Saskatchewan Minute: New Minister, Collective Bargaining, and Last Legislature Days

Saskatchewan Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Saskatchewan politics.

This Week In Saskatchewan:

• An agreement between the Province and the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union is up for a ratification vote by the union membership. If approved, the agreement will provide catch-up wage increases, enhanced mental health sick leave, better salary provisions for essential workers during pandemics, a modest pension increase, and measures to improve member retention and recruitment. The negotiation process began in January 2023 and progressed with the help of a mediator after the union declared an impasse in February 2024.
  
  
• Ten more Income Assistance Mobile Outreach Services employees will be hired by the Province. The program is meant to connect people with social services. This expanded staffing comes at a cost of $690,000.
  
  
• Lloydminster MLA Colleen Young is Saskatchewan's new Minister of Advanced Education, taking over from retiring Gordon Wyant. Premier Scott Moe praised Wyant for his contributions and says he expects Young to continue the work seamlessly. Young, elected in 2014, currently holds several committee positions, including Chair of the Standing Committee on the Economy and member of the Red Tape Reductions Committee.

Last Week In Saskatchewan:

• The final sitting of this Legislature before the fall election took place. Many MLAs (13 from the Saskatchewan Party and 2 from the NDP) are not running for reelection and had their last days in the Assembly. As such, there were also several farewell speeches, with MLAs thanking their staff, supporters, constituents, and families on their way out. The provincial election must be held on or before October 28th, 2024.
  
  
• Speaking of the Legislature, the end of this session took a dramatic turn. The Speaker of the House, Randy Weekes, had lost his nomination race earlier this year, leaving him unable to run for reelection with the Saskatchewan Party. Nevertheless, he remained a party member, at least until Wednesday night. The night before the last day of sitting for the Legislative session, he posted a photo of his chopped-up party membership card. He said that “enough is enough” and proceeded to accuse the government of trying to influence his decisions as Speaker. He accused Government House Leader Jeremy Harrison of threatening him, and suggested that MLA Harrison had carried a concealed firearm into the Legislature. Premier Moe denied all of these accusations, calling them “sour grapes” from a candidate that lost his race, and suggested that the Speaker could have addressed these issues before, in another forum. He added that he knows of no incidents where a member has brought a firearm into the Legislature, except as part of a presentation. Opposition Leader Carla Beck asked the government to look into these accusations.
  
  
• The Province and the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) reached a tentative agreement after lengthy bargaining and a rejected initial offer. The STF and the teachers’ bargaining committee have endorsed the deal, and the details will be communicated to members on May 21st and 22nd. Teachers will vote on the agreement on May 29th and 30th.