REGINA – With the Saskatchewan Legislature session still a month away from resuming, it seemed like the focus of attention was elsewhere this week.
Premier Scott Moe was himself elsewhere, as he was in Ottawa this week for the ceremonies marking the unveiling of the official portrait of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The portrait was painted by renowned artist Phil Richards. Richards himself is no stranger to Saskatchewan, having previously done portraits of a number of Saskatchewan dignitaries including Premier Brad Wall. Visitors to Government House will also know that it was Richards' portrait of Queen Elizabeth II that was displayed there during her 70th anniversary year on the throne.
“Pleased to attend PM Harper’s Portrait unveiling and honour one of Canada’s strongest Prime Ministers,” Moe posted on the X platform.
“Your governments focus on the growth of the Canadian economy and expansion of our trade access around the world strengthened our nation of Canada. Thank You!”
“Always a pleasure to spend time with the great Premier Moe of Saskatchewan,” Harper posted on X. “His leadership throughout these tumultuous times has strengthened Saskatchewan’s economy, diversified its trade with global markets, and is building an even brighter future for the province. Keep up the great work, Premier!”
Less impressed with the portrait unveiling was the Saskatchewan Prosperity Project who, in a post on the X platform, wondered what Harper and Moe might have been talking about.
“Harper is getting around this week it seems. Now that the Conservative Party convention is out of the way and Pierre Poilievre has passed the leadership review, Harper seems to be on a mission to put down Western independence. What do you suppose he and Scott Moe talked about?”
In general, the political talk in Saskatchewan and Canada moved away from the previous week’s breaking news about activities in Alberta’s independence movement. Instead, the focus in Saskatchewan was on issues such as housing, public safety, social services benefits, and how to keep people in the province.
The Sask Party government announced Tuesday they would be extending the Secondary Suite Incentive through 2027 for those looking to build secondary suites in their homes. Announcements were made simultaneously in Regina and Saskatoon.
The Community Safety ministry had a number of announcements this week focused on their Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods initiative. Funding was being announced for municipal police forces in the province for additional frontline officers. Those included announcements in Weyburn, Estevan, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert. According to the province’s news release, nearly $6 million has been allocated to support the province’s multiple year plan to add around 100 new frontline police officers across the province.
There was a controversy this week when the province announced changes on Monday to the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disabilities benefit structure, which they said was aimed at making the program simpler and easier to understand.
Opposition New Democrats quickly pounced and accused the government of making cuts aimed at the most vulnerable. But Minister of Social Services Terry Jenson told reporters that the changes would not result in any benefits being cut to any clients.
With the calendar hitting February, it also meant the much-talked-about power rate increases were now in effect. The NDP held media events this week taking aim at the Sask Power 3.9 per cent rate hike, citing concerns about affordability and about the impact on businesses.
On Friday, the NDP pointed to a submission to the Rate Review panel by the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, who expressed concerns that businesses expected the costs to be passed on to customers.
“The Chamber of Commerce is making clear what we’ve known all along — Scott Moe’s ridiculous power bill hike is bad for business, bad for the economy and bad for everyday people already struggling to make ends meet,” said Aleana Young, NDP critic for SaskPower, in a statement Friday.
Also this week, Opposition Leader Carla Beck announced the launch of their latest consultation tour, entitled Your Future, Your Say. According to the NDP this was focused on efforts to keep young people from leaving Saskatchewan, with a number of events planned.
But the Sask Party government was unimpressed, pointing to other NDP consultation tours that were previously announced that yielded no results. They also said in a news release that “under the previous NDP government, young people were forced to pack their bags and flee to Alberta in pursuit of opportunity.”
