing to me knowing that we have more revenue than we’ve ever had.
The
members opposite like to talk about, you know, what we did — whatever it was —
18 years ago when we were in government. You know, there’s more money to work
with. The budget’s bigger. There’s $21 billion. The last budget we dealt
with was about $8 billion. Like of course things are going to be two or
three times bigger. That’s how math works, Mr. Speaker. That’s how inflation
works. It’s just, you know, compare apples to apples.
And
I also say this in reference to the statement that I’ve heard a few times from
members opposite saying, you know, we compare budgets to budgets, ignoring the
fact that they actually spent way more money than they planned to spend, Mr.
Speaker. And I think about how this would play out in a household setting,
right. If I say, you know, I plan to spend $50 on shoes this month and then I
go out and I actually spend $50,000 on shoes, do you think my partner is going
to be like, well you know, we’ll compare budget to budget next year? I guess
the budget for shoes was $50. I guess next year the budget for shoes should be
$50 again. Like it’s just so ridiculous to not compare the budget to the
actual, Mr. Speaker. And I think that members opposite would be well served to
keep that in mind.
We’re
not seeing any gas tax relief despite high gas prices and despite the province
taking in windfall oil revenues due to the war in the Middle East. There’s new
taxes and fees on hunting, fishing, driving, and this is all after the Premier
said that they wouldn’t be hiking costs. And Saskatchewan people are already
struggling with higher power bills, auto insurance, taxes on groceries and
kids’ clothes, and all the taxes that were added in 2017.
And
I remember the 2017 year very well, Mr. Speaker, because that’s the summer I
got elected. And walking around and talking to folks in the riding about all of
those added taxes and fees, it was very much a moment in this province that
will not be forgotten.
And
Saskatchewan people already report the highest financial anxiety in Canada — 4
in 10 are borrowing money just to pay for food. And when you hear about kids,
the rates of kids living in poverty, Mr. Speaker, it should give you pause to
think about whether what you’re doing is working, whether something needs to
change. Despite that we see fees going up and it costing more for all of these
everyday necessities.
And
we know — and this came up today in question period, Mr. Speaker — that Wab
Kinew’s government is cutting taxes on groceries in Manitoba. And we asked the
Premier to do the same thing. And instead he joked a little bit about
rotisserie chickens, and there was sort of this, you know, flippant way of
talking about rotisserie chickens as though rotisserie chickens are not
groceries, Mr. Speaker.
And
lovely, you know, to hear from members opposite about their own grocery bills
and the fact that there was no taxes on them. And you know, sometimes when you
have a good amount of time in the day and you can do a home-cooked meal and you
can plan it all out, for sure you know, you could get to that point. But you
know, I’m not cooking a whole chicken myself after I stay here until 10:30 at
night, Mr. Speaker.
Some
people have busy lives and they have to work. And they work multiple shifts and
they work multiple jobs. And they don’t have time to cook a whole chicken by
themselves. So picking up a rotisserie chicken on the way home is groceries,
Mr. Speaker, especially if you’re shopping at Costco because that’s a deal,
right?
Rotisserie
chicken, bag of salad, granola bars — I basically subsist on these things, you
know. This is like 90 per cent of my caloric intake is these three items,
right. And if those aren’t groceries, Mr. Speaker, I don’t know who they’re
talking to. Those are groceries.
So
we’re not seeing anything for cost of living. We continue to hear concerns
about cost of living, especially for folks who are on a fixed income.
And,
Mr. Speaker, I want to talk a little bit about health care. It’s near and dear
to my heart as being the Health shadow minister for so long, I probably
couldn’t not talk about health care. And it’s been canvassed well, but health
care workers and patients across this province need so much more from this
government.
And
to see a health budget that is flatlined at 0.3 per cent increase — and that’s
what it is, Mr. Speaker. Look at budget to actual, right. Compare apples to
apples. Compare the real value that we spent last year to what we’re planning
to spend this year — 0.3 per cent increase. It doesn’t even cover inflation,
Mr. Speaker.
And we need to see management
where we have mismanagement right now. So the AIMS [administrative information
management system] contract ballooning out of control, spending 10 times as
much money for women to go get basic breast care out of province, Mr. Speaker.
Mammograms out of province. It sounds like a bizarre dystopian future. It
defies logic that we have basic screenings happening in another province.
And, Mr. Speaker, there’s so
many things to talk about in health care. And this is being canvassed right now
by our team, but I think I will just say that the Sask Party government has
been in power for 18 years. They’ve broken the health care system in that
period of time. They cannot be trusted to fix it, and we need big, bold change
in health care.
I want to talk about crime
and community safety. It’s incredibly disappointing to see that the government
plans to spend three times more to service the debt than they do on their
policing budget, Mr. Speaker. We used to be the place where you could keep your
doors unlocked. Now people don’t feel safe in their own communities.
And I want to talk
specifically about community safety and homelessness from a local perspective
in my riding of Saskatoon Fairview. And this certainly isn’t the first time
I’ve brought this up. Mr. Speaker, I’ve written to the Minister of Social
Services — I’ve lost count at this point — perhaps four times specifically
asking for a meeting to talk about homelessness in my community. To talk about
the concentration of homelessness in my community with a 106‑bed
emergency shelter in our area, which is a very residential area that has
completely changed since the shelter was opened up.
So our community has felt the
effects of rising homelessness in Saskatoon harder than perhaps other
communities have. And when I wrote to the minister a year ago, I highlighted
the point-in-time counts from last year and I said, look, it’s three times the
amount of homelessness since 2022. Like, we’ve got to do something. Three times
the amount of homelessness in two years is very concerning. And this year, Mr.
Speaker, it’s four. It’s four times the amount of homeless people in Saskatoon
this year than three years ago.
And you just can’t look at a
trend like that and not ask, what are we doing wrong? And what do we need to
change? And what in the system isn’t working? And there are so many good folks
on the front lines saying, you know, we’ve got some solutions. And we don’t
care who gets credit for it. Just make the changes so that people can become
housed.
And part of that is about
making changes to social assistance, the SIS [Saskatchewan income support]
program, so that you can restore direct payments to landlords. So that
evictions happen less often, Mr. Speaker. Part of that is making sure that
there are houses for folks to go into. That this housing stock that the
province owns, we fix up the Sask Housing Corporation units that are sitting
empty, that the province currently owns.
Like, again I think about
this on a personal level. Could you imagine owning properties and just having
them sit empty and sitting idly by and you’re just . . . They’re
what, like boarded up and you’re just sitting there with this asset, you know,
that you’re paying for? It makes no sense. It completely defies logic at the
individual level. Would just . . . You know, I challenge members
opposite to think about how little sense that makes, right.
So making sure that these
systems are fixed, that we look for common-sense solutions and we get people
housed would make such a big difference in terms of crime and community safety,
and also perceptions on crime and community safety, Mr. Speaker. Because people
deserve to feel safe in their own homes. You know, they deserve to be able to
go into the park without having also unhoused people, you know, occupying that
space too. You know, allow their kids to go out and play in parks. Feel safe
going for a run. Feel safe gardening in their front yard.
That was something one of my
constituents told me this summer: “I don’t feel safe gardening in my front yard
anymore because I don’t know who’s around. We see lots of transient folks. I
feel like I have to have my husband out here with me because, you know, I’m
elderly. I’m concerned about what would happen.”
[22:15]
That’s not okay, Mr. Speaker,
and to not do something when faced with this monumental challenge is completely
irresponsible. So I would encourage members opposite to focus up on the task at
hand and put in some real change. And people were expecting that in this budget
and didn’t see it, Mr. Speaker.
I want to talk about
education — school capital funding actually decreasing by 67 million or 35
per cent. White City and Moose Jaw didn’t get new schools, but the Premier’s
community did get a new school, Mr. Speaker. Nothing new to support teachers
and students. We have more than 140 schools that are crumbling, and this
budget’s going to allow them to fall into permanent disrepair as the government
cuts maintenance funding. So many desperately needed schools are being ignored
here, Mr. Speaker.
I think I’m already well past
my time, but I want to talk a little bit about the debt. The Premier has more
than doubled the debt. After this budget it’ll be up to 43 billion. That’s
more debt than Grant Devine.
If you want to keep track,
you can look in real time at the real-time debt clock at the website
40billion.moe. Which honestly a lot of folks have asked me for — you know,
where’s the debt clock? Because there’s a federal one, and yeah, you can keep
track there if you want to see what your government’s doing with your money.
And this is paying for mismanagement, Mr. Speaker. Saskatchewan’s going to pay
$1.2 billion this year to Bay Street bankers just to service the debt, and
that number has doubled since that Premier took office. And there needs to be
accountability for that.
Now, Mr. Speaker, they say
that they’re going to balance the budget in a few years. We’ve heard that story
before. We heard that they were going to have the budget balanced by 2024 too.
And then, whoopsie — no, didn’t happen. So we’ll see. We’ll see what this
whoopsie’s going to be this time, Mr. Speaker.
But we know how this Sask
Party government has been with managing their money, and we will stand behind
the Saskatchewan NDP’s record with managing money any day of the week.
Mr. Speaker, there’s so many
different things I could talk about in this budget. But I think the last thing
I want to talk about is the fact that funding for northern Saskatchewan roads
is going to see a cut of $36 million. You know, in the wake of the
wildfire crisis, I want to thank my colleagues for how much leadership they’ve
shown in really being present for their communities. You know, to not see a
dedicated investment in this issue is so short-sighted, Mr. Speaker.
And it really highlighted for
folks just the state of northern roads when we had so many people driving up
north to provide supports during the wildfire, Mr. Speaker. You’d think the
amount of driving on the roads would highlight for government the fact that
they need to invest on them. Except they weren’t actually driving on those
roads very much, Mr. Speaker, so maybe they didn’t spend enough time up there
to see how badly this investment is needed.
But I assure them, this is
going to hurt the people of the North. And roads are — we heard today — roads
are arteries. They are lifelines. We heard this from members opposite about the
importance of roads and what they provide. The people of the North deserve
those roads too, Mr. Speaker.
So I’ve more than taken up my
time. I will conclude by indicating that I will not be supporting the budget
motion, probably a big shocker for folks after my speech. I will be supporting
the amendment put forward by my colleague from Regina Mount Royal. Thank you,
Mr. Speaker.
Speaker
Goudy: —
I recognize the member from Dakota-Arm
River.
Barret Kropf: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And
I will try to manage my last 10 minutes here. I feel like the closer in
baseball coming in here to mop up the evening. But I want to first of all just
give a shout-out to my sister Corrina, and Maddie, Kevin, Clark, Nikki, Dorothy.
Bridge and I are praying for you guys, praying that God’s peace covers you, and
want you to know that Uncle Barret and Auntie Corrina will always, always,
always be here for you.
To
my mom and dad, thank you for showing my sister and I the hard work and
dedication as you raised us. You embraced the grind and you modelled incredible
values for us. And I want to thank you for that. I love you very much.
To
my wife. She just texted me about 10 minutes ago saying that’s she’s going to
bed because she’s been waiting up all night, so she’ll watch in the morning.
But, Mr. Speaker, this summer will be 35 years that she’s been at my side. And
I love the fact that she’s a barber at Tommy Gun’s. So if anyone’s passing
through Moose Jaw — this is me pumping the tires on that shop — go in there and
get your hair cut.
And
she is an amazing woman of God. She’s actually using the graduate retention
program, Mr. Speaker, because she’s a recent grad of post-secondary here in
Saskatchewan. And now she’s mid-life career change and working at Tommy Gun’s,
so good on her for that. She’s an amazing mother raising our three sons. She is
a spectacular grandmother and I’ll talk about my grandchildren here shortly.
But
I just love getting older and growing older with Bridget every day. You know,
we tend to head to the repair shop often to get these old carcasses warranty
repair, whether it’s our eyes or our teeth or our hips or our parts, or
whatever it is. So I just love really just spending time with her and growing
old at her side. So, Bridget, I love you.
To
J-dog, who is a second lieutenant in our Canadian Armed Forces. He’s out in
Gagetown. He was sharing some stories with us the other night about how they
had to do some frozen lake rescues, and had to learn how to throw a grenade
properly, not just pull the pin and then drop the grenade and throw the pin. It
was actually the technique on how to do that. And it was quite terrifying to be
listening to him describe that when he said, “yeah, well at any moment it could
have fallen out of my hand and then been” . . . not a very good
outcome for him in that situation.
But,
Mr. Speaker, to Jalen, who is a born and raised Saskatchewan boy, for him to be
defending Canada with such courage and bravery, a nation that Saskatchewan is
proud to be fully part of, I just want to say thank you, Jalen, for your
courage in defending our nation.
To
Josh and Katti. Josh, our middle son, he’s an apprentice electrician. He’s
going through our post-secondary here in the province. And his wife, Katti, she
just started her own business and she’s venturing out on her own. They are
raising our grandchildren with such great poise and with great patience and
love. And it’s so awesome to watch them do that for raising Hazy and Bobby.
And
so I know Hazy . . . Well I guess maybe Hazy is maybe up. I mean
she’s three years old. Her sleep cycle could be out a little bit. But, Hazy, I
just want you to make sure that you keep Bobby safe tonight from the dinosaurs.
And you know, from Grandpa, I will see you later, alligator.
She
had the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to go and watch the Globe Theatre, Hazy did,
with her mom and grandma, and watch the play Frozen. It’s the best-ever
show that the Globe Theatre’s ever had, and so congratulations to the Globe
Theatre for that. And Hazy thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the crowd there,
and she runs around and dances around the house in her Elsa costume, and so it’s
so fun to see that.
Mr.
Speaker, Jacob, our youngest, he is a compassionate, intelligent
. . . He’s a leader. He loves the wild outdoors and rugged BC
[British Columbia]. We had a chance to talk to his boss at Wood Gundy a few
months ago, and Spencer was just talking and gushing about all the great things
that Jacob is and how he’s such a mature young man that’s super smart with
finances but he can also hold a conversation with adults. And they’re really
proud of him. And it took me like two days to re-sew the buttons back on my
shirt to hear him talk about Jacob like that.
But
you know, there’s a problem that Jacob is facing. It’s a massive issue for him
actually, Mr. Speaker, because as I was just saying, he lives in the NDP BC,
that place that has a financial disaster. It’s at catastrophic levels, their
policies, to the point where our Jacob had to sell his car, Mr. Speaker. He’s
now down to two feet and a heartbeat, catching the bus and catching rides with
his girlfriend because his insurance, every month, was costing him over $300 a
month, Mr. Speaker. Not affordable for a young man trying to build his career,
so he’s had to sell off his car.
And
the rent that he’s paying in a tiny, minuscule, one-bedroom basement suite is
at $1,900 a month, Mr. Speaker. It’s so small that he has to store his hockey
equipment outside under a chunk of wood.
And
so I’m confident in my son Jacob though, Mr. Speaker, that I know that he is
the unicorn that his boss spoke of. I know that he will prevail. I know that he
will have great courage to continue standing up for what is right in his life.
He will continue to find ways to work through the expensive part of living in
BC because I know, Mr. Speaker, that in the middle of that cash-strapped life
that he’s living, his efforts will allow him to outlast the treacherous NDP
government in BC, Mr. Speaker.
I
want to quickly say thank you to my CAs in Davidson, Lavonne and Cat. You guys
do a great job, you know, keeping things flowing there in the office. I really
appreciate all the work that you are doing. We’ve all given shout-outs to our
CAs, and we all brag about each being the best. And I just think all of our CAs
are the best including Lavonne and Cat. So thank you for the work that you do.
To
my Dakota-Arm River executive, I appreciate all that you do, and we’ve got our
AGM [annual general meeting] coming up on Thursday. Looking forward to seeing
you there as we plan out the future.
And
last night, Mr. Speaker, in game 5 of the league championships, the Davidson
Cyclones played the Loreburn 19ers. And it was game 5. And in the first time in
25 years, congratulations to the Loreburn 19ers for winning the league
championship at that barn at the Ice Palace.
And
it was really weird because as my colleagues well know that over the last
winter, I collected a lot of steak dinners off them when my teams, my senior
team from Dakota-Arm River would continue to win hockey games. So you’ll
imagine for me having to stand at centre line or centre ice and cheer because
all the Davidson fans were on this side and all of the Loreburn fans. So I kept
my hands in my pockets and just continued to cheer for both teams, knowing that
regardless of the outcome, I was going to win a steak last night as I bet on
the game myself.
Mr.
Speaker, I’m running low on time here, so I just want to give a quick thank you
to our volunteer firefighters across the province, and the work that happens
all across the province and the work that they do. I know that the $6,000 tax
credit is going to be a huge benefit as you continue to put yourself in the
line of fire and be brave for our communities. I really thank you for that.
And
really just say, you know, closing off the night to say a huge thank you to all
the leaders in all of our communities, whether they are the mayors or the
council or all of our producers or business leaders. You know, you hate to
start mentioning a few of them because then you miss some and you get in
trouble. But, Mr. Speaker, you know as well as I do that our province is filled
with great people that are doing great things.
And
it’s just an honour for me to be the MLA for Dakota-Arm River. And it doesn’t
matter which town I stop in, whether it’s in Bethune or up to Outlook, over in
Imperial or over to Elbow and everything in between, Mr. Speaker, I run into
great people doing great things here in our province. And I’m really thrilled
to be their MLA and serve them every day.
One
more quick shout-out. Well I won’t have time, Mr. Speaker, so I’ll just say
thanks to, I don’t know, the . . . [inaudible interjection]
. . . Yeah, the Minister of Crown Investments for that great AI data
centre. Where is he? AI, why not have AI here, Mr. Speaker? And that’s a great
data centre that’s going to bring lots of jobs to our province. I’ll have more
to say about it tomorrow, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker Goudy: — It now being 10:30, this
Assembly stands adjourned until tomorrow afternoon at 1:30. Thanks for being
here.
[The
Assembly adjourned at 22:30.]
Published
under the authority of the Hon. Todd Goudy, Speaker
Disclaimer:
The electronic versions of the Legislative Assembly’s documents are provided on
this site for informational purposes only. The Clerk is responsible for the
records of each legislature.