“While we continue to build, we must also protect all we have built.”That is from the Throne Speech delivered by Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty in the Legislature to begin the fall session. The speech outlines what the Sask Party government has planned, and the theme is ‘build and protect’.
It includes introducing legislation to reduce smoking and vaping in young people by raising the legal age from 18 to 19, consistent with the age for alcohol and cannabis. The government promises to promote new home construction by introducing a PST rebate for new homeowners, retroactive to April 1st, and will introduce a Secondary Suite Program to increase rental availability.
A new Saskatchewan Employment incentive program will be introduced to bolster finances for low income working families with dependent children. As has been announced before, the plan is for more childcare spaces, more mental health services for children and youth and 30 new Complex Needs Emergency Shelter spaces in Regina and Saskatoon. The Sask Party government also plans for 500 new addictions treatment spaces.
The Throne Speech mentions using the Saskatchewan First Act to refer the federal government’s environmental regulations around clean energy to an independent Economic Impact Assessment Tribunal. The Act asserts the province’s jurisdiction under the Constitution in areas like the exploration and development of natural resources and everything related to that., which the government suggests means jurisdiction over regulation of environmental standards and greenhouse gases. The Throne Speech says during this session, the government will take the next step – creating an independent Economic Impact Assessment Tribunal to study the economic harm caused by the federal government’s environmental regulations.
Building export markets is on the list as well as creating jobs in this province by attracting people, talent and business investment through its Investment Attraction Strategy to be introduced this session. The goal of the Saskatchewan Jobs Plan is to create new job opportunities and careers. Part of that is to continue addressing the labour shortage in health care and to expand employment, educational and training for Indigenous people.
Other bills or amendments to be introduced include expanding presumptive cancer coverage for firefighters, a bill to relieve human trafficking victims of negative credit factors incurred through coercion, and a Saskatchewan Remembrance Day Observance Act to protect the right to wear a poppy in all Saskatchewan workplaces.
