The Saskatchewan Legislature will reconvene on June 15.
Government House Leader Jeremy Harrison and Opposition House Leader Cathy Sproule have announced that they have agreed to a modified arrangement which will allow for MLA’s to sit Monday-Friday from June 15 to July 3.
Finance Minister Donna Harpauer will table an updated 2020-21 provincial budget on the first day of the sitting with a final vote on the budget happening July 2. It will be followed with 60 hours of consideration of budget estimates.
“This will be by far the most extensive scrutiny of any budget in any house in this nation since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated Premier Scott Moe during Tuesday’s provincial update from Regina.
“What we are going to experience this year is a pandemic deficit. We will have a deficit this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that deficit will be largely attributed to a lowering of the revenues, which has been communicated by our minister of finance already.”
The budget will be the main priority of the 14-day sitting, but the government says it may conduct other legislative business, time permitting.
Looking forward to the resumption of legislative business, Sproule said the NDP will hold the Sask. Party government accountable for its economic record.
“We’re coming to an election. This is a government that has to give people the answers they need to make that decision come ballot time,” she suggested. “This is a pre-election budget and we will be very concentrated on how we approach that.”
Sproule mentioned that the NDP will bring forward a number of remaining concerns they wanted to address prior to the closure of the legislature on March 18 on top of what will be debated from the budget and the government’s handling of the economy.
One of those topics will be pushing the government to end the labour dispute at the Co-op refinery in Regina.
“It’s still a grave concern for the folks affected by that. We have committed to press this government to consider binding arbitration and to follow the mediator’s recommendations.”
Only 10 government members and five opposition members will be in the assembly to ensure safe physical distancing.
(With files from Moises Canales and Jim Smalley)
