Sask. Party government promises Sixties Scoop apology, safer roads
First speech from the throne under Moe is ‘thin on vision,’ says leader of NDP
REGINA The Saskatchewan government has recommitted to a longstanding promise to apologize for the Sixties Scoop.
Earlier this year, the province shifted its focus in co-ordinating an apology for the Sixties Scoop, announcing it was responding to criticism from survivors by planning an apology with survivors, rather than Metis Nation-saskatchewan (MN-S) and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN).
The Saskatchewan government, since 2015, has stated its desire to officially apologize.
The apology was one of several promises made in the maiden throne speech for Premier Scott Moe’s government on Wednesday.
The government began working with a group known as the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society Saskatchewan (SSISS), composed of survivors of the government program that saw thousands of Indigenous children taken by child welfare workers from their families and communities and placed elsewhere.
Moe said Wednesday there are still “no hard dates” for the apology, but steps have been taken to consult with those affected by the Scoop.
“We look forward to the completion of listening, and providing a meaningful apology,” he said, adding it will come “as soon as possible” but only after consultation is complete.
The speech also outlined Saskatchewan’s work with Western provinces to improve training and “ensure consistent standards between provinces” when it comes to commercial driver education.
Following the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, the province “focused” its efforts to improve commercial driving training, according to Moe, who said work had started on doing so prior to the April 6 tragedy.
A safety strategy to “reduce potential for collisions at highway intersections” is also being introduced “in the next number of weeks,” focused on high-risk areas.
Dollars will be attached to that in the upcoming budget, but it remains unclear how much.
There were also commitments to change employment standards and introduce Clare’s Law, which allows police to disclose certain information about someone’s violent or abusive past to intimate partners who may be at risk.
The province has long flirted with the idea of implementing such a law, but made clear Wednesday it will be coming.
The speech largely contained items the government has already announced. It also expanded on government plans to address rural crime.
In addition to the previously announced Protection and Response Teams (PRT), the government announced plans to allow rural municipalities and municipalities with populations under 500 to join forces to form regional police services.
Moe told reporters increased rural enforcement measures will come with “supports for those that are often involved in crime and wondering why they are there in the first place.”
He said the intention is to make communities around the province safer, a measure that was supported by the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), the organization that has made the most noise about trespassing and rural crime.
Already around 1,300 conservation officers and highway patrol officers have become trained members of the rural PRT, being given more powers to combat crime in low-populated areas of the province.
There will also be a long-expected update to trespassing laws in the province.
Moe said his government plans to release results of a consultation on the subject, but didn’t say when.
“That’s when you’ll know exactly (what) the intent of the government is, at that time,” he said.
The NDP criticized the speech for lacking new ideas.
Leader Ryan Meili accused Moe of missing an opportunity to “show off ” big ideas, saying the document was “thin on vision.”
“People are out of work. Our economy is struggling. You see spin about the last 10 years but no acknowledgment of what people are really dealing with today,” Meili said.