Hindley reflects on sucessful fall legislative session

The tabling of a series of legislative pieces and unveiling a new decade Growth Plan were among the highlights of the fall legislative session according to Swift Current MLA Everett Hindley.

Hindley reflected on a series of important legislative items shortly following the December 5 conclusion of the fall session.

“We’re looking forward to what’s coming forward in the spring here with respect to the next budget. But there were a number of pieces of legislation that were on the agenda in the fall sitting, things that we hope will help strengthen the province.”

He pointed to changes to the Tobacco Control Amendment Act in respect to vaping as an important initiative. Their proposed amendments would place vaping products in line with existing tobacco legislation.

“That’s pretty important across the province, including here locally as well.”

Additionally, the distracted driving legislation which will more than double the cost of a first time ticket have been proposed to make Saskatchewan roadways safer.

“Some changes with respect to distracted driving that will take effect here in the New Year,” he said. “That’s a pretty big one too. Some massive changes to the penalty structure for fines for distracted driving. And to try and tackle that challenge.”

The legislation will change a first time distracted driving ticket from $280 and four demerits to $580 along with the four demerits. Second offences occurring within the same 12 month conviction period will result in a $1,400 ticket, and additional four demerits, and a seven-day vehicle seizure.

Hindley, who assumed the Government Whip duties before the start of this legislative session, was active in helping prepare for the daily Question Period where the opposition NDP took the government to task over a number of areas.

“I think there are a number of themes that you probably would have seen,” he said. “They seemed to spend a lot of time on education and healthcare. A lot of the questions were, I guess from my perspective, saying that the government hasn’t done enough to address perceived shortfalls from them in those particular areas.”

“I guess what I would argue, as part of the government and the Government Whip and the MLA for this area is that there have been a number of significant investments. We’ve seen them here locally. In education and health care. You don’t have to look any further than the All Saints and Ecole Centennial Schools, or The Meadows long term care facility. Or things like the Chinook Power Station which just opened here today northwest of Swift Current.”

“That said, we’ve got a growing province. We talked about some goals in the months and years ahead. A target of 1.4 million people by 2030, and 100,000 more jobs, and increased export capacity. And with an increased population comes increased requests for provincial services, whether its hospitals and schools, and infrastructure and services.”

“So I would argue that yes there are some challenges, but they are challenges of growth. And we’ve been able to make some pretty key investments within a balanced budget. And we’re going to continue to do that in the years ahead.”

Hindley also commented that, as in other sessions, the debate in the legislature often bubbled over with emotions.

“It’s an interesting place,” he said of the legislature. “Sometimes debate gets pretty heated for those 25 minutes in Question Period because people are passionate. People care about their jobs as the MLA for their constituencies, and they’re passionate about how they think that decisions should be made.”

He was quick to point out that after all the formalities of the last day of the fall session, members from both sides of the isle came out to shake each others hands and wish each others Merry Christmas and all the best in the new year.

“Regardless of what happens during Question Period, at the end of the day, MLAS from all sides are just trying to do what they believe is best for the people they represent. We have different ideas of how we want to get there. I think that is one of the benefits to having a democracy where you have different political parties and have different ideas and different plans.”