Policing and jurisdiction among the big reveals in throne speech

On Wednesday afternoon, Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty delivered the speech from the throne, kicking off Saskatchewan’s new legislative session with talk of the economy, federal intrusion and the need for more policing in the province.

The address touted Saskatchewan’s strong economy and pointing out numbers like the unemployment rate — the lowest in Canada — the increase in immigration, and the forecasts for economic growth.

“Our government’s focus in today’s throne speech and in the upcoming legislative session is to ensure that that strong growth continues, and it’s that growth that really works for everyone in this province,” Premier Scott Moe said before the speech was delivered.

Policing

Some of the biggest changes talked about in the throne speech centred around policing in the province.

The provincial government says it will establish the Saskatchewan Marshals Service, which will work with the RCMP and municipal police forces to enhance law enforcement across the province.

“It’s about augmenting and enhancing their work because we feel that we need to have a higher degree of providing public safety in our communities so that our families can go out after supper and go for a walk without the fear of running into something that might not be too good for them,” Moe said.

The marshals will be based in Prince Albert, but will go to areas where police need assistance.

“Part of (the marshals service) is just presence in certain areas and certain times across our province as well,” said Moe, noting it could be a step toward a provincial police service.

According to the speech, the government also is planning on adding eight more officers to the Warrants Enforcement and Suppression Team in Prince Albert and creating a new Crime Reduction Team in North Battleford.

The speech also talked about consultations around Indigenous policing and discussions on self-administered First Nations police services.

According to the speech, the government will also take “significant action” to crack down on the illegal and violent use of guns while also defending the rights of lawful gun owners, but didn’t specify how it would do that.

Federal government and jurisdictions

With the release of the policy paper “Drawing the Line” earlier this month, it’s no surprise the throne speech included details on the measures the provincial government wants to use to assert its autonomy against what it calls the federal government’s “end run around Saskatchewan’s constitutional jurisdiction over natural resources under the guise of environmental regulation.”

According to the speech, the provincial government will introduce The Saskatchewan First Act this session “to clearly define that Saskatchewan — and Saskatchewan alone — has the exclusive jurisdiction over its natural resources and economic future.”

“This legislation will draw the jurisdictional line and defend that line based on the existing constitutional division of powers,” read the speech.

The speech says this isn’t about ignoring the Constitution, but instead about defending Saskatchewan from federal intrusion.

The province is planning on amending Saskatchewan’s constitution to say the province retains exclusive jurisdiction over its own resources.

“This will be done by amending The Saskatchewan Act, similar to how Quebec recently unilaterally amended the Constitution to declare that Quebec is a nation and its official language is French,” read the speech.

Moe said it was “unfortunate” that a province felt the need to reassert something that’s already guaranteed in the Constitution, but his government feels it’s vital.

“It’ll be very, very similar to what we’ve seen in Quebec,” Moe said. “Ultimately, the reason for the change may be different. In Quebec, it’s language. In Saskatchewan, it’s reasserting our ability to develop our natural resources. Both are reasserting the provincial jurisdiction as per the Constitution …

“We believe that all 10 provinces across this nation are equal. We’ve heard the prime minister say that the Province of Quebec would be able to unilaterally amend the Constitution in that way, so we fully expect that Saskatchewan would be able to do the same.”

Moe said the government wants to strengthen the language of the Constitution in hopes of providing more certainty for investors and thus attracting them to the province.

According to the speech, the provincial government will also introduce legislation to allow it to collect its own corporate income tax, similar to Alberta and Quebec.

Health care

The throne speech talked about health care in Saskatchewan — what the provincial government has already done, like introducing the Health Human Resources Action Plan (HHRAP), accelerating the training, assessment, and licensing pathways for internationally trained nurses, and the conversion of part-time positions in many Saskatchewan communities to full-time to assist in recruitment.

“As these positions are filled, more and more services will be resumed and stabilized across urban, rural and northern Saskatchewan,” read the speech.

The government said the HHRAP is already showing results, with four new nurses hired to allow 24/7 emergency services to resume in Biggar, and some hospital beds opening early next month in Kamsack with six new nurses.

The province is targeting 97,000 surgeries to be performed in Saskatchewan this fiscal year, which would be the highest number performed in one year.

The speech also revealed a new private surgical clinic is going to open in Regina for in-patient joint replacement surgeries. It’s expected to start operations by the end of next year.

Education

The section about education talks about the progress on new schools in the province — those built and those in the process of being constructed. As well, the government talked about creating 200 new educational assistant positions in schools in the province.

It also touts the new online schooling Crown corporation recently announced.

“This new model will improve learning opportunities for all Saskatchewan students by allowing students to enrol in all courses offered in our province, regardless of where they live,” explained the speech.

The address mentioned the strengthened oversight for independent schools put into place this summer and the money provided to the First Nations University of Canada for the Dene Teacher Education Program.

The government also said it will commit $50,000 a year to establish a new scholarship for up to 25 students who are studying Indigenous languages.

Other details

Moe revealed Monday his government would be opening a new international trade office in Europe, the ninth around the world.

The speech from the throne revealed the office would be in Germany, “a manufacturing powerhouse with the fourth-largest economy in the world.”

The provincial government is also directing SaskTel to double, again, its investment in the Rural Fibre Initiative — bringing it to $200 million. The throne speech said this would bring fibre internet to more than 110,000 people and businesses in 131 rural communities by March 2025.

The province is also planning to increase the Seniors Income Plan benefit by another $30 a month for the coming fiscal year.

And, because it was killed at the end of last session, the provincial government is planning to reintroduce legislation which would allow municipalities to designate areas for safe consumption of alcohol in parks.

That piece will be part of a larger reform package for the SLGA, according to the speech, “which will include exiting the retail market and expanding opportunities for independent retailers.”

Moe said the SLGA is getting out of the retail end because liquor sales are “not a core business of government.”

There weren’t any affordability measures included in the throne speech, but Moe said the government already has taken steps in that area, with things such as debt repayment and the $500 affordability cheques that are to go out in November.

Moe admitted that if the province continues to see high resource prices, more steps could be taken to help people deal with inflation. But Moe pointed out how volatile that market is.

“I’ve always said we don’t want to hire and fire nurses and doctors and teachers on the price of a ton of potash or a barrel of oil,” Moe said.

The speech concluded by pointing out the province’s role in the world’s economy.

“In a world plunged into uncertainty, Saskatchewan is a reliable, indispensable supplier of food, fuel and fertilizer to millions of people around the globe,” it read.

“My government is charting a course that ensures our economy continues to grow and that everyone in Saskatchewan benefits from that growth.”

NDP reaction

When NDP Leader Carla Beck was asked about the speech, she said somebody had suggested to her that throne speeches are supposed to be visionary — and she noted she didn’t see any vision in the speech or anything that addressed people’s concerns.

“Regardless of where we were in this province this summer, almost every corner of the province, people were talking about affordability (and) their inability to pay their bills,” Beck said. “They were talking about lack of access to health care and education services. They were talking about jobs and the mismatch between where the jobs are and employers’ ability to find workers to fill those jobs.

“We really didn’t see anything to address those issues in this throne speech. Again, I think it’s more evidence of a government that is increasingly out of touch, increasingly insular and talking to themselves or talking behind closed doors and not actually focused on the needs, the concerns and the hopes of the people of this province.”

Beck was asked for her take on Moe’s assertion that some of the federal government’s policies are hurting investment in the province.

“Over the summer when we’ve been out on the road talking to people, we have heard frustration with some of the policies of the federal government,” Beck admitted. “(But) we’ve also heard frustration with the provincial government and the divisive tone that’s been taken. What people want right now are leaders that get to the table and actually deliver results and not just spicy tweets.”

Beck hasn’t seen the wording of the Saskatchewan First Act or the revamped Saskatchewan Act, so she couldn’t comment on those aspects of the throne speech. But she did say the government must focus on the people of the province as well as the jurisdictional issue.

“You can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Beck said, “and the premier needs to be able to not only spout rhetoric but actually deliver results for people in this province.”