Throne Speech Debate (2 December 2020)

From Hansard (2 December 2020)

Throne Speech Debate

Mr. Jenson: — Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. It’s incredibly humbling to rise in this Chamber today for the first time and give my support for our government’s Throne Speech.

Standing here today is really such a privilege. It sort of reminds me of an early summer day in 1997 when I did my first solo in an airplane. My flight instructor was a gentleman by the name of Bob Pearson. He stood to the side of the airplane I was in, and I still remember the call letters to that airplane — charlie, golf, yankee, bravo, India. He gave me a smile and a wave, and I checked and double-checked and probably even triple-checked just to make sure everything was right. I remember pulling onto the runway and, to be honest, I was so nervous all I could think of was, you’ve come this far; don’t screw up.

After throttling up and barrelling down that grass runway I felt that little Cessna 152 begin to climb into the air. All I remember after that was how good it felt to be under that clear, blue Saskatchewan sky all by myself in this airplane 1,500 feet above the ground and the wind whistling through the doors. Well to make a long story short, I touched down on the numbers and in one piece, and I taxied back to where Bob was standing. His smile was even wider than mine as I opened up that airplane door and stepped out. That first solo taught me a lot about life: put trust in yourself, put trust in others, and be confident to meet those new challenges head-on.

And speaking of new challenges, I’d like to congratulate you, Madam Deputy Speaker, on your election, and also to our Speaker of the House. Your service to this House is appreciated. And I think we can all agree that in this legislature, we’ll be in good hands with both of you in the Chair.

I’d also like to congratulate all the new and returning members on both sides of the House on being elected and re-elected. Like I said before, this is a really humbling experience to walk up the front steps of this majestic, historical building each morning and to be able to stand here representing the people in my constituency of Martensville-Warman and all of Saskatchewan.

I do have some thank yous to say to some very special people in my life before we get started, but these people helped make me who I am today. It’s disappointing they couldn’t be here today to watch from the gallery, but my wife Angela, our son Asher, and our daughter Kolbie have been my everything. And it’s with their support and encouragement that I’m able to be standing in this House today doing something that I truly do love — serving the people of this great province.

We’re a typical family of four. Angela is the glue that binds our family together, and I’m constantly amazed at all the things that she is able to successfully tackle in a single day. Whether it’s making waffles from scratch for our kids on a snowy Sunday morning, or helping Kolbie get ready for cheerleading, or driving my son to and from the rink for his hockey practices, I can’t help but be truly thankful that I have such a supportive and wonderful woman in my life.

Every couple has a story to tell, and Angela and I are no different. We were high school sweethearts. We dated for the better part of a year when we were teenagers. But we went our separate ways and we didn’t see each other for close to 15 years. About 17 years ago, a mutual friend from back in those high school days put us back in touch with each other, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. She’s my rock and she truly is my soulmate, and I thank her for everything she does for me.

Like thousands of others in our province, Angela is a business owner and she’s doing a terrific job of leading her team during these challenging and unprecedented times, and she’s also raising our family while I’m here in the legislature. She’s a graduate of the University of Regina with a degree in economics and holds a diploma with honours in interior design technology from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. So as you can imagine, whenever we do renos around the house, and now that we have a tax credit, they’re going to be done on time and they will come in under budget because she is the one with the economics degree. Let’s just say we do make a great team.

My son Asher is 14 and in grade 9 and it’s his first year of high school. So like me, he’s gotten himself into something new and exciting this year. Asher is growing up so quickly. And he’s a young man that is smart, and he cares deeply about people and even this province. He’s come a long way since his first early days as an infant in the neonatal intensive care unit at RUH [Royal University Hospital] in Saskatoon, where he spent the first four or five days of his life under observation after a difficult delivery. The doctors and nurses at RUH, and especially the ones in the NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] were fabulous and they made sure he and mom were comfortable and never alone.

But like most teenagers, they grow up. My son loves his video games but he’s also an athlete. He loves playing hockey. He’s a cross-country runner. He started going to the gym and he’s lifting weights, and one of these days I think he may want to arm-wrestle the member from Regina Gardiner Park. Look out. But I think that makes him pretty unique for his age because he also has a deep interest in politics. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if he occupies one of these chairs some day in this Chamber. Once things get back to normal and the legislature reopens again to visitors, I’m sure my colleagues and the legislative staff will get a chance to meet him and talk to him and find out who he really is.

Our daughter Kolbie is in grade 1 at Holy Trinity in Warman, and this little girl does not have an off switch, Madam Deputy Speaker. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we’re doing, her creative mind is at work. She’s making her own story books, blanket forts, handmade birthday cards for her friends. She’s certainly got a knack for business too. Just a couple of weeks ago, she made a sweet truck out of a cardboard box and stocked it with candy that she had collected during Halloween. She even completed this sweet truck with a menu on the side. I tried to explain to her that, as a parent, I needed to collect some taxes in the form of a couple of miniature chocolate bars. Well needless to say, she didn’t like that idea too much and she moved her sweet truck into a different room where the tax regime was a little more friendly. Clearly she understands how business works, and she’s only six years old.

It’s been almost two years since I decided to enter the nomination race in Martensville-Warman. And there are so many other people to thank. I’m sure I might leave some out but here goes. I wouldn’t be standing here today without the love and support of my parents. I know they’re watching from home today and I know how proud they are of all of us kids — my sisters, Lorie, Nonnee, Karla, and their families. There are so many stories that could be shared but I’ll leave some of them for another time. As my dad would often remind me, finish the business first and there’ll be time for stories later. It’s just one of the wise pieces of advice my parents have given me over the years and I am truly thankful for all the lessons that they’ve taught us. So thank you, Mom and Dad.

I should also mention my other mom, Ruby, who along with Angela has been very supportive of both of us as I make the switch from being a husband and dad who was home nearly every night to one that will be gone for weeks at a time in some cases.

This name has been mentioned from time to time in this Chamber over the years, but it deserves to be mentioned again: my constituency assistant, Whitney Friesen. And he is not your average CA. He’s been serving the people of our constituency and Saskatchewan for over 27 years now. I believe that makes him the longest serving constituency assistant in the province. I’m his fourth MLA that he’s worked for. I should actually rephrase that. I’m the fourth MLA that’s worked for him because he is that good.

I’m grateful to have Whitney’s casework experience and political knowledge on my side and wanted to recognize him for his accomplishments, just as his previous MLAs have done in the past. He knows just about everyone in our communities and he stays on top of things while I’m here in Regina, so it’s comforting to know that everything is looked after back home. So it likely won’t be the last time I do this so I’m quite sure you’re going to be hearing Whitney’s name from time to time in the coming years.

My campaign team wasn’t large but it was dedicated, and boy was it efficient. So to Darlene, Doug, Gerald, Don, Terry, Linda, Bonnie, Nicholas, Diane, Janie, and Carl, plus all of our scrutineers and other volunteers that I haven’t mentioned: the work you did was amazing. I can’t begin to thank you enough for all the time and effort that you put into making our campaign run so smoothly.

There’s also another couple of people in my corner so to speak, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Richard and Anna Porter. They made me feel so welcome and have treated me and my family so well over these past couple of years, and their advice and words of encouragement have been invaluable. So to them I thank you for all that you’ve done for us.

A couple of more thank yous. First to our previous MLA for Martensville-Warman, Nancy Heppner. She worked tirelessly inside and outside this building for nearly 14 years, helping build this province into what it is today. Being the MLA for two of the fastest growing communities in the province comes with its own challenges, but Nancy was there time and time again, and time again to make sure that the people were looked after with investments in infrastructure and programs. Most of you will have heard this from her in the past but I’m going to repeat it now again: Martensville-Warman remains the best constituency in the province to live in and our 7,000-plus voters proves that.

I’d also like to thank the people at our party office: Patrick, Dylan, Tye, and all the staff there, Kaitlyn as well. And I also need to give a heartfelt thank you to all the staff back home who are continuing the good work at our family business. You’ve been all so supportive and patient, especially those frequent times when I come home, where I’d come and go without any warning as I was pulled in so many different directions campaigning for the nomination and then for the election.

Being in the community newspaper industry here in Saskatchewan for as long as I have been has taught me so many lessons about being a business owner. But one of the most important ones is about people. Our staff have never been just another employee number or another face that comes and goes. We always try to treat our employees as team players and, by extension to that, as family. I’m proud of the work that they’ve done and continue to do in telling the important news stories that need to be told, and ensuring the residents in our area of the province are informed with local news that is reliable, independent, and trusted. So thank you to everyone who contributes to the success back home at our family business.

As I just mentioned, before being elected I was a community newspaper publisher that spent 15 years working as a partner in the family business with my wife. I was also in Outlook before moving to the aforementioned best constituency in the province . . . the member from Yorkton. We established our newspaper in Warman in 2008. But prior to that I grew up calling a few places home around Saskatchewan, including Outlook, Saskatoon, North Battleford, Prince Albert, back to Outlook, and then finally settling down in Warman. My background is in radio. That’s why the member for Walsh Acres and I get along so good — TV guy, radio guy — and also the member from Swift Current.

With my background I got my first job with the Dekker family in the Battlefords at CJNB before I moved on to work with the likes of Jim Scarrow, John Wessel, and Neil Headrick at CKBI radio for a couple of years. But as it turns out, community newspapers were my calling and I wouldn’t have traded a single minute working in that industry for anything else.

Madam Deputy Speaker, I’m proud to have lived, worked, and am now raising our family in the only province that I’ve called home. As a small-business owner, I can relate to the thousands of other men and women across this province who put everything on the line to do what they love by owning and operating their own business. Whether it’s putting in the extra hours in the office or their store getting a job finished, or laying awake at night wondering how to get the bills paid, I’ve been there and done that, and I can relate to you. Small businesses are the greatest source of jobs in our province and drive our local economies, so that’s why I’m proud to be part of this government that is providing things like a temporary reduction in corporate tax, from 2 per cent down to zero.

But as my predecessor would often say, now for something completely different. We’re living in a very different world today compared to 10 months ago. It’s a scenario that even the most talented non-fiction writer would have a difficult time articulating. Each day it seems we’re confronted with new challenges, but in true Saskatchewan fashion, we always find our way and come out the other side stronger.

Despite all the ups and downs we experience, the one thing that the people of Saskatchewan have been able to rely on for the past 13 years is our government’s common-sense approach to issues that matter to the people. Madam Deputy Speaker, our track record over the past 13 years across every measurable metric is one that is stellar when contrasted with what we saw in the ’90s and early- to mid-2000s under the NDP.

Our government has a plan. It’s a plan that’s measured, balanced, and when we come out the other side of this pandemic, we’ll continue to build on our province’s past successes and grow Saskatchewan in the months and years ahead. And it’s backed up by the numbers the members opposite don’t like to talk about. From 2007 when we formed government until 2019, our province had the third-best job-creation record in the country with over 77,000 new jobs and also the third-highest average weekly earnings in the country. On top of that, our province has recorded the lowest unemployment rate in the country for the past three consecutive months now, and our government is committed and will work to keep Saskatchewan at or near the top of all these categories.

One way our government is prepared to keep our economy strong and people working is with our seven-and-a-half-billion-dollar investment into infrastructure. These dollars will be used for bridges, highways, schools, hospitals — important pieces of infrastructure that the people of this province expect us to provide.

Speaking as a parent with children in school, I’m proud of our record when it comes to education. The cities I represent have excellent, well-funded schools with teachers and support staff that are second to none. Just in the last seven years alone, our government recognized the incredible population growth in Warman and Martensville and invested into the constituency heavily by building five new schools and substantially expanding and renovating another one, while also constructing much needed new highways and infrastructure.

In 2013 our government opened the new $18.7 million Warman middle-years school. It’s a school that my son went to. In 2016 we completed the $17.6 million worth of renovations and an addition to the Martensville High School, and then four new joint-use elementary schools with two in Warman and two in Martensville at a total cost of just over $100 million.

Madam Deputy Speaker, a couple of years ago our government completed work on two new interchanges: one on Highway 11 out in Warman and another on Highway 12 at the main access into Martensville. These interchanges were badly needed in the name of safety. Our cities were growing exponentially. So to anybody who had driven those sections of highway, they will be able to tell you that those interchanges came at the right time.

In 2020-2021, we’ve seen improvements to our roads in Martensville-Warman, including work on Highway 16 at Beam Road and Auction Mart Road, as well as the construction of passing lanes on Highway 12 from Martensville to the junction of Highway 312 just north of Hepburn.

As I stated earlier, my constituency has grown immensely since 2007, and the needs that come with that growth are being met and they continue to be met during this very challenging time. As part of the 2021 stimulus package, communities across the province will receive funding from the municipal economic enhancement program, otherwise known as MEEP. This will support investment in infrastructure to stimulate our economy, stimulate recovery, and encourage local job creation.

In Martensville-Warman the MEEP program is providing over $177,000 to the town of Osler, $1.38 million to the city of Martensville, and $1.58 million to the city of Warman, plus — and we’re not done yet — another $150,000 for a BMX [bicycle moto-cross] pump track in Martensville for the kids, and another $750,000 for the construction of a campground in Martensville. It’s investments like these, Madam Deputy Speaker, that help build strong communities. They create jobs and they pave the way for other local investments by the private sector.

I had a press release cross my desk yesterday, and I thought it would be worth sharing an excerpt. It’s from the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities. It’s dated December 1st. In this press release, they comment on our government’s Throne Speech:

We appreciate the province’s commitment to continue the fight against the federal carbon tax while implementing its Prairie Resilience climate change plan. The government’s commitment to support the agriculture industry through investments in research and innovation while seeking new markets for Saskatchewan products is also welcome news for rural producers. SARM applauds the province’s commitment to farm support programs while recognizing that more needs to be done to revise the AgriStability program to improve relevancy in the support of the province’s agricultural producers.

A letter of support from rural Saskatchewan representatives.

But there’s more to our government’s plan, Madam Deputy Speaker. We’re also making life more affordable for Saskatchewan people across the province by cutting power bills by 10 per cent for the next year and providing a 10.5 per cent tax credit on home renovations until 2022. This will enable families to maybe do some things that they’ve been wanting to do around the house. It will also create new jobs.

We’re also doing more for those with autism and those that require Deaf-blind services across our province. And I have a special message to share from one of my constituents that I received a note from them following the Throne Speech. The email reads, Madam Deputy Speaker:

My son has been enrolled in the Saskatchewan pump program since we arrived in 2013. He has had a pump since he was five years old, in Manitoba. Although this has been great, we have been preparing for the time when he is no longer covered under the pump program when he turns 25. Enhancements to the pump program introduced by the Saskatchewan Party provide greater peace of mind for us and for my son, now that adults will have similar coverage as youth.

Even more exciting for families without good medical benefits is that the Saskatchewan Party government is considering further enhancements to the inclusion of continuous glucose monitoring systems to be covered under the provincial plan up to the age of 18. CGMs have been a lifesaver for many families and have allowed kids to experience more freedom to enjoy things like sleepovers without the added worry of their support systems not being there. Mom and dad can see glucose levels right on their smart phone all the time and alarms go off when they are out of insulin, experiencing severe lows, or high blood sugar levels.

It’s stories from people like this, Madam Deputy Speaker, that make me proud of this government and all that we’re doing to support Saskatchewan families and building stronger communities. Indeed our future is bright, and that’s why I’m supporting our government’s Throne Speech moved by the member for Kindersley and seconded by my good friend from Saskatoon Riversdale. And I do not support the amendment. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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