Premier Scott Moe. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME file photo)

By Lisa Schick, CJME News

COVID, growth and the federal government: Moe looks back at 2022, ahead to 2023

Dec 22, 2022 | 11:28 AM

As he speeds into the new year with ideas about growth and autonomy, Premier Scott Moe paused to take a look back at the work done in the year that’s about to end.

Moe thinks Saskatchewan did a good job in 2022 of being poised to attract investment in things like value-added agriculture, mining, rare earth elements and lithium.

“Those type of investments have been imperative today and I think will be imperative for years to come in the opportunity and jobs that they provide in communities right across Saskatchewan and allow us to — now that we’ve achieved (a population of) 1.2 million, ultimately — get on our way to 1.4 million people in the province by 2030,” said Moe.

When it comes to mistakes his government made in 2022, Moe points to the war in Ukraine. Though his government has accepted more than 3,000 displaced Ukrainians and signed a deal with an international charity to take in more, Moe said his government could have done more to help displaced Ukrainians.

“In many cases these are the folks that built our communities over the course of the last century,” said Moe.

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“If there was a way for us to be even more ambitious in providing more support or providing more pathways for Ukrainian families to find refuge in Saskatchewan over the course of the last year, that’s one area where I think we could have been more ambitious.”

Moe didn’t bring up himself, but did admit that one of his caucus members — Lyle Stewart — inviting convicted murderer Colin Thatcher to the Throne Speech in the fall was a mistake, and Moe’s apology was likely a day or two late, given the weekend.

“It was an error in judgment and one that ultimately I apologized for, not only on behalf of not only the individual but the government proper,” said Moe.

Saskatchewan began 2022 with some public health measures around COVID but all were dropped in February, making it the first province to do so in Canada. By the end of the year, however, Saskatchewan is expected to see a record number of COVID deaths for a year.

When asked if that reality made dropping all measures a mistake, Moe responded there is no public appetite for more public health measures in the province. He said COVID is very real and has real consequences, but other respiratory illnesses like influenza and RSV are putting stress on hospitals right now too.

It seems the most effort from the Saskatchewan Party government in 2022 went toward initiatives to wrest autonomy from the federal government.

In the summer, Moe introduced his government’s white paper which outlined how much he says nine federal government policies are costing Saskatchewan — $11 billion to 2035.

In the fall, the Sask. Party also introduced several laws around putting roadblocks in front of a federal gun buyback, creating a provincial marshal service, preparing to collect its own corporate income taxes, and The Saskatchewan First Act.

“The Saskatchewan First Act is not about expanding the constitutional jurisdictional powers that the province of Saskatchewan has, but it is most certainly about utilizing and taking up that entire jurisdictional space,” said Moe.

The premier said all these laws are shields, as opposed to swords, to protect the province’s opportunities and interests from federal government overreach.

That includes a new bill requiring federal government workers to ask permission before accessing private land in Saskatchewan.

“There’s a disconnect, very much a disconnect, between a province like Saskatchewan and what’s happening with the current federal administration and it’s disappointing because we have always tried to work with the federal government where we can,” said Moe.

Moe said that push and interest in provincial autonomy is going to continue into the new year; those bills introduced in the fall will all likely be passed in the spring.

“We’re not going to allow another level of government to diminish the opportunity that lies before us,” said Moe.

Moe wants to keep the province growing, and said in the new year he wants to see the growth from 2022 expand and fulfil the second part of the title of the fall Throne Speech: “Growth that Works for Everyone.”

“I think what I see ahead for the next year is some of the investments and some of that growth actually coming to fruition where people will be able to see that it’s working for them and working for their community,” said Moe.

The government expects to be able to add more people to the health-care workforce in 2023, and Moe said investments in safer communities will become evident, as will investments in things like urgent care centres which will have intakes for mental health and addictions.

If there are any concerns or worries he has for the new year, Moe said it’s around keeping access to international markets and keeping provincial growth going.

“Government has a role to play in keeping those market access channels open to protect the jobs that are in Vanscoy, to protect the jobs that are in Moose Jaw, and jobs in Esterhazy and Prince Albert,” said Moe.

“Our global relations as a province, most certainly, are of high priority to us because that is the growth and there’s no ‘that works for everyone’ if we cannot preserve that growth.”