End of session offers preview of campaign
Saskatchewan MLAS wrapped up an acrimonious legislative sitting on Friday, as hopes of economic recovery collided with fears of a hidden austerity agenda in a likely preview of the coming election campaign.
It began on June 15, when the government tabled a record-smashing $2.4-billion deficit budget. NDP Leader Ryan Meili spent almost every one of the 13 sitting days that followed attacking that document as a “cut-and-paste job” without a plan to resurrect the economy.
He framed the budget as a smokescreen for painful years ahead if the Saskatchewan Party is re-elected.
“They won’t say which jobs and wages they’ll be cutting. They won’t say which Crowns they’ll be selling. They won’t say which services they’re ending,” he said, in one of many such exchanges.
Premier Scott Moe countered that the ballot question this fall will be simple: which party is best placed to “engineer the economic recovery of Saskatchewan” as the COVID-19 pandemic lifts. He argued his reopening plan, his budget and his growth plan will make the case for the Saskatchewan Party.
His ministers brushed aside the NDP warnings as “fearmongering.” In his last media appearance of the sitting on Friday, Moe said he has no “intents” to raise taxes, cut spending or sell Crown corporations. He promised “more of the same” if his party is re-elected, including investments in schools, hospitals and highways.
“There’s going to be no selling off corporations. There’s going to be no cuts,” said Moe. “We have a pandemic deficit here. We may have a couple of pandemic deficits.”
Moe’s intent to hold the line on taxes and spending hinges on “faith.” His argued that Saskatchewan people will seize a global recovery to restore revenues that cratered this year. He faulted the NDP for its supposed faithlessness. “The NDP simply doesn’t think that’s possible,” he’d said on Thursday.
But Moe wouldn’t speculate on what will happen if his optimism isn’t borne out and the crisis continues. “I don’t think anyone can say where we’re going to be in two years,” he said Friday. “We’re answering hypotheticals here.”
Both Moe and Meili tried to draw out contrasts during the sitting. For Moe, the NDP is the same party that closed schools and hospitals before losing power in 2007. His government argued that Meili can’t keep his promises without raising taxes, running endless deficits and suffocating growth.
Meili framed the Saskatchewan Party as “out of ideas” and unwilling to make the investments in home care, child care, health, education and Saskatchewan-first procurement needed to pull the province out of recession.
In a Friday scrum with reporters, Meili argued his party is presenting a vision for the future that will excite people. His main goal this session was to present his party as a government-in-waiting.
“We’re ready to do this,” he said. “We would form a far better government than the incompetent and frequently dishonest government that we’ve seen from Mr. Moe.”
He argued that his “people-first” agenda will make the NDP competitive in the coming election.
Political observers aren’t so sure. The NDP started the sitting down 25 points, according to an Angus Reid survey, and political scientist Jim Farney doubts the sitting will change many minds. He says success for the NDP would be winning 20 seats in October and forming a “credible Opposition.”
“I think that’s still a possibility for them, but I’m not sure if they set themselves up any better,” he said.
Farney said the NDP was more “coherent” than usual by focusing on a few main policy themes.
Almost every day of the sitting, Opposition MLAS attacked the government on funding for backto-school planning, for voting down an anti-suicide bill and for short staffing in long-term care homes.
But Farney believes elections are usually more about personality than policy, and he doubts either leader did much to change their public image this month.
“I would suggest that it probably just re-entrenched existing views,” he said.
Farney was struck by the deeply personal tone of debate, which didn’t seem up to the gravity of the moment. Speaker Mark Docherty appeared overwhelmed at times keeping up with all the unparliamentary conduct. He called out MLAS for throwing around words like “cowardice,” “stupid” and “despicable.”
The low points came on June 17, when Meili made what was described as “an obscene gesture with the hand,” and on July 2, when the health minister suggested the NDP seemed disappointed COVID-19 didn’t hit the province harder.
That prompted an explosive outburst from Meili. “How dare you say that!” he yelled, pounding on his desk.
Farney said that passion will delight the NDP base by showing “conviction,” but probably won’t win over the voters Meili needs.
“I don’t think that plays well with the people that he needs to convince to vote NDP, but it certainly reinforces to his own people who he is and why they supported him,” he said.
Farney believes that Moe, who has the advantage of twice-weekly news conferences on the pandemic response, has stayed “on brand.”
“If you came into session supporting one or the other, you’re probably going to go out supporting one or the other,” he said.
On Friday, the premier acknowledged that the sitting could have been more civil than it was. He accepted some of the blame.
“I think there’s likely a number of members that were not proud of what they have done,” said Moe.
“We do need to continue to strive for, not perfection, but strive to be better in the house and in our communities that we represent. So certainly, I bear some of that responsibility.”
But the sitting ended on a high note, with farewell speeches by 11 retiring members of the legislative assembly, including some that have held seats back to the 1990s.
Moe and Meili thanked departing members on both sides for their service.
“We have this battle of ideas,” Meili told the assembly. “And as the premier said, there’s times when that gets pretty heated. But there’s no one in this building who isn’t here with good intentions and motivations, and here to serve the people of this province.”