Ministerial pay cuts, GTH hot topics in Question period

The spring sitting continued March 8, this time with a dispute erupting over a Board of Internal Economy meeting that was cancelled that morning after the Opposition failed to show up.

The Opposition was protesting the Sask. Party government’s proposal that ministers and MLAs take a pay cut of 3.5 per cent. That request had gone to the Board of Internal Economy meeting that morning.    

The NDP were concerned the government would use the ministerial and MLA cuts to demand similar pay cuts from public-sector workers across the province.

According to the news release from the NDP caucus that day, Caucus Chair and Ethics and Democracy Critic David Forbes and opposition House Leader Warren McCall “shut down a meeting where the Sask. Party was attempting to pass their latest plan to attack Saskatchewan families and workers with even deeper cuts.”

The Sask. Party, however, quickly painted the NDP as opposed to the pay cuts. According to the news release from the Sask. Party caucus that day:

The Board of Internal Economy, made up of government and opposition MLAs, is the body that sets the salaries of MLAs. A Board of Internal Economy meeting was called for 8 a.m. this morning to pass the pay cut, but the NDP MLAs on the board boycotted, which meant the meeting did not have quorum and could not proceed.

"Just yesterday, NDP interim leader Trent Wotherspoon said the NDP would support the MLA pay cut," said Jeremy Harrison, one of the Saskatchewan Party government members on the board. "Now, the NDP have gone on strike to block this pay cut. It's absolutely ridiculous. They need to do their job and support this pay cut, which their leader said they would do."

Opposition critic Cathy Sproule and Premier Brad Wall had this exchange in Question Period on the dispute, as recorded in Hansard.  

Ms. Sproule: — Well, another day, another line of attack from the Premier. Mr. Speaker, he says we won’t accept the pay cut. He’s wrong. Of course we will, and our intrepid leader has been very clear about that.

But if he thinks that we’ll stand by and let the Sask. Party cabinet make Saskatchewan people pay for their mismanagement, scandal, and waste, we will not. If he thinks we’ll stand by while he keeps covering up for his GTH [Global Transportation Hub] scandal that took Saskatchewan money and put $11 million into the pockets of his well-connected friends, Mr. Speaker, we will not.

Every day, every day, Mr. Speaker, we push for answers on the GTH land scandal, and instead of transparency, we get lines, lines, and more spin lines. The people of Saskatchewan are tired of those lines, but are the people who sat around the cabinet table fed up yet? We’d like to know. Can the Minister of Government Relations tell us if she still stands by this scandal that ripped off Saskatchewan taxpayers?

The Speaker: — I recognize the Premier.

Hon. Mr. Wall: — Well, Mr. Speaker, the question was allowed with respect to the referencing of Board of Internal Economy, so I trust the answer will be as well.

Yesterday a meeting was scheduled expressly to deal with the interim leader of the NDP’s commitment that NDP MLAs would accept the pay cut that we had announced on behalf of the elected side of government — a cut that I’ll be taking, a cut that ministers will be taking. And by the way, the ministerial cut will wind up being twice what is taken by private members because it comes off both of the allowance that ministers receive and the base pay as MLAs. In fact it’s about a 49 per cent increase on the basic cut. Mr. Speaker, they didn’t show up at the meeting.

And what we were hearing in this place from across the way — and the interim leader was all over this — they really weren’t interested in the pay cut, notwithstanding his comments publicly, unless a list of demands had been acquiesced to by the government.

So they didn’t show up for work this morning . . . or yesterday at the committee meeting, Mr. Speaker . . . or this morning I guess it was. It was this morning. They didn’t show up for work. When they were caught not showing up for work, not willing to do their part, not willing to take their cut, why then the leader of the NDP, the interim leader of the NDP, came forward and said no, they are going to be a part of this. That’s a good sign. We welcome his reaffirmation of his support. We think it’s important to lead by example with respect to the budget challenges that the province is facing. And we’re glad that after second-guessing and changing their mind, the NDP is back on board, Mr. Speaker.

By the next day, Thursday, the line of attack by opposition leader Trent Wotherspoon resumed again on the now familiar topic of the Global Transportation Hub.  

Mr. Wotherspoon: — Mr. Speaker, time and time again I’ve asked a very straightforward question of that Premier. He’s failed to answer it. There’s no excuse for him not to provide an answer. We hope that he will here today. When did that Premier find out that the original seller of the land involved in the GTH scandal was the former landlord of the minister of the GTH?

The Speaker: — I recognize the Premier.

Hon. Mr. Wall: — Mr. Speaker, the issue of the GTH has been explored extensively here in the legislature but I think more importantly by the Provincial Auditor. It was our government that asked the Provincial Auditor, an independent officer of this Legislative Assembly, to do a full report, and the Finance critic opposite, the member for Nutana, is saying the government shut it down. The government asked for the Provincial Auditor to do this work. Then the government indicated to the auditor that she would have the full co-operation of the government. And, Mr. Speaker, we took an additional step. We indicated to the Provincial Auditor and her team that they could have access to cabinet documents. That does not happen in every circumstance. The reason we did that, Mr. Speaker, is that we knew there was, in terms of the allegations presented by members opposite, there was nothing there…

The Speaker: — I recognize the Leader of the Opposition.

Mr. Wotherspoon: — It’s not just passing strange that the Premier won’t answer that question. It’s weak. It’s pathetic. He goes on with a bunch of nonsense and bafflegab, but not an answer to a very straightforward question.

On Monday, March 13, in Question Period, Wotherspoon tried again.

Mr. Wotherspoon: — … I’ll ask a very simple, straightforward question to the Premier once again here today. There’s absolutely no excuse for him not to answer. When did this Premier find out that the original seller of the land in the GTH scandal was the landlord for the then minister of the GTH?

The Speaker: —I recognize the Minister of the Economy and the GTH.

Hon. Mr. Harrison: — Well thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course the Provincial Auditor has looked into this matter. The Provincial Auditor had full authority to examine all of the records related to this matter. The Provincial Auditor had access to all of the individuals to whom she wished to have access to. She availed herself of those opportunities to interview parties involved. She availed herself of the opportunity to review all of the documents involved, and she came to a conclusion, Mr. Speaker…

The Speaker: — I recognize the Leader of the Opposition.

Mr. Wotherspoon: — No answer. The question was for the Premier, and this question is for the Premier.

After the opposition leader repeated the same question, only for the minister of the Economy to respond again, the opposition leader tried a different tack.

Mr. Wotherspoon: — … Maybe I’ll move along from this scandal and more into the waste and even more mismanagement, Mr. Speaker.

The Regina bypass of course was studied to death, as this government said, and it was $400 million at that time. Then it doubled to $800 million. And then it just kept going, and now it’s $2 billion and counting. And that Premier has signed taxpayers on to an overrun of more than a billion dollars. Even with so much at stake, that Premier and the Sask. Party refused to release any of the details. If there’s really nothing to see here, then open the books.

Mr. Speaker, he’s attacking workers. He’s attacking democracy. He’s attacking our Crowns, and he’s attacking the jobs of Saskatchewan people, the contracts with Saskatchewan people. Will he open up the contract with Vinci? Will he fight to get back the more than a billion dollars that have been wasted in this overrun back from this conglomerate from France and beyond?

The Speaker: — I recognize the Premier.

Hon. Mr. Wall: — Mr. Speaker, the member opposite repeats over and over again this nonsense with his numbers with respect to 400 and the updated amount that we’re currently investing in the bypass. The $400 million estimate is years old, and it contemplated a much smaller project that frankly wouldn’t have been much of a bypass, as it turns out.

What we’re talking about here is a complete bypass operation, Mr. Speaker, one that is employing Saskatchewan people, principally . . . [inaudible interjection] . . . Well, do members opposite want to hear the answer to the question? It’s employing Saskatchewan people. It’s utilizing the services of a great Saskatchewan company called Broda Construction.

Will that member please take to his feet and finally indicate that he understands it was never a $400 million project at the scale it is now, Mr. Speaker? It’s a $1.8 billion project putting Saskatchewan people to work.

And, Mr. Speaker, I think a lot of people are surprised that the Leader of the Opposition doesn’t want to talk about the jobs report that came out last week, Mr. Speaker: 8,000 new jobs in this province, year over year. Eight thousand new jobs, Mr. Speaker, from month to month, from January to February. Aboriginal employment up, Mr. Speaker; the third-lowest unemployment rate in the country even as we face headwinds in terms of commodity prices, Mr. Speaker. Part of the reason for the success are projects like the Regina bypass.