Saskatchewan. Speech from the Throne promises constitutional changes to ‘defend’ natural resources

The Saskatchewan government’s latest throne speech promises to amend and introduce legislation this fall to uphold the province’s jurisdiction over its natural resources.

Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty opened the fall sitting of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly on Wednesday with his speech.

The speech outlined the government’s agenda and priorities for the session. The list was dominated by legislative changes focused on federal government policies:

• Presentation Saskatchewan’s First Law« to clearly define and defend Saskatchewan’s exclusive jurisdiction over natural resources. »
• Amendment The Saskatchewan Act, « to declare that Saskatchewan continues to retain exclusive jurisdiction over its natural resources. »
• Introduce legislation allowing Saskatchewan to collect corporate income tax.
• Continue to exercise greater control over immigration.

« These measures are designed to break down barriers to unleash Saskatchewan’s incredible economic potential, » Premier Scott Moe said Wednesday. « We simply need to remove the barriers that prevent us from sustainably developing our resources to their full potential and exporting them to markets around the world where they are needed. »

The speech said to amend The Saskatchewan Act will be “similar to how Quebec recently unilaterally amended the Constitution to declare that Quebec is a nation and that its official language is French”. Moe has spent the past few weeks strongly signaling that the government is planning to move in this direction.

The Speech from the Throne said the government’s legislation will be « consistent with the Canadian Constitution ». Moe did not specify what specifically will be in the legislation when asked Wednesday.

The speech read: “To be clear, this is not about repealing or ignoring the Constitution. In fact, quite the contrary. It is the federal government that has encroached on Saskatchewan’s jurisdiction under the Constitution.

“The roadblocks imposed by our own federal government are also bigger than they have ever been,” he said.

According to the speech, the federal government has « circled Saskatchewan’s constitutional jurisdiction over natural resources under the guise of environmental regulation. »

Moe said the constitutional changes will be aimed at « providing certainty to the investment community and ensuring that this province does everything we can to reassert our constitutional right. »

According to the Speech from the Throne, « Investment is flowing into the province as several major projects move forward, creating thousands of new jobs. »

Moe was asked how the province could brag about the arrival of investment, while saying that federal policies were preventing investment.

“We continue to see record investment in our province. We want to see more and we’re working hard to attract additional investment, but at the same time we’ve had a challenge with a canola crushing plant that hasn’t moved forward in the southeast. « , Moe said. « There are challenges around some of the environmental costs of installing here compared to other parts of the world. »

The provincial government announced the Saskatchewan Immigration Accord in July. He said in his speech that he planned to send a signed agreement to the federal government « for its ratification. »

The province announced that it would expand its international trade offices to nine out of eight by opening a new one in Germany.

The title of the Speech from the Throne is Growth that Works for All. The speech concludes by presenting Saskatchewan as a reliable supplier to a world “thrown in uncertainty”.

“My government is charting a course that ensures our economy continues to grow and everyone in Saskatchewan benefits from that growth. More people, more jobs and more investment in important government services.

Government to close provincially run liquor stores

The Saskatchewan government also said it plans to reform the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) and mentioned two notable changes, one of which is the closure of SLGA liquor stores.

« We are leaving the retail business of SLGA. It is not a core government business in our view, » Moe said.

He said the SLGA would continue to operate the wholesale side of the liquor trade.

The government is also bringing back an idea launched late last spring that would allow municipalities to designate areas « for safe drinking in parks. »

The government tabled an amended bill in May, but it needed unanimous assembly approval, which the opposition did not get.

Carbon offset credit program to be created

The Speech from the Throne also said it will create a made-in-Saskatchewan program to « generate voluntary carbon offset credits for producers and companies whose products have greenhouse gas emissions below global averages. »

The program would allow companies and producers to use credits to reduce their emissions or have the credits traded with others.

“My government believes there are better ways to fight climate change than punitive taxes and ineffective regulations imposed by the federal government,” the speech said.

Police and judicial initiatives

The province has also announced it will reopen Lloydminster Courthouse and the Court of King’s Bench in Weyburn.

He said he would continue to work on « community policing models that meet the needs of First Nations communities », particularly discussions with the federal government and the Prince Albert Grand Council on the development of a police service. First Nations police.

The province also plans to create a Saskatchewan Marshals Service to work alongside the RCMP.

It also plans to add eight officers to its warrant enforcement and enforcement team and add a new crime reduction team to North Battleford.

« Recent tragedies in our province have also exposed weaknesses in the warrant enforcement process that must be addressed immediately. My government will work with the Correctional Service of Canada to improve information sharing and enforcement activities, » indicates speech.

Opposition says throne speech ‘recycles’ old documents

Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck said the Speech from the Throne recycled previous announcements and did not offer enough to address health care concerns.

“Healthcare facilities and hospital beds are closed in our province. Finding a family doctor is nearly impossible,” Beck said in a statement.

The opposition said the new measures proposed in the speech « are based on Scott Moe’s White Paper – a document that has been widely dismissed and derided by economists and pundits ».

“When you produce such a clearly flawed document, it prevents you from attracting investment and being a credible advocate for the people of our province. The white paper was not created to get results for Saskatchewan; it was designed to distract from Scott Moe and the failures of his government, » Beck said.