Moe keeps it simple during legislative session
New premier says he’s pleased with work completed during early months in role
Premier Scott Moe kept it simple in his first legislative session, sticking close to the pillars of the campaign that saw him become Saskatchewan’s premier in January.
But by the end of the second sitting of the 28th Saskatchewan legislature on Thursday, circumstances and the NDP opposition complicated matters.
Moe characterized the session as one he was “pleased” with.
The final days in power of former premier Brad Wall, coupled with last year’s austerity budget, brought high levels of excitement to provincial politics.
Moe kept his early days in the premier’s chair fairly basic, largely by making a point of making points out of issues he knew would play well with voters — like opposing a federal carbon tax and promoting pipelines.
He introduced a budget that fulfilled campaign promises — notably reinstating exemptions on certain provincial sales taxes, reinstating some funding to education that had been removed in Wall’s last budget and keeping the province on track to balanced books next March. As well, nearly 60 new laws were passed, most of which were introduced during Wall’s tenure.
“The main focus I had after the leadership was to have a stamp on the provincial budget that we released and to ensure we were able to remain on track to balance to make sure the investments that we’ve been able to enjoy are sustainable into the future,” he said.
Outside of being one of the faces at the forefront in the wake of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash tragedy, Moe also kept a low profile on the national level compared to his predecessor. Without the same star power of Wall, Moe knew he would have to approach his leadership in a different way in order to keep the powerful Saskatchewan Party firmly in government.
“The chairs have moved around a little bit in the room but the same team that supported Premier Wall is still in the room, for the most part,” Moe said. “The faces are very, very similar and although the chairs have moved around, most notably my chair, the same team making the decisions under Premier Wall are essentially making the decisions in our caucus and cabinet rooms today.”
However, it is practically impossible to complete a legislative session without controversy, and Moe was no exception. The Global Transportation Hub land scandal, currently being reviewed by prosecutors in Manitoba after an RCMP fraud investigation, continues to plague his government.
His plan for dealing with the impending legalization of cannabis was criticized for coming too late and being inadequate by the Opposition NDP, which did a fairly effective job of raising other concerns, such as long hospital wait times, school boards struggling with budgets and the termination of new applications for a rental housing supplement social benefit.
Also experiencing his first session as a party leader, Ryan Meili came into the leader of the Opposition chair preaching a new approach to politics, which he said he was successful at doing. Those who watch question period each day may not have noticed any less heckling, but Meili said there was a more “respectful tone” to Saskatchewan politics.
“I’ve really tried hard to work with my team and work from my own point of view on making sure that we stay respectful, we keep it about the issues and we keep bringing it back to what are the choices that will really make a difference in improving the health and lives of Saskatchewan people,” he said.