Len Taylor

Len Taylor’s Reply to the Speech from the Throne as recorded by Hansard, Thursday, October 29, 2009

The Speaker: — I recognize the member from The Battlefords.

Mr. Taylor: — Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s a pleasure for me to rise today and join my colleagues and other members of the Legislative Assembly in speaking to the Speech from the Throne and the amendment that has been placed in front of the Assembly, Mr. Speaker.

Before I make comments specific to the Speech from the Throne, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to make some other comments relating to other matters in front of the Assembly, Mr. Speaker.

In particular, I’m interested in joining with my colleagues in welcoming the two new members to the legislature in this session, Mr. Speaker. Two by-elections were held in September. Those two by-elections were won by representatives of the official opposition, Mr. Speaker. And I want to welcome the new member from Saskatoon Riversdale and the new member from Regina Douglas Park.

Mr. Speaker, these two members are going to add to the dynamic, the incredible dynamic that is this Assembly, Mr. Speaker. And I look forward to working with both members — one the new Leader of the New Democratic Party, the official opposition, and the second a new member who has distinguished herself in the Saskatoon community and who I have no doubt will distinguish herself in this Assembly on behalf of her constituents for the entire province.

Also, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the people of The Battlefords constituency for continuing to support me, Mr. Speaker, in the last election. The fact that I was returned for another term, Mr. Speaker, gave me great confidence in being able to continue the work that I had begun previously. And, Mr. Speaker, over the course of the last two years since the election in 2007, I’ve been overwhelmed to receive representations from throughout The Battlefords about issues that are important to my community, Mr. Speaker. A number of those issues I will raise shortly in my comments related to the Speech from the Throne itself.

Mr. Speaker, on this day I also want to congratulate the people of Saskatchewan who allowed their names to stand for election yesterday in this province, election to municipal government across the province. And, Mr. Speaker, in particular, although I value the work that has been done by municipal leaders right across the province of Saskatchewan, and I remind members that indeed I served on the city council in the city of North Battleford for a term, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all those who let their names stand and I look forward to working with those who have been elected for the next municipal term.

But in particular, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank those elected in The Battlefords constituency. First in the town of Battleford, returned by acclamation, the mayor, Chris Odishaw. But in the council of the town of Battleford, Mr. Derek Mahon, Mr. Garth Walls, Ms. Donna Lavin, Mr. Cam Duncan, Mr. Bill Halewich were all returned incumbents, Mr. Speaker. All returned to their seats, joined by a new member, Ms. Susan McLean-Tady, Mr. Speaker, an individual who has worked for the town of Battleford, who knows the town of Battleford very, very well, will be joining them on that council. And I congratulate all of them and look forward to working with them during their term in office.

In the city of North Battleford, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the people who allowed their name to stand and congratulate those who were elected, Mr. Speaker.

A very tight race for mayor in the city of North Battleford. Last night the numbers came in; only 15 votes separated the first and the second candidates on the ballot. But declared elected, Mr. Speaker, former councillor, Mr. Ian Hamilton as the new mayor in the city of North Battleford, also joined by incumbent Don Buglas, Ray Fox, and Grace Lang.

The city of North Battleford has three new councillors, Mr. Speaker: Rhonda Seidel, Ron Crush, and Trent Houk. Mr. Speaker, this will be a dynamic council in the city of North Battleford. I congratulate them all and I look forward to working with those members of the council, city of North Battleford and the town of Battleford.

I also, while I’m talking about municipal leaders, Mr. Speaker, do want to send a congratulation out to our former colleague here in the legislature, Mr. Glenn Hagel, who was elected with more than 60 per cent of the votes in the city of Moose Jaw.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve been watching the Moose Jaw election for a number of reasons — not only because a former colleague was in that race, but also because the city of Moose Jaw and the city of North Battleford share a number of issues in common, not the least of which is financing and bringing into being a new recreation and cultural facility for the community. And I know that Mr. Hagel from the mayor’s chair will manage issues in the city of Moose Jaw with a very capable hand.

And one other piece of news I want to bring to the attention of the members of the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Speaker, that I read in The StarPhoenix this morning. I wasn’t aware of this, but I’m extremely pleased to hear that the Canadian Institute of Health Information, an organization we refer to as CIHI, Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Institute of Health Information has just named John Wright, former deputy minister of Health in the province of Saskatchewan, an individual let go from the Health department by the Sask Party opposite, is now the new head of the CIHI. Mr. Speaker, a national body that is critical to the development of the electronic medical record in Canada and guaranteeing the rights of individuals in the health system to privacy but to sharing of information for medical purposes.

Mr. Speaker, my congratulations to John Wright, who is now being recognized on the national stage for his past contributions to health and recognized for his ability to be a leader nationally in the health field, Mr. Speaker. My congratulations to my former deputy minister of Health, Mr. John Wright.

Mr. Speaker, two other thank yous that I want to express. Number one: I know a lot of the people of The Battlefords who contact my office talk with my constituency assistant, Colleen Smith, before they have a chance to talk to me. Primarily, Mr. Speaker, because she’s always there and I, Mr. Speaker, am sometimes here, sometimes at meetings in other places around the province, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank Colleen Smith for the tremendous job that she has done and will continue to do in representing me and, more importantly, representing the interests of my constituents to me when I’m not there, Mr. Speaker. She does a tremendous job.

And of course, Mr. Speaker, I also want to pay tribute to and thank my spouse, Cheryl Cook-Taylor, who has contributed greatly to my ability to represent the people of The Battlefords here in the Legislative Assembly. Mr. Speaker, my thanks and love to my wonderful wife.

Mr. Speaker, I want to turn my attention now to just letting the members of the Assembly know what the issues are in The Battlefords that I see. Because, Mr. Speaker, the Throne Speech is intended to provide a vision to the people of Saskatchewan, the vision of the government for the year ahead.

Mr. Speaker, the idea of the Throne Speech, the history going back many years, is to assure the public that the government understands the issues of the province and has a plan, an idea — more importantly, a vision — of how to address those issues and give the people of the province an opportunity to prepare themselves to work in concert with the government in addressing those issues. So, Mr. Speaker, Throne Speech: general in nature, but always addressing vision, Mr. Speaker.

So I want to talk about the needs of the city of North Battleford, the town of Battleford, and the constituents of The Battlefords — and more importantly, Mr. Speaker, the challenges that they  face, given the circumstances that exist in the province today. Because, Mr. Speaker, in direct relation to the vision outlined in the Throne Speech, I’m asking members to think, are the needs being addressed by vision outlined by the province of Saskatchewan?

Mr. Speaker, I mentioned in the House yesterday that the primary issue in The Battlefords is indeed affordable housing. Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that is best presented by the fact that there are virtually no alternative accommodations in The Battlefords. We have a shortage of rental units, Mr. Speaker.

This shortage of rental units is compounded by a number of factors. Number one, the growing economy is bringing people into the community for education and, Mr. Speaker, for employment. And the lack of rental accommodations, Mr. Speaker, particularly for immigrants and for young people moving into the community for their first job, number one, they can’t find places. But number two of course, Mr. Speaker, they can’t afford a place that becomes available, if any become available, because of course the rents are increasing.

Now I don’t begrudge a landlord or an owner of a property getting a return on their investment, Mr. Speaker. But it has to be tied to, in my belief, the economy of the region. And the latest increase in rents, Mr. Speaker, is in a property that’s primarily, the residents of that property are primarily seniors or low- to middle-income individuals.

Mr. Speaker, the property has recently been purchased by residents who live in the city of Calgary. And all of a sudden, the North Battleford economy is seeing the rents in this building being increased commensurate with the economy in Calgary, Mr. Speaker. The building was purchased on the basis of highly leveraged circumstances. And as a result, the new landlord wants a rate of return very similar to what is available in a larger, even more active economy.

So seniors on fixed income, low-income people in basically low-wage jobs, Mr. Speaker, are being asked to contribute 40 per cent more in rent. And that date of application, Mr. Speaker, will take effect on February 1st, essentially the coldest day of the year.

Mr. Speaker, without some appeal procedure or some appeal provision, a number of these people are going to have to find a way to justify spending money on rent versus spending money on groceries, or perhaps — even for the seniors, Mr. Speaker — prescription drugs. Mr. Speaker, they’ll have to make decisions because they can’t move. And others, Mr. Speaker, who are fortunate enough to be able to move, Mr. Speaker, are finding that the quality of the accommodation that is otherwise available is not up to the standards that they feel they deserve after having lived in a quality building for, in some cases, 10, 15, and 18 years. So, Mr. Speaker, that’s just one example.

But we have a community that’s in growth. We have young people moving to the community. We have a large senior population on fixed income. And, Mr. Speaker, we have a large number of First Nations communities in the area, Mr. Speaker, and quite a number of people, young First Nations people moving into the community to take employment — often their first jobs, Mr. Speaker — and there are virtually no rental units available, Mr. Speaker. So I simply state that housing is a critical issue in The Battlefords . . . needs to be addressed in terms of the challenges of our growing economy, Mr. Speaker.

And I look at the Throne Speech, Mr. Speaker. What’s the vision for housing? Well the Throne Speech response to housing is, we’ve done a little bit, and there’s a little bit under way. The only paragraph in the Throne Speech, Mr. Speaker — no identification of where this government, the Sask Party government, intends to go with housing. I’ll have more to say on that in a couple of minutes, Mr. Speaker, when I get to the lack of vision, when I get to some comments on the lack of vision in the speech itself.

Other issues, Mr. Speaker. It’s no surprise to members in here that I believe that the province needs to have immediate action on the construction of a new hospital, a new mental health facility. Saskatchewan Hospital, North Battleford has been on the agenda of government now for a couple of years, Mr. Speaker. The commitments were there previously during the election campaign in 2003, 2007, Mr. Speaker. The Saskatchewan Party government made their commitments and promises to replacing Saskatchewan Hospital. Two years later, Mr. Speaker, we’re still not there. So, Mr. Speaker, second issue in The Battlefords. I’ll address that in a little more detail in a few minutes.

We do have some highway issues, Mr. Speaker, that people have been raising. The government talks a little bit about the infrastructure needs, etc., but the town of Battleford, Mr. Speaker, has been struggling with the Department of Highways opposite on the program about urban connectors and the issue relating to the ability of traffic to move through the town of Battleford on a provincial highway, Mr. Speaker, and the lack of response over the last two years to this issue, an important issue for the people.

It’s not so much money, Mr. Speaker. It’s about the attitude and the ability of the department to get this issue resolved so that the town of Battleford can continue the growth that has begun there, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Highways has not demonstrated the ready-for-growth attitude that the government has been cheerleading over, Mr. Speaker, for the last two years.

And also, Mr. Speaker, I don’t need to remind members of the casualties, the tragedies that have occurred on Highway 4 North, going north of The Battlefords, Mr. Speaker. We’ve lost a number of young people over the course of the last few years, Mr. Speaker, to accidents. Municipal leaders throughout the whole region from The Battlefords north to the town of Glaslyn, Mr. Speaker, have been calling for additional investment in that highway. All has to do with safety, Mr. Speaker. They’ve gone so far as to call for a twinning of that highway, Mr. Speaker. But to this date there’s still been no concrete resolution. Municipal leaders want to see that, the safety of that road dealt with by the Minister of Highways.

Mr. Speaker, we had a meeting the other day with representatives from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Mr. Speaker. One of the issues that CFIB raised was a shortage of qualified labour. There isn’t a week in The Battlefords, Mr. Speaker, that an employer somewhere in the community doesn’t mention to me the difficulties that our community has in growing the workforce because of the lack of qualified labour, Mr. Speaker. And indeed the government needs to put additional efforts into ensuring that where business needs employees, Mr. Speaker, that we’ve got the province, the government, supporting them.

That is one of the other big issues in The Battlefords because, Mr. Speaker, west side of the province, lots of resource activity taking place, ideally positioned on the Yellowhead highway, Mr. Speaker — The Battlefords certainly needs to experience the capacity to grow. But at the same time, Mr. Speaker, that growth presents challenges and we need the support of the provincial government to meet those challenges.

And lastly, Mr. Speaker, like other . . . Well not lastly. I have two other points. Second last, Mr. Speaker, we are looking for continued efforts to fund recreation and cultural opportunities.

The people of The Battlefords are very pleased that the province was able to contribute $7 million to our multi-purpose facility. Mr. Speaker, this is a project that our new council is going to deal with and bring to fruition but of course, Mr. Speaker, since the province provided funding to that building, of course the costs have escalated somewhat and the community has to deal with raising money to complete the financing of that project. Mr. Speaker, we will meet that challenge but we also have another challenge, Mr. Speaker, and that’s funding of other municipal projects while this one is under way.

And in particular, Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Environment will know that a couple of weeks ago I sent a letter to her talking about the needs of Saskatchewan municipal golf courses, Mr. Speaker, to improve their irrigation systems, to make these golf courses more environmentally friendly, Mr. Speaker, to reduce their environmental footprint.

Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity to improve irrigation systems in municipal golf courses across the province, reducing chemical use, reducing water wastage, Mr. Speaker, and protecting the fragile environments that exist around some of our golf courses.

Mr. Speaker, an issue in The Battlefords that I know is also going to be an issue in other communities, Mr. Speaker, is the whole issue of funding a new environmental approach to golf course irrigation management, Mr. Speaker. And I hope the government will be able to address that issue soon.

And lastly, Mr. Speaker, to the government, another issue that’s emerging is our Citizens on Patrol program. The Citizens on Patrol exist in other communities as well, Mr. Speaker. With the loss of FleetNet and some other things that have been taking place, the communication systems between local police officials, the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] in our community, and the citizens who have volunteered to be the eyes on the ground, Mr. Speaker, the communication system has deteriorated to the point where it’s virtually non-existent. Mr. Speaker, I’ve called on the government to try to address this issue.

Those are significant issues in The Battlefords, Mr. Speaker. I wanted members to understand that as the province grows, as our communities grow, there is a need for the province to address and pay attention to the challenges that affect us. Mr. Speaker, that’s sort of the theme towards my conclusion. I’m not at the conclusion yet, Mr. Speaker, but the theme towards my conclusion is the ability of this government to manage the challenges that we are facing in the province, Mr. Speaker.

My conclusion will of course be that this government is failing to manage those challenges. Great at cheerleading the optimism that’s in the province, Mr. Speaker, because there is some, but there are serious challenges, Mr. Speaker, that can’t be fixed by cheerleading. They can only be fixed by addressing them face to face, face on, Mr. Speaker.

And I look at the Throne Speech, Mr. Speaker, that talks about moving forward. And of course as other members of the Assembly have already pointed out, this Throne Speech is less about moving forward and more about looking back — and again I use the word cheerleading, Mr. Speaker — cheerleading what has already taken place, but failing to think about what this means and what it could mean to the citizens of Saskatchewan over the course of the coming year.

And that was my opening comment, Mr. Speaker. A Throne Speech is about what confidence can we have in the government for the coming year — are they going to address our issues? By and large, Mr. Speaker, the Throne Speech sets that out. This one fails miserably in that department.

Well, Mr. Speaker, let’s just jump back briefly. I don’t want to use too much of the time of the House, Mr. Speaker, but I just want to jump back briefly and take a look at what this government has done since they were elected in 2007, since they’re very good on cheerleading, Mr. Speaker. I want to look at the throne speeches for the last two years, Mr. Speaker, before this one.

And we recall that in 2007, after the election in 2007, the Saskatchewan Party came to government. The Throne Speech was called “Securing the Future,” Mr. Speaker. And I quote from that Throne Speech, Mr. Speaker, 2007. This was the vision that the government set out right after the election. The vision is, “. . . [We] will have a growth agenda . . . [It] will be built on a foundation of sound financial management.” How long did that last, Mr. Speaker? Sound, sound financial management . . .

An Hon. Member: — And we’re starting to see it, Len. Growth agenda — 360 students more.

Mr. Taylor: — Mr. Speaker, we have no trouble with a growth agenda. The Deputy Premier yells, growth agenda. We’re getting there. Mr. Speaker, the NDP was there, Mr. Speaker, in 2007 in November. You look at all the charts, Mr. Speaker. The province was growing before the Sask Party got elected, Mr. Speaker, and growing at a considerable pace, I might add. However, Mr. Speaker . . .

[Interjections]

The Speaker: — Order. Order. We’re well aware of the fact that we all have differences of opinion. We also have the right to respect the right of an individual to speak. I recognize the member from The Battlefords.

Mr. Taylor: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The point of the quote from the Throne Speech was, “. . . built on a foundation of sound financial management.” No sooner, Mr. Speaker, did this Saskatchewan Party government take the seats opposite than they started to try to creatively . . . I think the Minister of Enterprise talked about creative accounting over there. Well, Mr. Speaker, we took a $2 billion surplus and dropped it to 800 million. The money is gone. We don’t know where it is.

Mr. Speaker, they built a budget — 20 per cent of that money was going to come from potash revenue, Mr. Speaker. They didn’t get the potash revenue. We’re cutting back in this province now on commitments, particularly commitments to health care, Mr. Speaker. And where is this foundation of sound financial management that was the promise of the Throne Speech, the vision of the members opposite, in 2007?

Mr. Speaker, they talked about a labour shortage. In The Battlefords, I mentioned earlier, two years later the labour shortage is still there. Is there any evidence, Mr. Speaker, that this government has a vision of dealing with that this year? No, Mr. Speaker. But in 2007 that was a commitment.

Mr. Speaker, the Throne Speech in 2007 focused on forestry, and Enterprise Saskatchewan was going to deal with the forestry sector. Well, Mr. Speaker, that didn’t last very long either. No sooner did they say, we’re going to manage the forestry sector better, than we got to a point today, two years later, we have virtually no forestry sector left, Mr. Speaker.

And of course the conclusion there talked about, growth will produce a higher quality of life for the people of Saskatchewan. Well, Mr. Speaker, they forgot to say that in two years time, a higher quality of life — unless you’re a senior on fixed income, unless you’re a student going to college or university, unless you’re unemployed, unless you live in the North, unless you are a person of First Nations ancestry, Mr. Speaker, unless you are a recent immigrant to this province. Higher quality of life — we all demand it;, we all deserve it, Mr. Speaker — vision of the members opposite in 2007.

Let’s go to 2008, Mr. Speaker, and this was the interesting year — 2008. The Throne Speech was referred to. “A Stronger Saskatchewan. A Better Life,” that was the title, Mr. Speaker. And it also said in the Throne Speech the year will be “characterized by fiscal prudence,” Mr. Speaker — fiscal prudence. Here we go.

The year that they put all their eggs in the potash basket, Mr. Speaker. And the Minister of Energy yesterday tried to explain why they made their mistakes, Mr. Speaker, and he had a pretty good explanation. But it contradicts what the Premier says in the Throne Speech, that it was process. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Energy indicated it wasn’t process. It’s the way that, the attitude about how you do things, Mr. Speaker. Potash, 20 per cent, not there. We’ve had some difficulties as a result. How do we manage the challenge in front of us, Mr. Speaker? They have failed in managing the challenges.

But more importantly, Mr. Speaker, what were the words of joy that came out of that second Throne Speech in 2008, Mr. Speaker? Saskatchewan used to be next year country. This year is this year country, Mr. Speaker. That’s what the Throne Speech said.

So, Mr. Speaker, what came about as a result of this so-called it’s not next year country; it’s happening this year, Mr. Speaker? Well where have we come from now, Mr. Speaker?

The children’s hospital is next year. The surgical centre is next year. The Saskatchewan Hospital in North Battleford may be next year. Affordable housing in the province, next year. Cattle and hog production support, Mr. Speaker, next year, Mr. Speaker.

The members opposite in 2008, a full two Throne Speeches ago, Mr. Speaker, talked about Saskatchewan being this year country. All we got, Mr. Speaker, was a flawed fiscal approach and now we’ve got cutbacks and are paying the penalty.

Mr. Speaker, is this the government to meet the challenges faced by our economy and the challenges faced by individuals living in our economy? Mr. Speaker, I argue that no, it isn’t. Saskatchewan as far as their plans are concerned, Mr. Speaker, Saskatchewan from a Saskatchewan Party perspective is still next year country.

And this year, Mr. Speaker, this year’s Throne Speech, we sat here and listened carefully. We looked at the title, “Moving Forward.” We all get excited, Mr. Speaker, because we all want to move forward. But, Mr. Speaker, as colleagues here have indicated, there was more looking back in this vision then there was looking forward. And there’s no vision, Mr. Speaker, there’s no vision at all in looking back. We need to know what we’ve done to move forward, but we have to use what we’ve done to plan, to make the plan for going forward. So, Mr. Speaker, what’s lacking in here?

Let’s go back to my desires of the people in The Battlefords, Mr. Speaker. There’s nothing in this Throne Speech for housing. There’s nothing in this Throne Speech for forestry which is part of the economy of the North and of The Battlefords, Mr. Speaker. Nothing in here for cattle and hog producers which surround the economy of The Battlefords, Mr. Speaker. Nothing in here to deal with the labour shortage in the province, Mr. Speaker. All issues that are critical to the quality of life and the future of the economy in The Battlefords, Mr. Speaker, these are very, very important.

And, Mr. Speaker, I urge the government opposite not to postpone for very long if they want to manage wait-lists and the surgical health care needs of the people of Saskatchewan, not to postpone very long the surgical day centre here in Regina. It will assist people in The Battlefords, Mr. Speaker, to get their surgeries done.

And once that’s finished, Mr. Speaker, let’s remember the commitment that the New Democrats made — not just one surgical day centre in the province, Mr. Speaker, but two: one in Regina and one in Saskatoon over time as resources permitted. Mr. Speaker, this will go a long, long way to ensuring that Saskatchewan will benefit.Now, Mr. Speaker, I know that my time has elapsed. Mr. Speaker, I want to stress finally and in conclusion that when . . . Oh, I forgot one other thing, Mr. Speaker. I can’t, I would be remiss if I forgot this. We had a very nice meeting with those representing small business in Saskatchewan, the other day as I mentioned, Mr. Speaker, a very good meeting. And I would argue that 85 per cent of the business people in The Battlefords constituency, that which I represent, would be considered small business, Mr. Speaker. They talked to me not only about the inability to attract qualified labour, but they also talked about other things that governments can be doing to assist small business.

Well let’s just take a look at what was also happening in Saskatchewan a week ago, what was happening a week ago when the Throne Speech was brought forward, Mr. Speaker. The Throne Speech was delivered during Small Business Week in Saskatchewan — Small Business Week in Saskatchewan — and yet while Small Business Week in Saskatchewan is on the minds of many people, it was not on the minds of the Premier or the government of the Sask Party, Mr. Speaker, because not a mention in the Throne Speech about small business. Not a mention.

So in addition to no mention about housing or cattle and hogs or agriculture or forestry or other things that are critical to the future — the next year of people adapting to this changing economy, Mr. Speaker, not a mention — certainly no reference whatsoever to a plan or what the future might bring.

So Mr. Speaker, when it comes to, did this government lay out a plan that we as Saskatchewan residents can follow? No, Mr. Speaker, they did not. They did not give us a plan so that we can manage our lives in concert with the direction that the government wants to take.

Mr. Speaker, therefore some of the things that I’ve argued, I can argue very strongly, Mr. Speaker, that this government over the last two years has failed students. They’ve failed seniors. They’ve failed cattle and hog producers. They’ve failed forestry workers. They’ve failed the forestry industry in northern Saskatchewan. They’re failing northerners. They’re failing immigrants. Mr. Speaker, they’re failing small-business people in the province of Saskatchewan.

And I know I’ve missed somebody in that list, Mr. Speaker. I’m sure they’ve failed more. But that’s the list that I know of from The Battlefords, Mr. Speaker. Did this Throne Speech, Mr. Speaker, provide the people of Saskatchewan with a plan? No. I can therefore argue, Mr. Speaker, that this Throne Speech failed the people of Saskatchewan fully, Mr. Speaker.

I guess it’s easy to understand why, Mr. Speaker, this Throne Speech — the third year of the Saskatchewan Party government, one year before the next year-long election campaign which will probably begin with the Throne Speech next year, Mr. Speaker; the third Throne Speech, the third opportunity to plan for the people of Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker — therefore a Throne Speech that had a lot of input from the Premier, Mr. Speaker. I’m not at all surprised because when we look at the Premier’s resumé, Mr. Speaker, we know that his resumé is full of a lot of cheerleading, Mr. Speaker. There’s virtually no evidence on the Premier’s resumé of success, Mr. Speaker, virtually no recognition of success on the Premier’s resumé.

So, Mr. Speaker, I shouldn’t be surprised one little bit that over the course of the last three Throne Speeches, the delivery of this government to meet the people of Saskatchewan, that if there’s been failure before, there’ll be failure after. Mr. Speaker, the Premier hasn’t learned anything from his time outside of this place, Mr. Speaker. Therefore it’s easy to understand why this Throne Speech and the plans, and lack of plans of this government, are failing and will continue to fail the people of Saskatchewan.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to speak to the Assembly today. I wish to inform you that I will not be supporting the motion to support the Throne Speech, but I will be supporting the motion to support the amendment which recognizes the failure of this government to meet the challenges of the people of Saskatchewan in these challenging times. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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