DAWN OF A NEW ERA
New leaders clash on opening day
Saskatchewan’s politicians REGINA ushered in the second sitting of the 28th Saskatchewan legislature on Monday, commencing a new era for both the Saskatchewan Party and the NDP.
It was noticeably different than previous sittings of the legislature, in that the NDP and Sask. Party have new leaders heading their respective caucuses.
A change in tone was noticeably on display, most evidently when Ryan Meili — in his first question as Opposition leader to the new premier — asked where Premier Scott Moe could find “common ground” with the NDP.
With that, the “new approach to politics” Meili repeatedly spoke of during the campaign was in action.
The shadow of former premier Brad Wall was nowhere to be seen in Moe’s response. He, too, went about taking a distinctly different style in answering the question put to him by Meili, by telling his political adversary the two sides could work together. He cited the province’s budgetary constraints and combating issues related to crime, mental health, addictions and poverty through a “wholesome approach” as examples.
One question in and there were no heckles, just the usual drum on the desks from MLAs supporting their leaders. However, the cordial tone was soon on tenuous ground.
Meili asked a question about job growth, pointing out Saskatchewan was the lone province to lose jobs year-to-year in February. This prompted some grumblings from members on the government side, notably when Meili stated the government’s approach to growing the economy was “not working.” He also mentioned the province’s plan to cut more than 1,200 public sector jobs through attrition, prompting further grumbles.
Moe responded by saying “no one will be losing their jobs” and pointing to the growth Saskatchewan has experienced under a decade of Sask. Party rule.
When Meili stood up and said he was talking about the last year, not the last decade, the cordial tone simultaneously went onto life support.
By the next question from Meili, about Moe’s plan to increase education funding by $30-million in the April 10 budget, the niceties were mostly out the window. Meili charged Moe was only putting in a portion of the money cut from education funding in the previous budget. (This year, funding to school divisions dropped by roughly three per cent from the year prior — resulting in $54.2 million less money in classrooms over the course of the current school year.)
That prompted Education Minister Gord Wyant to say the government’s commitment to education has “got kudos” from nearly every school division in the province. It also prompted a government MLA to remark the cordial tone “lasted about five minutes.”
Despite a healthy dose of heckling throughout the remainder of question period, the overall mood of the room was significantly more subdued than it was during the final days of Wall’s tenure. The coming weeks will determine whether or not it will stay that way.
Monday also saw the swearing-in of three new MLAs, all of whom are sitting on the Sask. Party side of the assembly. Ken Francis (Kindersley), Todd Goudy (Melfort) and Everett Hindley (Swift Current) all saw their first day as MLAs after winning byelections this month.