It has been a somewhat raucous spring session of the legislature at times, with heated and animated exchanges among MLAs.
But the member鈥檚 statement from the MLA for Weyburn, Dustin Duncan, brought a different reaction Thursday.
Duncan鈥檚 statement was in response to a recent decision by the local city council, which had voted down an application to build a group home in an upscale neighbourhood in Weyburn. Here are his remarks as recorded in Hansard.
Hon. Mr. Duncan: 鈥� Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the motto of Weyburn is 鈥渢he opportunity city鈥� but in the last few days there may be the impression that this is not the case for some in our community. But, Mr. Speaker, I know Weyburn and I know that this is not the case.
Mr. Speaker, I am confident that everyone involved in the new group home proposal is working towards a solution. In fact later this morning members of council will be sitting down with the developer, as they have already met with the Weyburn Group Homes Society, to resolve this issue.
Mr. Speaker, the Weyburn Group Homes Society is a very valued organization in our community who serve wonderful clients, among the most vulnerable in our community. And we cannot say thank you enough for all the work that they do. As a government we support their work and have added three new group homes in Weyburn, providing 12 clients with a place to call home.
Mr. Speaker, what is important for these clients and their families and their support workers is for some calm and peace at this time while a resolution is sought. Mr. Speaker, concerns have been voiced of what could be lost when a group home moves into a neighbourhood. Mr. Speaker, in my experience, including attending the opening of the three new group homes in our community, these homes don鈥檛 take away. They add. They add a safe and secure home for our most vulnerable. They add to the colour and richness of a neighbourhood, and they add a smile to the face of those who have a home to call their own. Mr. Speaker, any neighbourhood would be lucky to have them. Thank you.
It was Regina Elphinstone-Centre MLA Warren McCall who spoke next and he gave his approval to Duncan鈥檚 remarks.
Mr. McCall: 鈥� Mr. Speaker, while I鈥檓 on my feet, well said. You speak for all of us.
Battlefords MLA Herb Cox had remarks of his own later on as he spoke about the launch of the Saskatchewan crime watch advisory network. He had attended the launch the previous Thursday.
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Mr. Cox: 鈥� 听鈥� When someone reports a crime, the RCMP can use the Saskatchewan crime watch advisory network to send out an advisory about criminal activity in a specific area. Text messages, emails, or phone calls with information from the police then reaches people across that community.
During my time on the crime reduction committee, a recurring theme in the feedback we heard from rural Saskatchewan was the need for effective communication. And that鈥檚 exactly what this system is about: getting credible, effective, and reliable information to people quickly. Mr. Speaker, the Saskatchewan crime watch advisory network initiative responds directly to our government鈥檚 goal to improve the response to rural crime. The program will initially run in southern Saskatchewan and, if successful, we will look to expand it to northern Saskatchewan.
Mr. Speaker, the RCMP said at SARM just this week that approximately 2,000 people have already signed up. Mr. Speaker, everyone wants to protect their family and their home, and I thank this government for their contribution of $50,000, as it will improve safety for many in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan crime watch advisory network is just one tool we can use to work together to help make our province safer for everyone. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Then came question period. One topic was the PST on construction, raised by Regina Rosemont MLA Trent Wotherspoon. Finance minister Donna Harpauer mentioned North Battleford in her response.
Mr. Wotherspoon: 鈥� [Inaudible] . . . The Sask Party again brushes aside the concerns of industry, of small businesses, of workers, of municipalities, and of us, Mr. Speaker, and of course plowed ahead with the imposition of the PST on construction labour. But the fact is, the bottom line is that it鈥檚 hurting our economy and hurting workers, and it鈥檚 past time to do the right thing and scrap the PST on construction labour, get people back to work, and help to fire up this economy. Will the Premier commit to doing that here today?
The Speaker: 鈥� I recognize the Minister of Finance.
Hon. Ms. Harpauer: 鈥� Mr. Speaker, yet again, in just six more sleeps the province will see a balanced budget in the province of Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker. Was this government failing the people of Saskatchewan when they built the Moose Jaw Hospital? Were they failing the people of Saskatchewan when they are building the children鈥檚 hospital? Were they failing the people of Saskatchewan when they built the North Battleford hospital to help with mental support, mental health issues, within this province, Mr. Speaker? Were they failing the people of Saskatchewan with the Swift Current long-term care home facility? How about the Regina bypass, Mr. Speaker?
Later the MLA for Regina Northeast, Yens Pedersen, launched a line of questioning about irrigation infrastructure to Agriculture Minister David Marit. It was a topic that came out of recent consultations in Saskatchewan communities including one at Don Ross Centre in North Battleford.
Mr. Pedersen: 鈥� Unlike the Premier鈥檚 suggestion, as Agriculture critic I鈥檝e been travelling all across this province, not just to Saskatoon. I鈥檝e been to Kelvington, Nipawin, North Battleford, Canora, Melville, Birch Hills, Swift Current, Maple Creek, Moose Jaw, Outlook, Rosthern. And it鈥檚 no secret, Mr. Speaker, that there is a huge infrastructure deficit in this province.
[Interjections]
The Speaker: 鈥� Order please. Recognize the member.
Mr. Pedersen: 鈥� Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to irrigation infrastructure, Mr. Speaker, the Sask Party solution is to push that bill onto farmers. And farmers have feared that this would be coming for some time, but they are frustrated with the bully tactics that this government is using. Irrigation districts are being forced to agree to non-disclosure clauses in the funding and transfer agreements, and that means that they can鈥檛 even compare notes with other irrigation districts to see how bad of a deal that they鈥檙e getting from this province.
My question for the minister is, why is he bullying producers by insisting on confidentiality clauses in the agreements with irrigation districts?
The Speaker: 鈥� I recognize the Minister of Agriculture.
Hon. Mr. Marit: 鈥� Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I find it ironic when the member opposite talks about travelling around the province and we鈥檝e got, you know, facts where he鈥檚 in a community with six people showed up and listened to him talk.
So, Mr. Speaker, we鈥檝e had a very good discussion with the irrigation districts in this province. We鈥檝e come to agreements on them. We鈥檝e come to agreements on funding. We鈥檙e ready to go on that. So, Mr. Speaker, everything he is saying is totally false. The agreements have been worked on. They鈥檙e done and the irrigation districts are happy with the results. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
But Pedersen continued to hammer away, pointing out producers 鈥渇elt like they had no choice in those agreements because the ministry made it clear that the confidentiality clauses were not negotiable.鈥�
Mr. Pedersen: 鈥� Mr. Speaker, the question is simple. Will the minister table the agreements, the funding and transfer agreements, with the irrigation districts?
The Speaker: 鈥� I recognize the Minister of Agriculture.
Hon. Mr. Marit: 鈥� Mr. Speaker, I will not table those agreements. Those agreements are signed with the irrigation districts, Mr. Speaker, and that鈥檚 the . . . If the irrigation districts want to disclose them, they can do it at that time when the agreements are signed and delivered.
The Speaker: 鈥� I recognize the member for Regina Northeast.
Mr. Pedersen: 鈥� Mr. Speaker, the irrigation districts can鈥檛 disclose them because the minister forced a confidentiality clause on them. So will the minister put these agreements before the legislature?
The Speaker: 鈥� I recognize the Minister of Agriculture.
Hon. Mr. Marit: 鈥� Mr. Speaker, the agreements aren鈥檛 even signed yet. Wait till the agreements are signed, Mr. Speaker.
At the end of Question Period, Regina Douglas Park MLA Nicole Sarauer rose on a point of order to Speaker Mark Docherty about the exchange.
Ms. Sarauer: 鈥� Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During question period today, the Minister for Agriculture used the phrase 鈥渢otally false.鈥� That language is unparliamentary. We ask him to withdraw and apologize for that statement.
The Speaker: 鈥� I think I heard 鈥渃ompletely false鈥� during debate. I mean that鈥檚 during debate over the facts. He didn鈥檛 say he was deliberately misleading this House, so I鈥檓 not going to rule that in favour.
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