REGINA – After a delay of one day, first reading finally took place on the NDP private members’ motion aimed at putting the brakes on power and car insurance rate hikes in Saskatchewan.
Speaker Todd Goudy ruled that SaskPower critic Aleana Young’s motion, The Lower Power Bills and Car Insurance Act, could proceed to first reading.
The government had argued the motion was out of order because it required Royal recommendation as a spending bill, but the speaker ruled that the bill could be introduced and once the bill was examined, then the determination could be made if it needed Royal recommendation or not.
In speaking to reporters, Young was pleased with the turn of events.
“If I have one message for Scott Moe it’s this — stop the games, stop the rate hike,” said Young, who repeated her claims that “this is a government who’s scared to allow cost of living legislation before the Assembly because they know the politics of this are bad.”
The bill’s contents call for the Minister of Crown Investments Corporation to disregard the 2026 and 2027 rate increases proposed by Sask Power and SGI to the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel, and to maintain rates as they were on Jan. 1 for both Sask Power and SGI until the Rate Review Panel provides recommendations to the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
As well, the bill calls for the Minister to include in its annual report a five year projection for rate increases in each subsidiary Crown corporation held by Crown Investments Corporation.
Even though the NDP bill has now made it past first reading, the fate of the bill is still uncertain with the Sask Party majority, although Young has suggested this week that some Sask Party MLAs might vote in favour of her bill.
