Long-time Saskatchewan Party MLA Dan D’Autremont was elected speaker of the legislature Dec. 5 as the house convened for the first session after Saskatchewan’s November election.
D’Autremont, who represents Cannington, defeated former speaker Don Toth, from the neighbouring constituency of Moosomin, in a secret ballot vote prior to the throne speech. Both were first elected as Progressive Conservatives; D’Autremont in 1991 and Toth in 1986.
The throne speech picked up where the election campaign left off, vowing to keep Saskatchewan moving forward by making life more affordable while sustaining economic growth.
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It describes farmers and ranchers as the backbone of the province but made no specific promises related to the agricultural sector.
“When it comes to managing risk and recovering from disasters, farm families can continue to rely on my government for help, now and in the future,” said the speech read by lt.- gov. Gordon Barnhart.
It also repeated the government’s plan to establish a global institute for food security at the University of Saskatchewan.
Agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud said the government will look at changing crop insurance and other programs after two years of excess moisture.
“Flooding has been kind of a wake-up call for everybody,” he said.
Premier Brad Wall said it is reasonable for the government to follow through on promises made during the campaign.
It will deal with the issue of affordable housing, which has become a province-wide concern in the wake of growth.
As well, rural health care improvements were promised, including the establishment of a 20-doctor rural locum pool to provide relief to existing doctors. Twenty new nurse practitioner training seats will also be added over four years, up from the 30 existing seats.
New legislation to be introduced this fall includes an enabling bill that could move the date of the next provincial election. A fixed election date was one of the Sask. Party’s promises in 2007 and it passed that legislation soon after being elected.
However, the federal government has set Oct. 18, 2015, as the next countrywide vote.
Wall said Saskatchewan and four other provinces all have scheduled fall votes that year and overlapping is not a good idea. Saskatchewan’s election is set for Nov. 2, 2015.
Officials have been talking with their counterparts in Ottawa to see if that vote could be moved rather than changing five others.
Wall said the enabling legislation would allowchange but not necessarily ensure it.
