The yellow vest movement has come under increasing scrutiny lately both inside and outside the legislature.
The movement, initially seen as opposing the carbon tax, has lately come under fire for also associating itself with anti-migrant and other sentiments. Increasingly, government MLAs and cabinet ministers have also come under scrutiny themselves for appearing at any protests featuring yellow-vesters. Columnist Brian Zinchuk pointed out the increasing controversy surrounding the movement in his column, “Nobody wants anything to do with the yellow vest moniker.”
On Monday during Question Period in the legislature, opposition leader Ryan Meili turned his attention to a gathering Premier Scott Moe was planning to attend April 4 against the carbon tax. Meili was skeptical about the event, as we see in this as exchange recorded in Hansard.
Mr. Meili: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to start today off with a quote. It’s a definition of sorts that says, “Climate change: the made-up catastrophe used by globalists and socialists to instill fear and guilt to tax, regulate, and remove our freedoms while pretending to save the planet.”
And I’m wondering, Mr. Speaker, if the Premier recognizes the quote, knows what the source of that is, and whether he agrees with the sentiment, or whether he agrees with me that climate change is real it is the result of human activity, and that it requires serious action.
The Speaker: —I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: —I don’t recognize the quote, Mr. Speaker, so I have no idea who said that, but I did hear the Leader of the Opposition just quoted in. But the fact of the matter is, Mr. Speaker, is climate change is real, Mr. Speaker. And climate change has been a focal point, I think in fairness, of the industries that are operating here in the province of Saskatchewan for quite a number of years now…
The Speaker: —I recognize the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr. Meili: —Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad to hear that the Premier agrees. The quote, however, comes from the official account of the Regina rally against the tax — the official account that this Premier has retweeted and promoted — a rally that he plans to attend, Mr. Speaker.
And you know, it just occurred to me. It occurred to me . . . Why was it so difficult for the Premier to distance himself from the yellow vests? We asked about this a number of times over the last few weeks and he wasn’t able to do it. He wasn’t able to say that he wouldn’t be attending those rallies, or anyone else. And I just kept asking myself why. It shouldn’t be that hard to do the right thing, especially the way that the rhetoric has become uglier and uglier over time. And I wondered if maybe he was just, you know, stubborn, didn’t want to admit he was wrong but would privately be telling people, hey stay away from anything to do with the yellow vests. And that would have been reasonable.
But no, that’s not the case. The reason he wouldn’t do so, the reason he couldn’t distance himself from yellow vest rallies is that he was busy planning one. Because the rally that’s coming up, he couldn’t disavow. How could he disavow a group that he’s working alongside to prepare a rally? The so-called no-yellow-vests rally this Thursday, Mr. Speaker, is a yellow vest rally without the yellow vests. That’s the only difference, Mr. Speaker.
And this is my question for the Premier: why was he not willing to make it clear that he couldn’t distance himself from the yellow vests because he was depending on working alongside them to further his own political interests?
The Speaker: —I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: —Mr. Speaker, the quotes that we can attribute to myself and to the Government of Saskatchewan are quotes that come out of my mouth, Mr. Speaker. We’ve talked about, we’ve talked with respect, Mr. Speaker, to myself and others on this side of the House condemning any acts of hate. Whether they be words, Mr. Speaker, whether they be actions, whether they occur here in this province, Mr. Speaker, whether they occur around the world, we most certainly condemn and denounce those…
Mr. Speaker, last week the Leader of the Opposition indicated he was going to attend that rally on behalf of the hard-working people in this province, Mr. Speaker, and the industries that they work in. Is he still willing to do that?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr. Meili: —Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did say that I’d look into attending that rally, and that’s exactly what I did, was look into it. Because it’s not really about what people are wearing; it’s about what they’re saying, Mr. Speaker, and who is organizing it. And one of the main organizers and the spokesperson for this rally — the spokesperson for the group that the Premier has accepted to address — is a fellow by the name of Jason LeBlanc.
And Jason attended the rebranded yellow vest convoy event in Ottawa, the event that featured Faith Goldy among other great luminaries, Mr. Speaker. And he gave a speech at that rally, and in his speech he described himself as a “man-made climate change doomsday denier.” And he said that the Prime Minister is someone who “. . . manipulates society through basic human needs and wants to make the globe a one-world government,” Mr. Speaker.
Far-out-there conspiracy theories, climate change denial, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic sentiment — this is what the yellow vest movement has become, Mr. Speaker. And I do not understand, but I’d like the Premier to explain why he wants to be associated with that group.
The Speaker: —I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: —Mr. Speaker, I’ve made my thoughts and my beliefs with respect to racism, Mr. Speaker, with respect to comments that have been made in this province, Mr. Speaker, and around and how we denounce those, Mr. Speaker. I’ve made myself clear with respect to how we should best be addressing climate change in Saskatchewan and sharing that knowledge and innovation that we have with other places around the world, Mr. Speaker, so that we can truly make a difference in what is a global challenge, Mr. Speaker…
This is a government that will continue to ensure that we can have every opportunity to grow our economy, to welcome people to move to our communities from across Canada, across North America, and from around the world, Mr. Speaker…
The back and forth exchange between Meili and Premier Moe continued.
Mr. Meili: —That is why this matters, Mr. Speaker. That is why it’s important. Because a small group, a small group of people have become involved with this yellow vest organization, have been part of fomenting this discussion online.
Canadian Anti-Hate Network and other organizations that track this have seen the way that anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant sentiment has been on the rise in Canada. And it’s for the honour of the people of Saskatchewan that the Premier should take his role seriously. And for the Premier, a man in his position to stand up and attend events organized by the yellow vests, to associate with that organization in any way, sends a terrible message, sends a terrible message to newcomers to this province and it sends a dangerous message to that small minority that would spread hate against them.
Will he do the right thing? Will he stand up today and cancel his attendance at that rally on Thursday?
The Speaker: —I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: —Mr. Speaker, it’s a rally against Bill C-69. It’s a rally against Bill C-48. It’s a rally against the carbon tax, Mr. Speaker, of which 88 per cent of the people in this province actually agree with the government’s position, Mr. Speaker.
So the question I would have back, the question I would have back, Mr. Speaker, is, is he going to attend the rally with me?
Later Monday, some history was made in the legislature as Regina Douglas Park MLA Nicole Sarauer, who is expecting a new addition to her own family later this year, introduced a bipartisan motion to amend rules and procedures of the assembly to accommodate MLAs who were also brand-new parents.
Ms. Sarauer: —Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government House Leader and I will be moving a few motions this afternoon that will help to ensure that this Chamber moves the ball forward in terms of accommodations for MLAs [Member of the Legislative Assembly] and in particular MLAs who are pregnant and who have given birth…
I would say it’s my hope — and I think it’s very fair to say that it’s everyone’s hope — that this will help, like I said, move the ball forward in the Chamber and move us forward in terms of accommodation and support. And hopefully we won’t have to wait another 30 years before we see another pregnant MLA in this Chamber.
Mr. Speaker, with that I move:
That the Rules and Procedures of the Legislative Assembly be amended by adding the following after rule 48(8):
48(9) Infants being cared for by a member shall not be regarded as strangers.
The motion carried. The Government House Leader Greg Brkich made a second motion: that rule 1(2) of the Rules and Procedures of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan be amended by omitting the word “permit” and inserting in its place the word “accommodate” and removing all the words after “any Member” and inserting the following: (a) with a disability; (b) with an illness or pregnancy related need; and (c) that requires to care for their infant in the Chamber. That also carried.
