Strong and Steady
Get used to hearing these two words in Saskatchewan: strong and steady.
Tuesday’s Speech from the Throne, titled “Strong. Steady. Saskatchewan” opened the third session of the 30th Saskatchewan Legislature and leaned heavily into Saskatchewan’s strong and steady place in a chaotic, turbulent world that continues to be shaped by Donald Trump and trade and tariff fights.
The anchor of the speech leaned heavily into major projects and economic activity in Saskatchewan, with the speech highlighting $100 billion of active major projects, including Bell’s AI data centre south of Regina, and new uranium and potash mines under construction or soon to be in production.
The speech and its focus follows a familiar game plan from the Saskatchewan Party; it is a government that for years now has promoted and accelerated economic growth and increased trade exports as the fulcrum for its spending and social commitments.
The government announced intentions to move forward on several initiatives in the upcoming session, including reducing income taxes for families, addressing commitments in the Patient First health care plan, and expanding the Graduate Retention Program to keep young people in the province.
The government also said it would introduce new pieces of legislation that included expanding the scope of practice for health care professions, adding safeguards for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), and recover health care costs from opioid manufacturers, wholesalers, and consultants. The government also said it would introduce legislation called the Protection of Economic Infrastructure Act, that would prevent illegal occupation or protests on critical infrastructure and transport routes, like railways and major trade routes.
Another piece of forthcoming legislation will hope to prevent or punish creators and distributors of deepfakes. The Prevention of Deceptive AI Act will prohibit the misuse of AI-generated voices and images involving elections, consumer transactions and the protection of privacy. Premier Moe noted in his throne speech press conference that he has personally been the target of malicious deepfake campaigns.
The opposition’s response
NDP Leader Carla Beck called the speech “same old” from a government that is “tired, arrogant” and “out of touch,” and said she saw “nothing” to address health care, affordability or child poverty. The NDP also accused the government of “doubling down” on the Bell data centre and of racking up debt. Beck criticized the planned introduction of the Protection of Economic Infrastructure Act, setting up an interesting debate and wedge issue between the government and opposition.
What it means
Two years away from the next provincial election, don’t expect the Moe government to waver from this track, and don’t expect there to be much “shock and awe” in terms of policy as the election gets closer. The Saskatchewan Party firmly believes that economic growth and expanded trade exports are the key to making investments in health care, education, and social services, and, perhaps most important, that Scott Moe is seen by the Saskatchewan public as a steady hand on the rudder at a very bumpy time in Canada.
But the ongoing pursuit of economic growth will come with greater expectations for the Saskatchewan Party government to make inroads on making life more affordable for people in the province, and to make marked improvements in health care. The Saskatchewan NDP will continue to punch holes in the government’s narrative and be deeply critical of where they are falling short, while positioning themselves not just as an opposition party, but as a government-in-waiting. The NDP’s calls of “time for change” will keep ringing louder as we get closer to October 2028.