Teachers' strike marks opening day of spring legislative sitting in Saskatchewan
CBC
Mon, March 4, 2024
Teachers and supporters will be walking along Albert Street in Regina on Monday as the one-day strike coincides with the first day of the spring sitting of the Saskatchewan Legislature. (CBC/Radio-Canada - image credit)
As Saskatchewan Party MLAs return to the legislature for the start of the spring sitting on Monday, they will have to pass crowds of striking teachers picketing up and down Albert Street.
The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) perhaps unsurprisingly chose the first day of the sitting to send Regina area teachers to the picket lines as talks between the government trustee bargaining committee and STF remain at a standstill.
The teachers' contract expired in August and the two sides disagree on whether a new deal should include class size and complexity within the collective agreement.
A few weeks ago, talks resumed briefly and ultimately broke down with each side blaming the other for "walking away" from the bargaining table. What followed were competing social media videos from STF President Samantha Becotte and Minister of Education Jeremy Cockrill.
It has been a while since a strike involving government employees descended on the legislature during the sitting.
In October 2019, government employees of six Crown corporations ended a 17-day strike, reaching a tentative contract agreement with the government three days before the fall sitting began.
The Opposition NDP has called on the government to address issues of class size and complexity within a new agreement and NDP MLAs have walked with striking teachers over the past few weeks, so expect the issue to be at the forefront of Opposition questions during debate.
Health care
Spending on health care has been arguably the top concern of the Opposition during the last several months. This week, NDP Leader Carla Beck held a news conference highlighting retention and recruitment issues for nurses and doctors in rural communities.
Data released in late 2023 showed Saskatchewan lost a net 35 doctors in 2022 to other provinces, the second worst in the country. The Opposition also flagged a drop in 474 registered nurses in rural Saskatchewan compared with six years ago.
The Opposition has spent many days in Question Period discussing its concerns over primary care access, emergency room conditions and wait times for diagnostics and surgery.
On the latter, the Minister of Health boasted a ramp-up in surgeries over the last year that cut a wait list of 36,000 patients in 2021 to 27,000 by the end of 2023.
In response to capacity issues in Regina and Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan Health Authority launched plans in both cities to add beds to help ease the pressure. Two weeks ago, the SHA said the plan was seeing results.
"We acknowledge that our health system continues to experience difficult and varied capacity challenges, but we also know these action plans are the right work to achieve our goals," said SHA chief operating officer Derek Miller on Feb. 15.
Budget coming March 20
Finance Minister Donna Harpauer will deliver her last budget on March 20, as she has indicated she will not seek re-election in this year's provincial election. A year ago, the government was anticipating a healthy surplus.
However, Harpauer said the province's financial projections had taken a dramatic turn in November.
The mid-year financial update projected a $250-million deficit, an outcome that would be $1.3 billion worse than the $1-billion surplus predicted in the spring budget.
Thoughts of a tax cut in an election year likely evaporated at that point.
"It is not likely we could do any tax cuts in this budget, but we are very early in our budget deliberations and we will see where the economy goes," Harpauer said on Nov. 27.
Finance Minister Donna Harpauer presents the Saskatchewan Budget inside the chamber of the legisalture in Regina, on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu
Finance Minister Donna Harpauer will present her last budget on Wednesday, March 20. (Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press)
Last week, the financial picture became muddier as the NDP flagged concerns over more than $750 million in spending by the province through special warrants.
The largest chunk is $450 million for the SHA and physician services.
"At the end of the day, taxpayers deserve nothing less than honesty, transparency, value for money and good management. They're not getting any of that right now," said NDP finance critic Trent Wotherspoon on Feb. 22.
The provincial government published 13 orders in council reporting that the finance minister was issuing a series of special warrants.
The money is spent in the current year and warrants are used to obtain money when the government is not sitting.
The spending will be reviewed during the sitting and the government defended the move in a statement.
"The government of Saskatchewan provided a mid-year update on Nov. 27, 2023, and will table third-quarter financials on budget day, as has been past practice," the statement read.
Carbon tax spat
The carbon tax debate was awoken last fall when the federal government exempted the tax on home heating oil, with the largest number of people affected living in Atlantic Canada. Premier Scott Moe called the policy unfair and followed up by vowing not to remit the tax collected on home heating in Saskatchewan to Ottawa.
On Thursday, the minister responsible for SaskEnergy, Dustin Duncan, announced in a video on social media that the government would follow through on its threat made in the fall and not remit to Ottawa.
What followed was another threat, this one from Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who said if the province does not remit, then Ottawa will not provide Saskatchewan people with rebates.
Wilkinson said, "the rebate provides more money for most families in Saskatchewan."
Moe says starting Jan. 1, the provincial gas utility SaskEnergy won't collect or submit the tax to the federal government unless Ottawa provides the province an exemption.
Premier Scott Moe said in the fall that starting Jan. 1, the provincial gas utility SaskEnergy won't collect or submit the tax to the federal government unless Ottawa provides the province an exemption. The government made that official on Thursday. (Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press)
In a response on social media Thursday, Moe wrote, "If Saskatchewan people stop getting the rebate entirely, Saskatchewan should stop paying the carbon tax entirely."
Moe said residents pay the carbon tax on things other than home heating, like gasoline.
During any typical question period, the Saskatchewan Party government may present a petition or read a member's statement that blasts the "Trudeau carbon tax." In addition, answers to Opposition questions can lead to carbon tax criticism. Political watchers should expect more of the same over the next 12 weeks of the sitting given recent events.
CBC
Mon, March 4, 2024
Teachers and supporters will be walking along Albert Street in Regina on Monday as the one-day strike coincides with the first day of the spring sitting of the Saskatchewan Legislature. (CBC/Radio-Canada - image credit)
As Saskatchewan Party MLAs return to the legislature for the start of the spring sitting on Monday, they will have to pass crowds of striking teachers picketing up and down Albert Street.
The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) perhaps unsurprisingly chose the first day of the sitting to send Regina area teachers to the picket lines as talks between the government trustee bargaining committee and STF remain at a standstill.
The teachers' contract expired in August and the two sides disagree on whether a new deal should include class size and complexity within the collective agreement.
A few weeks ago, talks resumed briefly and ultimately broke down with each side blaming the other for "walking away" from the bargaining table. What followed were competing social media videos from STF President Samantha Becotte and Minister of Education Jeremy Cockrill.
It has been a while since a strike involving government employees descended on the legislature during the sitting.
In October 2019, government employees of six Crown corporations ended a 17-day strike, reaching a tentative contract agreement with the government three days before the fall sitting began.
The Opposition NDP has called on the government to address issues of class size and complexity within a new agreement and NDP MLAs have walked with striking teachers over the past few weeks, so expect the issue to be at the forefront of Opposition questions during debate.
Health care
Spending on health care has been arguably the top concern of the Opposition during the last several months. This week, NDP Leader Carla Beck held a news conference highlighting retention and recruitment issues for nurses and doctors in rural communities.
Data released in late 2023 showed Saskatchewan lost a net 35 doctors in 2022 to other provinces, the second worst in the country. The Opposition also flagged a drop in 474 registered nurses in rural Saskatchewan compared with six years ago.
The Opposition has spent many days in Question Period discussing its concerns over primary care access, emergency room conditions and wait times for diagnostics and surgery.
On the latter, the Minister of Health boasted a ramp-up in surgeries over the last year that cut a wait list of 36,000 patients in 2021 to 27,000 by the end of 2023.
In response to capacity issues in Regina and Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan Health Authority launched plans in both cities to add beds to help ease the pressure. Two weeks ago, the SHA said the plan was seeing results.
"We acknowledge that our health system continues to experience difficult and varied capacity challenges, but we also know these action plans are the right work to achieve our goals," said SHA chief operating officer Derek Miller on Feb. 15.
Budget coming March 20
Finance Minister Donna Harpauer will deliver her last budget on March 20, as she has indicated she will not seek re-election in this year's provincial election. A year ago, the government was anticipating a healthy surplus.
However, Harpauer said the province's financial projections had taken a dramatic turn in November.
The mid-year financial update projected a $250-million deficit, an outcome that would be $1.3 billion worse than the $1-billion surplus predicted in the spring budget.
Thoughts of a tax cut in an election year likely evaporated at that point.
"It is not likely we could do any tax cuts in this budget, but we are very early in our budget deliberations and we will see where the economy goes," Harpauer said on Nov. 27.
Finance Minister Donna Harpauer presents the Saskatchewan Budget inside the chamber of the legisalture in Regina, on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu
Finance Minister Donna Harpauer will present her last budget on Wednesday, March 20. (Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press)
Last week, the financial picture became muddier as the NDP flagged concerns over more than $750 million in spending by the province through special warrants.
The largest chunk is $450 million for the SHA and physician services.
"At the end of the day, taxpayers deserve nothing less than honesty, transparency, value for money and good management. They're not getting any of that right now," said NDP finance critic Trent Wotherspoon on Feb. 22.
The provincial government published 13 orders in council reporting that the finance minister was issuing a series of special warrants.
The money is spent in the current year and warrants are used to obtain money when the government is not sitting.
The spending will be reviewed during the sitting and the government defended the move in a statement.
"The government of Saskatchewan provided a mid-year update on Nov. 27, 2023, and will table third-quarter financials on budget day, as has been past practice," the statement read.
Carbon tax spat
The carbon tax debate was awoken last fall when the federal government exempted the tax on home heating oil, with the largest number of people affected living in Atlantic Canada. Premier Scott Moe called the policy unfair and followed up by vowing not to remit the tax collected on home heating in Saskatchewan to Ottawa.
On Thursday, the minister responsible for SaskEnergy, Dustin Duncan, announced in a video on social media that the government would follow through on its threat made in the fall and not remit to Ottawa.
What followed was another threat, this one from Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who said if the province does not remit, then Ottawa will not provide Saskatchewan people with rebates.
Wilkinson said, "the rebate provides more money for most families in Saskatchewan."
Moe says starting Jan. 1, the provincial gas utility SaskEnergy won't collect or submit the tax to the federal government unless Ottawa provides the province an exemption.
Premier Scott Moe said in the fall that starting Jan. 1, the provincial gas utility SaskEnergy won't collect or submit the tax to the federal government unless Ottawa provides the province an exemption. The government made that official on Thursday. (Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press)
In a response on social media Thursday, Moe wrote, "If Saskatchewan people stop getting the rebate entirely, Saskatchewan should stop paying the carbon tax entirely."
Moe said residents pay the carbon tax on things other than home heating, like gasoline.
During any typical question period, the Saskatchewan Party government may present a petition or read a member's statement that blasts the "Trudeau carbon tax." In addition, answers to Opposition questions can lead to carbon tax criticism. Political watchers should expect more of the same over the next 12 weeks of the sitting given recent events.
The Canadian Press
Mon, March 4, 2024
REGINA — Saskatchewan's spring legislative sitting kicked off Monday with the Opposition NDP demanding Premier Scott Moe at least pick up the phone and talk to Ottawa to resolve the escalating dispute over the carbon price.
The two sides also sparred over the ongoing labour standoff with teachers, while an Independent MLA rose to publicly apologize for sexual solicitation.
On the carbon price issue, NDP Leader Carla Beck rebuked Moe for not meeting with his federal counterparts to patch up the dispute even though a key minister was recently in Ottawa but failed to arrange a meeting.
Moe fired back by saying his government has been in contact with the federal government and he last spoke with federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault at a climate conference in Dubai.
"I would tell the premier that there are perhaps cheaper places for him to have conversations with federal ministers," Beck later told reporters after question period.
"He's probably got his cellphone plan as part of the job that he could phone the prime minister."
Members of Moe’s Saskatchewan Party heckled back on the phone gibe, telling Beck to call her purported boss, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.
"You're used to that, you tune it out," Beck said.
"But I do note when people are in the galleries, like we had teachers in there today, their response to that is it looks childish."
Moe announced in October that SaskEnergy would stop collecting the carbon price from natural gas customers beginning in 2024. And the province confirmed last week it wouldn't be sending the money to Ottawa, a move that breaks federal emissions law.
Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for SaskEnergy, has said it's about fairness, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has refused to exempt natural gas from the carbon charge like he did with home heating oil, which largely benefits Atlantic Canadians.
Ottawa then said it will no longer give the rebates to Saskatchewan residents because of the province's decision.
Duncan stood on the steps of Parliament in a social media video when he made the announcement. He later told reporters he had no conversations with Ottawa about the decision.
Beck questioned that.
"(Moe) could have directed his minister when he was out doing the selfie video on the steps of Parliament to go in and try to get a meeting with the prime minister or one of the federal ministers," she said.
The NDP had spearheaded a motion last fall urging Parliament to remove the levy on all forms of home heating. Other provinces had also called for an exemption.
Moe told reporters earlier Monday he hopes Ottawa treats the province fairly when it decides how much it will rebate residents.
The teacher dispute was also on the agenda in the house during question period.
Beck said the government needs to get back to the bargaining table, and that her party would negotiate on issues of classroom size and additional supports should the NDP form government. The next general election is scheduled for Oct. 28.
Moe said Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation leadership needs to return to the bargaining table. Teachers were there for only 30 minutes the last time they met, he said.
The union wants the province to include those non-monetary issues in the new labour contract, but says the government is only offering a take-it-or-leave-it deal.
The province has remained firmly opposed to including those measures, saying it would give the union more control, rather than school boards.
Prior to question period, Ryan Domotor, a former Saskatchewan Party backbencher, apologized in the legislature after he was charged last fall for seeking to obtain sexual services and arrested at a hotel in Regina.
The Crown stayed the charge against him, as he completed a prostitution intervention program. It's an alternative measure that lets people address an offence without having to go through court.
Domotor, who now sits as an Independent, told the assembly he was struggling at the time emotionally with his personal life and marriage.
"This affected my mental health and my lapse in judgment, which resulted in me making a decision I will regret for the rest of my life," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2024.
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