Saskatchewan Minute: Water Deal, Intervening Neighbours, and Job Action Cessation

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

This Week In Saskatchewan:

• The Legislature is sitting from Monday to Thursday this week. Bill No. 613 (The Saskatchewan Employment (Fairer Workplaces, Better Jobs) Amendment Act), Bill No. 614 (The Public Participation Act), and Bill No. 615 (The Comprehensive Wetland Conservation Policy Act) are all at Second Reading. There are a variety of Committee meetings this week too.
  
  
• The Saskatchewan government and Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) are forming a partnership to assist men in breaking the cycle of incarceration through a three-year, $802,000 contract. This initiative, based at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre's Urban Camp, will offer programming focused on mental health, addiction support, education, and employment opportunities for offenders transitioning back into the community. STC Chief Mark Arcand emphasized the importance of Indigenous-led programs in aiding incarcerated individuals who are ready for positive change.
  
  
• Premier Scott Moe, along with other Premiers, is calling for an emergency televised meeting to discuss alternatives to the federal carbon price. A non-binding Conservative motion pushing for such a meeting passed in the House of Commons with support from other parties. Premier Moe said that carbon pricing is an inflationary burden imposed on Canadian families that doesn’t actually effectively reduce emissions. Moe said Saskatchewan rejected a provincial carbon tax because, while exploring the possibility of implementing a provincial carbon price, they discovered that all available options were deemed too expensive for both families and industry.

Last Week In Saskatchewan:

• The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation has decided to suspend all job action across the province and resume negotiations with the provincial government. Teachers started job action in mid-January with one-day provincewide strikes, followed by rotating strikes and withdrawals of voluntary duties. Since Monday, they have been working under a work-to-rule job action, which includes no lunch supervision and teachers starting their shift 15 minutes before the first bell and ending 15 minutes after the last. The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation said that the situation changed quickly, that teachers would cease job action as an act of good faith, and that they won't take further action as long as talks are ongoing.
  
  
• Saskatchewan has a partner in its legal challenge against the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which requires parental permission for children under 16 to change their names and pronouns in school. The Alberta government has announced its intention to seek intervenor status in a legal challenge against that Bill. Alberta contends that Saskatchewan's utilization of the notwithstanding clause should have blocked an examination of the law's constitutionality. Alberta also asserts that this review will not just affect parental rights nationally but also the implementation of the notwithstanding clause, a fundamental component of both the Charter and Canada's Constitution.
  
  
• The Province has approved expanding a water deal to include cross-border groundwater reserves, aiming to sustainably manage and share them. The proposed changes empower the Prairie Provinces Water Board to assess, monitor, and take action if necessary to manage transboundary aquifers. The addition of groundwater builds upon the collaborative approach between Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, and the federal government, established in 1969.