Legislative Session Delivers Plan For The Next Decade Of Growth
Ahead of the end of the fall sitting of the legislative session, Premier Scott Moe highlighted the government’s plan for the next decade of growth in Saskatchewan.
“During this fall session, I was proud to introduce our government’s plan for a strong and growing Saskatchewan,” Moe said. “The Growth Plan will serve as our roadmap to growing a strong economy, strong communities and strong families as we enter into the 2020s and look ahead to 2030.”
The new Growth Plan, released on November 14, includes 30 goals for 2030, including key targets of a population of 1.4 million people, 100,000 new jobs, increasing exports by 50 per cent and increasing agriculture value-added revenue to $10 billion.
During the fall session, Premier Moe also outlined steps that Saskatchewan is taking to advance our economic future, and to assert provincial autonomy over our own affairs. This includes an announcement that Saskatchewan will be aggressively advancing our own trade interests by establishing trade offices in Japan, India and Singapore.
“We will continue to look for ways to assert more autonomy over Saskatchewan’s interests, including examining increased autonomy over areas like taxation, immigration, trade and climate change policy,” Moe said.
The government took action to deliver on key commitments during the fall session, including tabling the mid-year financial report that Saskatchewan remains on track with a balanced budget. The government also delivered on opening the Regina Bypass, a project that is enhancing safety on our roads, while enhancing the flow of goods in and out of our capital city.
The government’s legislative agenda in the fall sitting included a number of measures that will strengthen Saskatchewan:
- Bill 182 - The Tobacco Control Amendment Act, 2019, which brings vaping products in line with existing tobacco legislation.
- Bill 199 - The Opioid Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act, giving Saskatchewan the ability to have direct action against opioid manufacturers and distributors.
- Bill 203 - The Financial Planners and Financial Advisors Act, regulating who can use the titles of “financial planner” and “financial advisor.”
- Bill 174 - The Enforcement of Maintenance Orders Amendment Act, 2019, amending The Enforcement of Maintenance Orders Act, 1997 and clarifying that the Maintenance Enforcement Office can collect financial information, including banking information.
- Bill 183 - The Fisheries (Saskatchewan) Act, 2019, improving the province’s ability to respond to threats posed by prohibited and aquatic invasive species and providing additional protection for aquatic species at risk.
- Bill 200 - The Saskatchewan Employment Amendment Act, 2019, increasing parental leave by eight weeks to ensure that employees who are entitled to the new shared parental Employment Insurance benefit have job protection while accessing benefits, and expanding candidate-public office leave to include employees who are running for election to a Band Council.
- Bill 175 - The Marriage Amendment Act, 2019, allowing for an interested person, such as a family member, to ask the court to have a marriage nullified in situations where the person getting married did not have the capacity to consent to the marriage.
- Bill 195 - The Lobbyists Amendment Act, 2019, promoting transparency and enhancing accountability among provincially-elected officials.
“As we look toward the next year, our government will continue working to strengthen our economy, communities and families,” Moe said.