The legislature resumed on March 12 and it was very different from the last time it met.
It was the first sitting day for Rosthern-Shellbrook MLA Scott Moe as the new Premier of Saskatchewan. It was also the first sitting day for Saskatoon Meewasin MLA Ryan Meili as opposition leader, after he defeated Trent Wotherspoon to become leader of the New Democrats on March 3.
But the immediate business on March 12 was the election of a brand-new Speaker to replace Corey Tochor, who had stepped down in order to seek a seat in Parliament. Just a couple of days before, Tochor successfully toppled MP Brad Trost for the Conservative nomination in Saskatoon-University, to be that party’s candidate in the 2019 election.
A total of seven MLAs allowed their names to stand in the balloting for speaker: Danielle Chartier, Mark Docherty, Glen Hart, Delbert Kirsch, Warren Michelson, Eric Olauson, and Colleen Young.
The balloting began and consumed much of the afternoon. As each ballot took place, one by one the candidates with the lowest vote totals dropped off: first Michelson, then Kirsch, Young, and finally both Chartier and Hart.
The final fifth ballot came down to a choice between Docherty and Olauson. After finishing the final count the clerk made the announcement, as recorded in Hansard.
Clerk: —Members of the Legislative Assembly, it is my duty to inform you that you have elected as your Speaker Mr. Mark Docherty, member for the constituency of Regina Coronation Park.
As is tradition, both Premier Moe and opposition leader Meili had the duty to drag a reluctant-looking Docherty up to the Speaker’s chair, where he donned the Speaker’s hat.
The Speaker: — This is actually the reason I ran, is to put this on. Okay. Members of the Legislative Assembly, I wish to express my grateful thanks and humble acknowledgement of the high honour the Assembly has conferred upon me. While I leave the floor of this Assembly to take the Speaker’s Chair, I leave behind all political partisan biases in order that I may discharge with impartiality to all, and to the best of my ability, the various important duties pertaining to the high office of Speaker.
The first remarks Scott Moe made in the legislature as Premier were words of encouragement to the new Speaker.
Hon. Mr. Moe: — I ask for leave to make remarks regarding your election.
The Speaker: — Is leave granted?
Some Hon. Members: — Agreed.
Hon. Mr. Moe: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to members of the Assembly for granting leave. And first of all, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the members on this side of the Assembly, our most sincere congratulations on your election. And we appreciate your remarks now very, very much.
And I know, working with you — we were elected in the same year, in 2011; we served as MLAs [Member of the Legislative Assembly]; we served in cabinet together, served on various committees — that you will now, in this service, bring great honour. And I look forward to serving with you in this capacity over the next number of years…
Mr. Speaker, you leave no doubt that you understand how important the role of Speaker in our parliamentary democracy truly is and that you intend to carry out your duties in a spirit of impartiality and fairness. And I think this Assembly is confident, all of us are confident, that you will be true to that word.
Meili’s first words in his new role as opposition leader also acknowledged the election of the new Speaker.
Mr. Meili: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a sunny day outside for those of us who haven’t spent hours deciding who the next Speaker will be, and it’s a new season. We have a new Speaker in that Chair. We have a new Leader of the Opposition, three new members about to join us, a new Lieutenant Governor soon to be named, and a new Premier. And this new season I think is a great opportunity for us…
And you know, at the opening of this session, it is a new season. It’s a season of political change. And I know the people of Saskatchewan will be watching closely as we do our work, and they’ll be watching to see how we conduct ourselves in these new conversations and these new roles. And of course that conduct is up to us, the members. The Speaker can’t decide how we behave.
And the call is on us to make sure that we do what we need to do. And this is my commitment and the commitment of our caucus is that we will be here in vigorous debate. We’ll be here working hard. We’ll also be doing everything we can to make sure that we stay focused on the ideas, on the issues, and not on the personalities, try to make your work just hard enough, but not so hard that it’s not enjoyable. And we’re looking forward to working with you. Congratulations. Let the speaking and the listening begin.
After the opening prayer was done, the first order of business for the legislature was the introduction of bills. The bills were the constituency by-election acts for Swift Current, Melfort, and Kindersley, the three seats where by-elections were recently held on March 12.
At 4:10 p.m., Lieutenant Governor Vaughn Solomon Schofield entered the assembly to grant royal assent to those bills. The Assembly then recessed to allow the new members to take their oaths, and at 4:33 pm they were introduced to the Speaker.
The new members are Everett Hindley, representing Swift Current; Todd Goudy, representing Melfort, and Ken Francis representing Kindersley. All three are Sask Party MLAs.
After more speeches thanking family and supporters, and after MLAs made their statements and petitions, Question Period began with the long-awaited first exchange between Meili and Moe in their new roles.
The Speaker: — Just before question period, I’d like to make a quick statement in regards to decorum. So let’s start off this session . . . Spirited is okay, but let’s be respectful and let’s be role models for some young people watching.
Mr. Meili: — Well thank you, Mr. Speaker. And in that spirit, I mentioned earlier that this is a new season for this House, and it’s an excellent chance for us to take a new approach to how we do politics.
When I was elected as Leader of the NDP, the Premier tweeted to me. He said, “I look forward to working with you on areas where we agree and to a vigorous debate on areas where we disagree.” This is a welcome sentiment and it’s one that I share. Because for all of our points of disagreement on the approach, every member in this House is here to serve the people of this province. So I commend the Premier on the signal of this constructive approach, and I’m eager to work with this government wherever possible to make lives better for people in Saskatchewan.
So I ask the Premier, Mr. Speaker, I ask him: what points of agreement does he see across the aisle? And because my caucus colleagues and I stand ready and committed to serve the people of Saskatchewan, what are the issues where the Premier sees us finding common ground?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Moe: — Mr. Speaker, I think there’s numerous places where we could work with the opposition. And we look forward to the opportunity to work with the opposition within the constraints, the budgetary constraints that we have as we look forward through . . . as we enter into our year 2 of our three-year plan to balance here in the province of Saskatchewan.
And we must always remember that we need to balance that budget, Mr. Speaker. And we’ve put forward this three-year plan to balance on behalf of the people of the province so that we can continue with the investment that we have enjoyed the last decade, continue with that investment not just out over the next year, not just out over the next couple years, Mr. Speaker, but ensure that we have the fiscal ability to continue with that investment for the next generation and set it up for the generation after that.
Mr. Speaker, we have a number of initiatives that I look forward to working with the Leader of the Opposition and the opposition caucus in general — most notably, Mr. Speaker, as we see with an issue with a fentanyl overdose this past weekend in the city of Saskatoon, Mr. Speaker, as we move forward with some of the crime issues that we have, Mr. Speaker, some of the mental health and addiction . . . The sources of those crime issues quite often are mental health, addictions, alcohol abuse, things of that nature, Mr. Speaker.
As we look to really approach these in a more holistic manner if you will, Mr. Speaker, not just from an enforcement point of view — enforcement will be part of it — but also, Mr. Speaker, from some of the root sources that are affecting, some of the challenges that we see in communities across our province right now within the confines, the budgetary confines that we have.
