CONTENTS
READING AND RECEIVING
PETITIONS
REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL
AFFAIRS AND JUSTICE
ROYAL ASSENT / SANCTION ROYALE
MOTION TO ADJOURN THE ASSEMBLY
FIRST SESSION THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE
of the
Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
VOTES AND
PROCEEDINGS
No. 38
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
1:30 p.m.
PRAYERS
Presenting Petitions
Petitions of citizens of the province of Saskatchewan were presented and laid upon the Table by the following members: Brent Blakley, Erika Ritchie, and Matt Love.
Reading
and Receiving Petitions
According to order and pursuant to rule 16(7), petitions from residents of the province of Saskatchewan, requesting the following action, were read and received:
To stand up and advocate for the restoration of federal Jordans Principle funding to support Indigenous students in schools.
(Sessional paper no. 147)
To enshrine Duty to Consult into law by enacting meaningful duty to consult legislation.
(Addendum to sessional paper no. 28)
(Addendum to sessional paper no. 146)
Report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
Trent Wotherspoon, Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, presented the first report for the thirtieth legislature of the said committee.
(Sessional paper no. 148)
On motion of Trent Wotherspoon:
Ordered, That the first report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts for the thirtieth legislature be now concurred in.
Report of the Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs and Justice
The following bill was reported without amendment and consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills having been waived, by leave of the Assembly, it was read the third time and passed:
|
Bill No. 21 |
The Construction Codes (Derelict Buildings) Amendment Act, 2025 |
Written Questions
The order of the day being called for question nos. 6 and 8 to 30, pursuant to rule 21(6), the questions were converted and orders for return were issued. (see appendix)
The order of the day being called for question no. 7, it was answered. (see appendix)
Royal Assent / Sanction royale
2:58 p.m.
[Le franηais suit.]
Her Honour
the Administrator, having entered the Chamber, took her seat upon the Throne.
The Speaker
addressed Her Honour:
MAY IT PLEASE
YOUR HONOUR:
This
Legislative Assembly at its present session has passed several bills which, in
the name of the Assembly, I present to Your Honour and
to which bills I respectfully request Your Honours assent.
The Clerk of
the Assembly then read the titles of the bills that had been passed severally
as follows:
__________
Son Honneur lAdministrateur fait son entrιe dans la Chambre et prend
place au Trτne.
Le Prιsident sadresse ΰ Son Honneur:
QUIL PLAISE ΐ VOTRE HONNEUR:
Cette Assemblιe lιgislative, au cours de la prιsente session, a adoptι
des projets de loi que je prιsente ΰ Votre Honneur, au nom de lAssemblιe, et
que je demande respectueusement ΰ Votre Honneur de sanctionner.
Le Greffier de lAssemblιe a donnι lecture des titres du projets de loi
adoptιs comme suit:
|
Bill No. 6 |
The Safe Public Spaces (Street Weapons) Act |
|
Bill No. 10 |
The Miscellaneous Statutes (Public Registries Enhancement) Amendment Act, 2024 |
|
Bill No. 11 |
The Miscellaneous Statutes (Public Registries Enhancement) Amendment Act, 2024 (No. 2) / Projet de loi no 11 Loi modificative diverse (amιlioration des registres publics) de 2024 (no 2) |
|
Bill No. 9 |
The Traffic Safety Amendment Act, 2024 |
|
Bill No. 13 |
The Income Tax Amendment Act, 2025 |
|
Bill No. 16 |
The Provincial Sales Tax Amendment Act, 2025 |
|
Bill No. 8 |
The Child Care (New Facilities) Amendment Act, 2024 / Projet de loi no 8 Loi modificative de 2024 sur les garderies denfants (nouveaux ιtablissements) |
|
Bill No. 601 |
The Sikh Heritage Month Act |
|
Bill No. 17 |
The Saskatchewan Commercial Innovation Incentive (Patent Box) Amendment Act, 2025 |
|
Bill No. 20 |
The Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)
Investment Tax Credit Act |
|
Bill No. 4 |
The Workers Compensation Amendment Act, 2024 |
|
Bill No. 5 |
The Saskatchewan Employment Amendment Act, 2024 |
|
Bill No. 3 |
The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Amendment Act, 2024 |
|
Bill No. 14 |
The Power Corporation Amendment Act, 2025 |
|
Bill No. 15 |
The Alcohol and Gaming Regulation Amendment Act, 2025 / Projet de loi no 15 Loi modificative de 2025 sur la rιglementation des boissons alcoolisιes et des jeux de hasard |
|
Bill No. 18 |
The Regulated Health Professions Act |
|
Bill No. 19 |
The Regulated Health Professions Consequential Amendments Act, 2025 / Projet de loi no 19 Loi de 2025 corrιlative de la loi intitulιe The Regulated Health Professions Act |
|
Bill No. 7 |
The Court of Appeal (Residency) Amendment Act, 2024 / Projet de loi no 7 Loi modificative de 2024 sur la Cour dappel (rιsidence) |
|
Bill No. 22 |
The Kings Bench Amendment Act, 2025 / Projet de loi no 22 Loi modificative de 2025 sur la Cour du Banc du Roi |
|
Bill No. 21 |
The Construction Codes (Derelict Buildings) Amendment Act, 2025 |
Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor then replied: In His Majestys name, I
assent to these bills.
__________
Son Honneur le
Lieutenant-gouverneur alors a rιpondu: Au nom de Sa Majestι, je sanctionne ces
projets de loi.
The Speaker addressed Her Honour:
MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOUR:
This Legislative Assembly has voted the supplies
required to enable the government to defray the expenses of the public service.
In the name of the Assembly, I present to Your Honour the following bill, to
which bill I respectfully request Your Honours assent:
|
Bill No. 23 |
The Appropriation Act, 2025 (No. 1) |
Her Honour the Administrator then replied: In His Majestys name, I thank the
Legislative Assembly, accept its benevolence, and assent to this bill.
Her Honour then retired from the Chamber.
3:03 p.m.
Motion to Adjourn the Assembly
Moved by the Hon. Tim McLeod:
That this Assembly do now adjourn.
The question being put, it was agreed to on the
following recorded division:
|
YEAS 32 Scott Moe Daryl Harrison Warren Kaeding David Marit Jeremy Cockrill Jim Reiter Jeremy Harrison Terry Jenson Colleen Young Ken Cheveldayoff Travis Keisig James Thorsteinson Jamie Martens Racquel Hilbert Doug Steele Eric Schmalz Alana Ross Tim McLeod Lori Carr Sean Wilson Kevin Weedmark Chris Beaudry Blaine McLeod Brad Crassweller Barret Kropf Michael Weger Megan Patterson Terri Bromm Darlene Rowden David Chan Kim Gartner Kevin Kasun |
NAYS 24 Carla Beck Erika Ritchie Noor Burki Betty Nippi-Albright Vicki Mowat Trent Wotherspoon Matt Love Nathaniel Teed Aleana Young Leroy Laliberte Jordan McPhail Kim Breckner Meara Conway Brent Blakley Tajinder Grewal April ChiefCalf Keith Jorgenson Bhajan Brar Hugh Gordon Darcy Warrington Joan Pratchler Sally Housser Brittney Senger Jacqueline Roy |
The Assembly adjourned at 3:18 p.m. until Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.
Hon. Todd Goudy
Speaker
APPENDIX
The following response to a written question was tabled by the government:
Question no. 7 (Aleana Young):
To
the Minister of Immigration and Career
Training, (a) what changes were made to the Saskatchewan immigrant nominee
program from the 202425 to the 202526 fiscal years; (b) what is the new
annual target number of immigrants for the Saskatchewan immigrant nominee
program; (c) which countries or regions are being prioritized for immigration
in 202526; (d) how many instances of immigration fraud were detected in
202425; (e) how many immigrants/companies are currently under investigation
for fraud; (f) how many social services clients did ICT employees meet with in
202425 to create action plans to support their career development goals and
connection to the labour market; (g) how many social services clients do ICT
employees expect to meet with in 202526; and (h) of the immigrants that came
to Saskatchewan in 202425, how many have taken additional career training, and
how many have found employment?
Answer:
(a) For the
202526 fiscal year, a number of SINP changes were
introduced. Program changes were necessary
due to the federal government reducing the 2025 nomination allocation by 50 per
cent and requiring that 75 per cent of those nominations are used for temporary
residents already in Canada. Other changes were implemented to strengthen
program integrity, respond to changing labour market needs, and improve
newcomer retention.
a. Accommodation,
food services, retail trade, and trucking sectors are capped to 25 per cent of
all SINP nominations. New nominations are required to be for existing temporary
residents.
b.
No
new nominations without supporting job offers will be issued, except for
employers in the health care and agriculture sectors and skilled trades.
c.
Nominations
for candidates overseas are being prioritized for health, agriculture, and
skilled trades. Nominations for all other sectors and occupations will only be
approved for those who are temporary residents already in Canada.
d.
Additional
business types no longer eligible for the SINP include spas, salons, nail
salons, and pet care services (excluding veterinarians).
e.
For
hospitality and trucking businesses, the following requirements now apply to
their Certificate of Registration (COR):
i. A 30 per cent cap on the
total number of foreign workers they can employ.
ii.
Minimum revenue requirements to recruit international workers are $250,000 for
hospitality and $500,000 for trucking firms. Minimum revenue requirements scale
up from these minimums depending on the size of the organizations existing
labour force.
f.
Spousal
open work permit holders are no longer eligible to apply as the principal
applicant through pathways requiring a valid work permit.
g.
Licensure or certification is only required for
candidates in occupations where these credentials are legally mandated.
h. All applicants through the
student pathway are required to have graduated from a Designated Learning
Institution (DLI) in Saskatchewan and have relevant work experience with a
Saskatchewan employer. Applicants will be required to demonstrate residency in
Saskatchewan throughout their studies and while obtaining relevant work experience.
i. Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) holders are restricted to the SINPs
student, health, and agriculture talent pathways, as well as international
skilled worker with employment offer sub-category, and are no longer eligible
to apply to the SINP in restricted occupations.
j. Unionized employers gain more flexibility to
transition existing workers into roles they are qualified for but lack direct
experience in and/or related education and training.
(b) The 2025 nomination
allocation, as set by the federal government, is 3,625.
(c) The program does not
prioritize nominations based on countries or regions.
(d) There
were 217 instances of immigration fraud detected in 202425,
compared to 236 in 202324.
(e) As of April 2025, 581 cases
are under investigation:
· 384 applicants/nominees
· 197 employers
(f)
1,625 income assistance clients received assistance
from ICT to create action plans in 202425.
(g) ICT schedules appointments
as clients are referred by social services.
(h) This data is not available.
The following written questions were converted and orders for returns were issued:
Return no. 5 (Keith Jorgenson):
To the Minister of Health, (a) the staff ratios for each long-term care facility funded by the SHA; (b) the number of FTE staff that are employed at each long-term care facility funded by the SHA; (c) the number of beds there are including occupied and vacant at each long-term care facility funded by the SHA; (d) the number of beds that consist of maximum occupancy at Cozy Nest Care Home; and (e) the total cost of the contract with Cozy Nest Care Home at maximum occupancy.
Return no. 6 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of
Saskatchewan, the cost for each of SaskPowers future supply plan scenarios
published by the government in the document Supply Planning Overview
PowerPoint.
Return no. 7 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of
Saskatchewan, the range of borrowing necessary to cover
SaskPowers capital costs for (a) 202526,
(b) 202627, (c) 202728,
(d) 202829, and (e) 202930.
Return no. 8 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of
Saskatchewan, the current valuation of SaskPowers infrastructure deficit for (a) 202526, (b) 202627,
(c) 202728, (d) 202829,
and (e) 202930.
Return no. 9 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, the annual
cost of routine maintenance and infrastructure sustainment for (a) 202526, (b)
202627, (c) 202728, (d) 202829, and (e) 202930.
Return no. 10 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of
Saskatchewan, the timeline of SaskPowers borrowing costs for
(a) 202526, (b) 202627,
(c) 202728, (d) 202829,
and (e) 202930.
Return no. 11 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of
Saskatchewan, whether the net income projection for 202526 includes funding from Ottawas future
electricity fund, the provinces clean electricity transition grant.
Return no. 12 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, (a) in the
absence of the future electricity fund
and CETGs, what SaskPowers 202425 net income would be;
and (b) in the absence of
the future electricity fund
and CETGs, what SaskPowers
revenue forecasts would be for (i)
202526, (ii) 202627, (iii) 202728,
(iv) 202829, and (v) 202930.
Return no. 13 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of
Saskatchewan, SaskPowers projected debt for (a) 202526, (b) 202627,
(c) 202728, (d) 202829,
and (e) 202930.
Return no. 14 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, (a) the rate increases that have been budgeted by SaskPower to hit its ROE range, and (b) the revenue increase that will be required for SaskPower to hit its ROE range.
Return no. 15 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of
Saskatchewan, what SaskPower is projecting as the increase in the
OBPS carbon tax in (a) 202526, (b) 202627,
(c) 202728, (d) 202829,
and (e) 202930.
Return no. 16 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of
Saskatchewan, (a) the
numbers for total capital spending, capital spending on generation, capital
spending on transmission, and capital spending on distribution for (i) 202526,
(ii) 202627, (iii) 202728,
(iv) 202829, and (v) 202930;
(b) the capital projects above $500,000 that have been planned for (i) 202526,
(ii) 202627, (iii) 202728,
(iv) 202829, and (v) 202930;
and (c) the capital projects that are above $10M in the generation,
transmission, and distribution categories of capital spending.
Return no. 17 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of
Saskatchewan, the value of SaskPowers forecasted capital
program in (a) 202627,
(b) 202728, (c) 202829,
(d) 202930, and (e) 203031.
Return no. 18 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of
Saskatchewan, the escalation from Chinook to Great Plains,
and Great Plains to Aspen.
Return no. 19 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, (a) the
cost of service for each customer class for (i) 202122,
(ii) 202223, (iii) 202324, (iv) 202425,
and (v) 202526; and (b) the projected cost of service for each
customer class for (i) 202627, (ii) 202728,
(iii) 202829, (iv) 202930, and (v) 203031.
Return no. 20 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, (a) the amount in incremental debt that would be required to fund the initial SMR; (b) the amount that has been spent to date on SMR-related activities; (c) the amount of SMR activity that has been funded by Ottawa through the clean electricity transition grants; (d) the amount of SMR activity that has been funded by the OBPS; and (e) the expected cost of each SMR.
Return no. 21 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, (a) the investment being made this year into engineering, design, and procurement for the coal-refurb project for 20252026; and (b) the capital spending that has been targeted to the coal refurbishment project for (i) 202627, (ii) 202728, (iii) 202829, (iv) 202930, and (v) 20302031.
Return no. 22 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, the additional tariffs on imports that have been undertaken by the Crown as it relates to the southwest power pool transmission line.
Return no. 23 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, the 202324 annual report noted that SaskPower was launching competitive procurement processes for 600 MW of new renewable generation consisting of 200 MW solar generation and 400 MW wind generation to be located in south-central Saskatchewan; the status of this competitive procurement process.
Return no. 24 (Aleana Young):
Return no. 25 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, (a) the number of renewable projects that are planned for (i) 202526, (ii) 202627, (iii) 202728, (iv) 202829, and (v) 202930; and (b) the renewable projects that are planned for (i) 202526, (ii) 202627, (iii) 202728, (iv) 202829, and (v) 202930.
Return no. 26 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, whether SaskPower is still committed to its stated plan for net-zero by 2050.
To the Government of Saskatchewan, the number of GWH sold to each of your six major customer classes in 202425.
Return no. 28 (Aleana Young):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, the projected GWH sales SaskPower is forecasting for (a) 202526, (b) 202627, (c) 202728, (d) 202829, and (e) 202930.
No. 1
(Government)
Not submitted item of business determined pursuant to rule 24(4).
No. 2
(Opposition)
Not submitted item of business determined pursuant to rule 24(4).
The following questions were given notice on day no. 34 and are to be answered by day no. 39:
Question no. 31 (Erika Ritchie):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, (a) what portion of sub-vote SP0l is associated with EBMP, also known as GEMS; (b) what work remains outstanding on the EBMP/GEMS system capital project; (c) what individual software systems are part of the EBMP/GEMS system, and who are their respective corporate developers/owners; (d) what was the initial capital cost of this system when it was first approved by the Government of Saskatchewan; (e) what was the final capital cost of the EBMP/GEMS system when it was completed and amortized, or, if it has not been completed and amortized, what is the total capital cost to date; (f) does the EBMP/GEMS system use the same software as the Ministry of Healths AIMS system; (g) which companies were involved in the development of the EBMP system during (i) proposal or concept development, (ii) purchase of the software, (iii) development of the system, and (iv) integration with other government systems and software; (h) which ministry is responsible for the operation of the EBMP/GEMS system; and (i) how much has each company been paid, to date, for their work on the EBMP/GEMS system?
Question no. 32 (Erika Ritchie):
To the
Government of Saskatchewan, (a) what are the
comparative office equipment and information
allocations between 202425 and 202526;
(b) what budget has been allocated to each ministry for new equipment in 202526; (c) what procurements in 202526 are through public tenders, sole-source contracts, and
special arrangements, broken down on a dollar basis and by percentage; and (d)
what sole-source contracts over $20M are budgeted to be issued in 202526?
Question no. 33 (Erika Ritchie):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, what SaskBuilds and Procurement contracts issued in 202425 have specific requirements for northern or Indigenous ownership, and what were the individual requirements?
Question no. 34 (Erika Ritchie):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, (a) how many cybersecurity incidents did the executive government experience during 202425; (b) how many privacy breaches occurred in executive government in 202425 where personal information of either clients or staff was obtained by an external party; (c) how many computers in executive government were infected with computer viruses and had to be disinfected/rebuilt in 202425; and (d) how many instances of blackmail that resulted in computers being virtually seized by external parties occurred in 202324 concerning executive government computers or software systems?
Question no. 35 (Erika Ritchie):
Question no. 36 (Erika Ritchie):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, (a) how many contracts were awarded last year concerning the use of aircraft; (b) what type of airline of aircraft service were each of those contracts for; and (c) how many existing contracts for airline or aircraft services are there?
Question no. 37 (Erika Ritchie):
Question no. 38 (Erika Ritchie):
Question no. 39 (Erika Ritchie):
To the Government of Saskatchewan, how much money was allocated in the 202425 budget for the design of the first phase of the Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Project?
Question no. 40 (Erika Ritchie):
Question no. 41 (Darcy Warrington):
Question no. 42 (Darcy Warrington):
Question no. 43 (Darcy Warrington):
To the Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, (a) has the veteran service club support program been cancelled; (b) if the veteran service club support program is still in operation, how much was budgeted in 202425 and now in 202526, and how much of the budget in 202425 was actually spent; and (c) which groups in which communities received money under the veteran service club support program in 202425, and which groups will receive money in 202526?
Question no. 44 (Darcy Warrington):
To the Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, (a) how much money is budgeted for the community rink affordability grant program in 202526; and (b) who received money from the program in 202425?
Question no. 45 (Darcy Warrington):
Question no. 46 (Darcy Warrington):
Question no. 47 (Darcy Warrington):
Question no. 48 (Darcy Warrington):
To the Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, (a) how many buildings does the Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) use to house its collections that are not on display, and where are those buildings located; (b) what would best quantify how frequently the collections and materials routinely stored in these buildings are used/presented (at least annually), as opposed to simply stored (less than 10 per cent of the time, less than 5 per cent of the time, etc.); and (c) are there any major excavation projects presently underway at the RSM concerning dinosaurs?
Question no. 49 (Darcy Warrington):
To the Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, how much of the funding for the Saskatchewan Science Centre comes from their provincial grant (provide in percentage format if possible)?
Question no. 50 (Darcy Warrington):
To the Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, (a)
what heritage organizations in the 202425
budget allocation also received funding in 202526;
and (b) what heritage organizations in the 202425
budget allocation received funding in 202324,
and what funding did they receive in 202425?
Question no. 51 (Darcy Warrington):
Question no. 52 (Darcy Warrington):
To the Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, (a)
who paid for the screen system that was installed at the John Hopkins Regina
Soundstage, and were any government funds used to do so; and (b) how many days
was the soundstage in use in (i)
202324 and (ii) 202425?
The following questions were given notice on day no. 35 and are to be
answered by day no. 40:
Question no. 53 (Nicole Sarauer):
To the
Minister of Justice and Attorney General, what is the
total cost of the e-justice project to date?
Question no. 54 (Nicole Sarauer):
To the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, what are the number of Aboriginal court workers currently employed through the ten carrier agencies funded through the Ministry of Justice?
Question no. 55 (Nicole Sarauer):
To the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, what is the percentage increase of staff at Legal Aid?
Question no. 56 (Nicole Sarauer):
To the Minister
of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, (a)
what are the number of inspections done by highway patrol officers in the last
calendar year; and (b) what is the number of inspections done by highway patrol
officers since the Highway Patrol came under the umbrella of the Ministry of
Corrections, Policing and Public Safety?
Question no. 57 (Nicole Sarauer):
Question no. 58 (Nicole Sarauer):
Question no. 59 (Nicole Sarauer):
To the Minister of
Justice and Attorney General, what is the status of
the J-STAR system upgrade?
Question no. 60 (Nicole Sarauer):
To the Minister of
Justice and Attorney General, how many students
participated in the College of Laws experiential learning program that is
funded by the Ministry of Justice so far?
Question no. 61 (Nicole Sarauer):
Question no. 62 (Nicole Sarauer):
To the Minister of
Justice and Attorney General, how many times have mediation fees been waived for the mandatory
mediation requirement for family law files?
Question no. 63 (Nicole Sarauer):
To the Minister of
Justice and Attorney General, how many Gladue
reports were ordered in the past calendar year?
Question no. 64 (Nicole Sarauer):
Question no. 65 (Nicole Sarauer):
Question no. 66 (Nicole Sarauer):
Question no. 67 (Nicole Sarauer):
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