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The spring sitting of the Saskatchewan legislature isn’t even halfway gone, but the Speaker appears to have reached his wits’ end.
He’s had to stand and admonish MLAs multiple times every day for four weeks, asking the members for more decorum and to act better in front of guests.
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On Wednesday, Speaker Todd Goudy gave a nearly seven-minute speech, explaining a ruling, but then went further.
“When we come into this chamber, when we’re elected as MLAs and sent here as the most honourable members of our communities to serve our province well, as it says, the members are making a pledge to conduct themselves in the best interests of the province,” he explained, citing rulebooks.
“It is not up to us to set your conscience; I can’t raise the bar for someone else, but I certainly can raise it for myself. I can’t legislate morality in this chamber, but we can certainly do it for ourselves.”
He went on to say he would be firmer upholding the rules going forward.
Things started off quieter for Question Period that day, but soon it was rowdy again. It was a similar story on Thursday, with Goudy standing a number of times, even having a bit of a back and forth with NDP MLA Meara Conway, asking her to keep her comments to herself and then requiring her to answer if she could do that.
“I’ll do my best, Mr. Speaker,” she said, appearing confused at being singling out.
Afterward, the NDP brought out party whip Aleana Young to talk about decorum. She said her colleagues were getting frustrated with the “mean-spirited and heartless” answers and what she called lies coming from the government members.
“I can guarantee we will continue to push for accountability and yes, sometimes, inevitably, that will boil over. But if there are concerns about decorum in this house, leadership starts at the top, and the premier of this province needs to hold his own ministers to account to answer some basic questions with a basic level of decency,” said Young.
The government didn’t bring anyone out to answer questions about decorum, instead saying the Legislature should be a place of debate instead of hate, but claiming the NDP doesn’t agree.
In a statement, it pointed to the Premier Scott Moe’s budget speech, in which he repeated the Sask. Party’s view that NDP Leader Carla Beck’s Chief of Staff was fostering hate against Sask. Party MLAs in a campaign email.
In the second week of sitting, Government House Leader Tim McLeod answered questions about decorum in the Assembly, saying it’s his role to remind his members that the Speaker had asked for decorum.
“Tensions can get high, and things can get emotional in there, but I think for the government’s side of the house, we have been very well behaved,” said McLeod on March 12, saying he thought most of the calls from the Speaker were directed toward the Opposition side.
What else happened this week
- There was a very human moment on Wednesday with the Premier reaching across the aisle. NDP MLA Matt Love stood to introduce his mother and sons to the assembly as proceedings started, and the premier joined in welcoming them. “We may not agree on a number of things that go across the floor of this assembly with respect to policy, but certainly all of us in this assembly can agree on the fact that we don’t serve here alone, we serve here with the support and the love of our families,” said Moe, thanking Love’s family for supporting him.
- Calling someone an “eager beaver” is officially unparliamentary language in Saskatchewan’s legislature after a ruling from the Speaker this week. NDP Leader Carla Beck was quipping about a minister who moved to stand before the question was finished. No word on whether “Debbie Downer” or “Swishy Fishy” will come up next.
- This week, news of timelines getting pushed back for at least some new schools in the province broke, the premier added his name to a letter asking for the provinces to have more say in the choosing of superior court judges, the provincial government detailed a boost to Agristability this year, and health care workers rallied at the legislative building to call for a contract after three years without one.
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