It’s not just Question Period that is a highlight of legislature sittings in the province.
Member’s statements from MLAs can bring to light some of the aspects of day-to-day life in the province — both good times and bad.
Respecting the latter, an emotional speech was delivered in the legislature May 6.
A tearful Fred Bradshaw, Saskatchewan Party MLA for Carrot River Valley, stood to deliver remarks about the terrible tragedy in Carrot River May 3 when three teenagers were killed in a collision at a highway construction site. According to RCMP, a semi-trailer hit their vehicle from behind.
These are the MLA’s remarks in full, from Hansard.
Mr. Bradshaw: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’ve made quite a few members’ statements over the years, but today is the hardest one I’ve ever made in this Chamber. Many times I have stood here and talked about our Carrot River Wildcats in a positive way. Today it is different. Today it is almost unspeakable and incomprehensible.
Last Sunday three boys from our team were returning from a football camp and, through no fault of theirs, were killed in a tragic car accident. Carter Stevenson, Kristian Skalicky and Justin Gaja had their whole lives ahead of them. School, hockey, drama, and friends are now forever gone.
Mr. Speaker, this loss has shaken our tight-knit community of Carrot River and the Carrot River Junior-Senior High School to the core. As you can imagine, in a small rural setting where everyone knows everybody, this tragedy has touched so many lives. Our hearts especially go out to the parents of all the victims at this time of great loss. I would like to ask everyone in this Assembly to keep Carrot River and the families of these young boys in their thoughts, minds and prayers at this time of incredible hurt.
Mr. Speaker, in time we will recover, but we will never forget. This fall when the Wildcats take to the field, I’m sure Carter, Kristian, and Justin will be watching and chanting, “Go, Cats, Go.” I just wish they were on the field. Thank you.
It was on a far more optimistic note that Premier Brad Wall rose Monday to speak about another football team and its coaching staff, who happened to be in the gallery that afternoon.
Hon. Mr. Wall: —It’s an honour for me to be able to introduce to you and through you to all members of the House the coaching staff for the 2015 Saskatchewan Roughriders football team. Mr. Speaker, we had the opportunity to invite the staff in last spring at about this time and introduce them both to the legislature and in the province and thank them for what they were about to do. And I’m happy to see that we are able to do it again. Maybe it can become a bit of a tradition each spring, just as winning the Grey Cup could be a tradition in the fall every year. That would also be good.
Mr. Speaker, we know that May is a great month for a number of reasons. Seeding is happening in earnest across the province and training camp for the Riders is just a few weeks away. So I want to introduce to you and through you, all the members of the coaching staff.
You’ll note, Mr. Speaker, there are a few changes from last year, quite a few changes. In the parliamentary system of government, which we were talking about a moment ago, we have cabinet shuffles from time to time. Well, Coach Chamblin has undertaken a bit of a cabinet shuffle in advance of the season this year, and so there are some new faces we want to welcome and introduce. Of course the delegation — we’ll ask each one maybe to give us a wave as I introduce them — the delegation from the Riders is led by the 2013 Annis Stukus award-winning Coach of the Year, Coach Corey Chamblin. There he is right there. There’s our head coach.
In addition, Wall went on to recognize the new offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach, former B.C. Lions staff member Jacques Chapdelaine; Greg Quick, new defensive co-ordinator; teams coach Bob Dyce, who Wall called “a welcomed institution with the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club,” as well as Cory McDiarmid, the assistant special teams co-ordinator.
Hon. Mr. Wall: —Now, Mr. Speaker, members will know Cory worked with the team in 2013. Then he moved to Winnipeg and realized his mistake and he’s back with the Saskatchewan Roughriders this year.”
He also welcomed linebackers coach Tyrone Pettaway, receivers coach Jeremaine Copeland, defensive backs coach Tony Missick, and running backs coach Avon Cobourne.
Hon. Mr. Wall: —And, Mr. Speaker, it’s an honour to introduce Mike Sinclair, the defensive line coach. Mike has coached with the Alouettes, coached with the Chicago Bears. He must be behind the clock. Mike is big, but that clock is very, it’s pretty big. He played a number of seasons, 11 seasons actually with my son’s favourite team, the Seattle Seahawks, and a team that’s well known to the province because their punter is of course from, their touchdown-throwing punter is from Canada in Jon Ryan. But he played 11 seasons with the Seahawks and was a pro bowler on the NFL Pro Bowl team three times.
Wall concluded by welcoming Justin Chapdelaine as offensive assistant and noted Dan Dorazio, the new offensive line coach, couldn’t be there that day.
Hon. Mr. Wall: —I just want to say on behalf of the province, I want to say thanks to them. Their life will be very much in a fishbowl over the entire season, a little bit like politics probably, frankly more severe in terms of the attention they get, and lots of us coaches watching every weekend and second-guessing the calls that they make.
And so we know they’re here for all the right reasons, to bring home a championship for the Riders and also to be involved in the community. And I wonder if we should all just thank them for that, in addition to welcoming them here today to their Legislative Assembly.
Cam Broten, opposition leader, also paid tribute to the new Rider coaches.
Mr. Broten: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of the official opposition, I’d like to join with the premier in welcoming Coach Chamblin as well as the entire coaching and leadership of the Riders. It’s great to see them here in the Assembly today.
The current legislative session wrapped up May 14. That means it will be up to the Riders to help fill some of the time until the politicians get back to the legislature again in the fall.
