This past week in the legislature saw far more action than the recent Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.
Cam Broten and Brad Wall put on a knock-down display in Question Period this week that was highly entertaining to say the least, though it’s arguable whether the issue travel expenses had any traction at all beyond the legislature itself.
As the week began a provincial election campaign was coming to a close in neighbouring Alberta, where the NDP were on the verge of toppling the Alberta PC government.
Saskatchewan’s leader of the opposition surely had Alberta on his mind when he rose for question period Monday. NDP leader Cam Broten pointed to Alison Redford, former PC premier of Alberta who had resigned in a scandal over travel expenditures, in his opening question on Monday. The exchange is from Hansard’s account.
Mr. Broten: Mr. Speaker, Alison Redford got in a fair bit of trouble for having one taxpayer-funded travel scout. Why does this premier have two?
The Deputy Speaker: I recognize the premier.
Hon. Mr. Wall: Mr. Deputy Speaker, within the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs, there are officers who are tasked to make sure that trade missions are managed in a logistically efficient way. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I think it’s true that our government has engaged in more trade missions. Ministers are involved. I’m involved. And so it’s certainly true that officials have been sent ahead of time in markets. They’ve done so, I think, Mr. Deputy Speaker, in a way to manage costs as efficiently as possible, I believe, including ensuring that they are flying even overseas in economy, even though by policy of the government, they could fly in business class.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have been able to manage the overall travel of government, including what happens in the ministries and what happens in the front benches by ministers, so that it is significantly lower than what happened under members opposite when they were in office. And all the while, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we’ve been able, I think, to see some good results that come from those trade missions.
So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we’re going to continue the practice. We’ll be careful with the funds that are expended, as we always have been, Mr. Deputy Speaker, but we’re going to continue with trade missions and continue with doing what has been successful, I think, for the economy and the people of the province.
The Deputy Speaker: I recognize the leader of the Opposition.
Mr. Broten: Mr. Speaker, that was a very similar answer to what Premier Redford gave when she was confronted with this, Mr. Speaker.
This government has been anything but careful when it comes to taxpayers’ dollars on these advance trips. The premier’s two travel scouts spent $23,493.76 for a 16-day advance visit to Singapore, Japan and the Philippines. The premier’s two travel scouts left nearly two months early before his trip. My question to the premier: how on Earth can he possibly justify this?
The Deputy Speaker: I recognize the premier.
Hon. Mr. Wall: Well first of all, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I know that the member opposite is prone to hyperbole. Let me just be pretty clear. The folks that have been going on these trips, on the missions ahead of time, are within the ministry. There’s a clear role for them to be doing so, Mr. Deputy Speaker. When we’re in market, we like to get as much into the agenda, as much into the program as possible. Mr. Deputy Speaker, we want to make sure that we are using taxpayers’ dollars efficiently, both in terms of what happens in advance and also what happens in terms of when I arrive and when the delegation arrives. Sometimes it’s ministers and sometimes it’s me.
The premier went on to defend the government but Broten was having none of it.
Mr. Broten: Mr. Speaker, you can do trade missions without wasting money on travel scouts that this premier is so fond of using. You know, Alison Redford, Mr. Speaker, she had one travel scout that did these advance trips. This premier has two that are paid through the ministry.
Wall tried to set the record straight.
Hon. Mr. Wall: Mr. Speaker, both of the officials in question that the member is referring to now are part of the public service of the province of Saskatchewan. They are not travel scouts for anyone. They have important duties within the ministry, Mr. Deputy Speaker. When it is that we have planned a trade mission abroad, their role doubles.
Wall’s response then turned toward the NDP’s own time in government and their expenses.
Mr. Wall: Here are the facts in terms of which side of the House actually cared enough about the taxpayers’ dollars when it came to the issue of travel. The number of out-of-province trips in 2014-15, compared to ’06-07 that was the last full year of members opposite has decreased by 72 per cent or 94 less trips. One hundred and thirty-one trips by the high-flying NDP [New Democratic Party], Mr. Deputy Speaker, 37 under the Saskatchewan Party. The only difference is for the 37 out-of-province trips on this side of the House, we actually delivered for Saskatchewan people. They’ll have to account for the 131 trips they took, Mr. Deputy Speaker, because I don’t think they sold any potash, and I know they didn’t sell any uranium!
The exchange between the two leaders lasted several minutes with Broten insisting the work could have been done without “travel scouts.”
Mr. Broten: But again, Mr. Speaker, these are basic questions that could and should have been sorted out from here by phone, by email, by Skype and working with the embassy. But this premier sends two travel scouts two months in advance to go check out to make sure everything is just right for him. My question to the premier: how can he justify this waste of taxpayers’ money?
The Deputy Speaker: I recognize the premier.
Hon. Mr. Wall: Mr. Deputy Speaker, this is a very interesting line of questions coming from that particular member and that side of the House. Here are some basic numbers. I think you have to look at total government travel and compare the two sides, when they were in power and what we’ve done since 2007. Mr. Deputy Speaker, for the last five years, I believe it is, for the last seven years, sorry, for the entire time of the Saskatchewan Party government in terms of out-of-province travel, the total amount that the government has spent, $3.9 million.
The total amount for the NDP for the same time period in advance of the ’07 election here’s entitlement, Mr. Deputy Speaker $5.45 million, unadjusted for inflation, Mr. Deputy Speaker. These folks in office were travelling around, the point of which I’m not sure because we didn’t see many results. We didn’t see them advancing the potash file or the uranium file.
Broten was not impressed, accusing the government of “zero answers, zero accountability, zero rationale, Mr. Speaker, about why this premier needs to send two, two well-paid travel scouts in advance just to make sure, Mr. Speaker, that he can get upgrades for his rooms.”
The back-and-forth exchange went on with Broten seemingly not getting much traction, as Wall defended the travel.
Hon. Mr. Wall: I want to point out to the member opposite that it’s not just Saskatchewan that has this practice of sending public servants on advance missions . . . [inaudible interjection] . . . What’s that? The member for Saskatoon says, is Alberta one? Yes, Alberta’s one. Yes. But so is British Columbia, so is Ontario, and so is NDP Manitoba, Mr. Deputy Speaker. So it’s not quite so shocking after all.
This member is so desperate, Mr. Deputy Speaker, he’s looking at a government that’s now well into its second year, second term. He must have thought, well we’ll just change leaders. We don’t have to tell them anything about policy, but we’ll change the leaders. I’m different than Lingenfelter. It will all turn around. We’re a year away from an election, and he’s 30 points behind, Mr. Deputy Speaker. So we see more and more desperation.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, the NDP province of Manitoba undertakes the same practice. I’m not sure if they’re watching the dollars; I’m sure they are in terms of overall expenditure. Let me assure the hon. member that we are. That’s why travel is down $1.5 million from when the NDP were in office.
The Deputy Speaker: I recognize the leader of the Opposition.
Mr. Broten: Mr. Speaker, such incredible arrogance and entitlement we’re hearing from the premier, Mr. Speaker.
… At every ritzy hotel they went to evaluate for the premier, the travel scouts asked two questions about the premier’s hotel rooms, which have been redacted. The reason for the redaction is section 29(1) of the Act. which has to do with personal information. Mr. Speaker, these scouts have spent a lot of money, paid for by the Saskatchewan taxpayers. They deserve to know, the public deserves to know what these travel scouts are actually asking and doing. So to the premier: what are his travel scouts asking about hotel rooms that needs to be blacked out?
The Deputy Speaker: I recognize the premier.
Hon. Mr. Wall: Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is trying to characterize this debate in certain ways. I’m just here trying to defend NDP Premier Greg Selinger from this attack because he undertakes the same practice. I don’t know to what extent, but he undertakes the same practice.
With the premier out of the legislature Tuesday, Broten resumed his attack by accusing the government of not releasing the costs of Wall’s trip to India. Crown investments minister Don McMorris was left to defend the premier and made it clear the trips were legitimate government business.
Hon. Mr. McMorris: When you look at the exports that have grown in our province because of the great work of the Ag minister, the minister of the economy, the premier, Mr. Speaker, that trade into India would not be happening today. Our producers here in Saskatchewan would not be reaping the benefits if it wasn’t for the great work of the ministers and the premier travelling to India, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, we have got a great product to sell, absolutely, in this province, but we’ve got the best salesman in Canada doing it for us.
Prior to Question Period Wednesday, Battlefords MLA Herb Cox stood to introduce from the gallery Battlefords Chamber of Commerce president Brendon Boothman and executive director Linda Machniak. Opposition leader Broten welcomed them as well.
Both Boothman and Machniak saw quite a display as Broten resumed his attack on the travel expense issue. Premier Wall was ready with his response, quoting a newspaper editorial that had lambasted Broten.
Hon. Mr. Wall: The hon. member is being criticized across the province for his line of questioning in this regard, most recently in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix editorial where they begin with, and I’m quoting now, Mr. Speaker, “Mr. Broten’s attempts this week to label two staffers of the provincial Intergovernmental . . .” Well, they don’t want to hear this.
“… two staffers of the provincial Intergovernmental Affairs office as Mr. Wall’s ‘travel scouts’ and liken the premier to discredited former Alberta leader Alison Redford seems petty politics at best.”
We’ll go through this editorial, Mr. Speaker, because they do a pretty good job of making the case against this line of questioning and against the Leader of the Opposition. But they conclude with this: ‘Advance planning for such missions is a standard practice for many governments, and Mr. Broten only discredits himself by continuing with this line of attack.’”
Broten responded by saying “this premier’s been criticized across this province for his sense of self-entitlement very clearly on display with the travel scouts.”
That set off another raucous exchange with more heckling.
Mr. Broten: You know, Mr. Speaker, in all the documents that we revealed so far, the travel scouts, the travel scouts asked two questions about the premier’s hotel rooms that are blacked out. Mr. Speaker, this government says that that information is personal, and they’ve redacted it. They’ve taken a Sharpie and taken it out.
Mr. Speaker, I think it’s in the public interest to know what the travel scouts are demanding on behalf of the premier. So to the premier: what exactly are these travel scouts asking that he does not want Saskatchewan people to know?
The Speaker: I recognize the premier.
Hon. Mr. Wall: Mr. Speaker, there was no request on my part for that to be redacted. There’s actually no request on my part from them to ask the question.
But these senior officials … And truly, Mr. Speaker, let’s pay some respect. This is an executive director of international affairs that was there when the NDP [New Democratic Party] were in power, and it’s an ADM [assistant deputy minister], Mr. Speaker, who are not as the member describes. But they know me. They’ve been at meetings with me, and so they asked a couple of questions based on that knowledge.
And here it is, Mr. Speaker. Here’s the smoking gun. They’re asking I didn’t ask them to, but because of a preference I have if there’s Coke Zero available in the hotel. And they also asked they know I like history they said, are there sort of any historical points, any sightseeing around? You know what, Mr. Speaker? That’s how we roll, Mr. Speaker. That’s how we roll. This entitled group, every now and then after a long day of trade mission, we’ll pop the top on a Coke Zero and go around and read historical plaques, Mr. Speaker. That’s what sometimes we do in the off-hours.
But during the meetings, during the mission itself, Mr. Speaker, the advance folks and us, we’re meeting with the companies. We’re meeting with those purchasers of potash and uranium. Mr. Speaker, we’re furthering the interests of the Government of Saskatchewan and our economy, exactly as we’re asked to do, exactly as The StarPhoenix expects us to do. And we’re going to keep doing that.
Broten refused to be deterred.
Mr. Broten: Mr. Speaker, this premier just admitted that he is sending two highly paid travel scouts to go to the other side of the globe to ask about Coke Zero in his hotel rooms, Mr. Speaker. My question to the premier: will he table the documents unredacted in this Assembly?
The Speaker: I recognize the premier.
Hon. Mr. Wall: Well he’s jumped the shark now, Mr. Speaker. Him and Fonzie, they’ve got two things in common. They can’t admit when they’re wr-wr-wr-wrong, and they like to go shark jumping every now and then.
