By Jill Slater

Throne speech kicks off fall sitting of Sask. legislature

Oct 22, 2014 | 7:27 AM

The fall sitting of the Saskatchewan legislature kicks off Wednesday when Lieutenant-Governor Vaughn Schofield delivers the speech from the throne.

“(It’s) always an interesting time in Saskatchewan politics and this one will be no exception,” said Premier Brad Wall speaking to reporters on Tuesday.

The speech outlines the provincial government’s agenda for the sitting.

“We’re going to be focused on keeping Saskatchewan strong. There’s going to be some specific references there to ideas we have on the tax side to make Saskatchewan a very competitive place for export-oriented businesses,” said the premier.

Wall says in light of falling oil prices, many sectors of the economy need to be strong. He says in the past seven years, of the 70,000 jobs created, less than 10 per cent were created in the resource sector. He wants to see the government continue to diversify the economy.

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“I think we could be doing a better job on this front,” said Wall.

The official opposition thinks so too.

NDP Leader Cam Broten said economic diversity is just one issue his party will be raising this fall. The NDP once again plans to focus on improved health care, education, and efforts to claw back the province’s Lean initiative.

“What I want to see is a sustained focus on the things that matter most to families,” said Broten. “Session is a really important time. It’s when we take the feedback we’ve heard from throughout the province and bring those concerns forward. I want us to do this in a principled way, in a determined way and in a way that really elevates concerns Saskatchewan people have.”

The premier expects the discussion surrounding private, patient-paid MRIs to surface during the session – a debate the NDP will be happy to oblige.

The premier noted the possibility that a provincial election could be a year away.

“There are rumours that Harper could go early,” said Wall. “If he goes early, we’re going back to our original date.”

The provincial election date had been pushed back to spring of 2016 to avoid a conflict with the federal election set for fall 2015.

“I think it’s going to be incumbent on the opposition – on the leader of the opposition to come forward with a few more policies. Right now there’s not a lot. There’s basically the platform they ran on last time, and a few things they’ve raised in the course of the session. But if you look on the website, there isn’t a plan there,” said Wall.

Broten says the NDP has brought many ideas forward, including a top-25 list of things the party wants to see in the throne speech.

The NDP is calling on the province to back off its process of implementing the Lean initiative in health care, to re-establish minimum standards for seniors in long-term care homes, and to create a provincial poverty reduction strategy, to name a few.

The opening of the fourth session of the 27th Legislature begins with an outdoor ceremony that includes a vice-regal salute, a 15-gun salute, and a flypast from 15 Wing Moose Jaw. The speech is at 2 p.m.

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