REGINA — It’s not often that the Saskatchewan Roughriders dominate the news at the Saskatchewan Legislature.
But it is also not often that the Roughriders win a Grey Cup. The team celebrated their fifth Grey Cup victory in franchise history on Sunday, a win that firmly relegated the talking points of all of the politicians to the back of newscasts throughout the province.
The Roughriders staged their Grey Cup victory rally at the Legislature on Tuesday, following a parade down the Green Mile on Albert Street. MLAs wrapped up their legislative business early to join in the celebrations outside and most had worn green in honour of the Riders that day.
But there was one provincial politician conspicuous by his absence on Tuesday: Premier Scott Moe.
Moe was in Washington D.C. on Monday and Tuesday for trade talks, and missed out on all the fun at the Legislature. With Moe gone, the Roughriders players took the opportunity to go inside and take over the cabinet room.
Moe later posted a video of what transpired inside, with players raising their hands in favour of a resolution calling for Grey Cup MVP quarterback Trevor Harris to return for another season.
The next day, Wednesday, Premier Moe was back in Regina. While he lamented missing the excitement of the previous day, Moe nevertheless extended his congratulations to the Roughriders at a news conference in the Legislature.
“I just wanted to add my congratulations to virtually everyone else in this province, to our Saskatchewan Roughriders who are the Grey Cup champions, (who) most certainly not only have the best fans in the league, but this year, we have the best team in the league as well. It was a great game on Sunday, and I understand it was a great event here yesterday, and I hope everyone had a good time.”
Moe also noted that football was not over, pointing to another major event happening later that week in the provincial capital.
“We're not quite done with football in our province yet this year. There's never been a year where we've had the Grey Cup championship team, the Canadian Bowl championship team, and the Vanier Cup champion. All of these, we have not had from the same province in the same year.
“This year, as we know, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are the Grey Cup champions. The Hilltops, previously, were the Canadian Bowl champions, and this Saturday, our U of S Huskies can complete the triple crown of Canadian football by winning the Vanier Cup right here in Regina.”
Indeed, the Vanier Cup game between the Huskies and the Montreal Carabins was the focus by week’s end. Ministers Alana Ross and Ken Cheveldayoff joined in the USports football awards ceremony on Thursday night at Conexus Arts Centre, an event also attended by Lieutenant Governor Bernadette McIntyre.
On Tuesday, Opposition leader Carla Beck also paid tribute to the Roughriders in speaking to reporters just prior to the rally at the Legislature.
“I’m super excited to be able to get out and join that parade. I got to be out enjoying hundreds and hundreds of very excited folks on the Green Mile right after the game. This is a team that has performed all year at every turn. They have talked about how important the fans, how important Rider Nation has been to their success. I think it’s time for the people of this province to come out and to show this Grey Cup winning team how incredibly proud and grateful we are for just the amazing effort they’ve put in on and off the field this year – champions forever.”
