Throne Speech Debate (1 November 2021)

From Hansard (1 November 2021)

Throne Speech Debate

Mr. Jenson: — Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. And before I begin with the reasons why I’m going to be supporting our government’s Throne Speech tonight, I just want to acknowledge some of the people in my life who’ve been instrumental in my past year and my first as an MLA.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, I’d like to begin by acknowledging my beautiful wife, Angela. She’s carrying the torch back home and runs the family business while also taking care of things around the home while I’m working here in Regina. She’s an absolutely amazing lady that I’m so lucky to raise our two kids with.

Our son Asher is our 14-year-old son and he’s an absolutely intelligent, witty, athletic, caring, and thoughtful young man who’s pulling some really good grades in high school, Mr. Education minister. Mr. Speaker, in just a few short weeks he’s turning 15 and he’s going to have his learner’s licence. His mom and I are really looking forward to the day when he trades that in for his driver’s licence, and it will be us sending him to the store at 9 o’clock at night for milk.

Then there’s our daughter Kolbie. Mr. Deputy Speaker, she’s going to be eight in February and she seems to have endless creativity and no off switch. Whether it’s the chalk art on the driveway or scavenging through our kitchen recycling bin looking for building materials to satisfy her imagination, she won’t stop until she’s completely happy with her work. She’s a beautiful and smart young lady and we’re so proud of her.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, we have a saying around our house and it’s maybe a little bit like our caucus too: a little bit loud, a little bit crazy, but a whole lot of love. That’s what our family is in a nutshell, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m so blessed in so many ways by having such a loving and supportive family to come home to each day.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, as much as Angela, Asher, and Kolbie wanted to be here in this incredibly majestic and amazing building for the Throne Speech last week, we just weren’t able to make it happen. But I’m happy to say they’ll be visiting with us soon to watch all of us do the honourable work that we’ve been elected to do. I love my family and going back to spring session, being away from them for six straight weeks was probably the most difficult six weeks I’ve ever had to endure. And they would no doubt say the same thing, Mr. Deputy Speaker. At least I hope they’d say the same thing. I’m not entirely sure.

I did however have the honour to have my parents Roland and Denise here last Wednesday as well as my aunt Donna and uncle Clarence. Mr. Deputy Speaker, it was a very special day for me, and one that I’m always going to be remembering. When we entered the Chamber and I took my seat and looked up into the gallery, there they were waving as proud as could be. I’m sure their smiles under their masks they had on were as big as mine. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I’ve been in this desk for a year now, but seeing them in the gallery for the first time made it all feel so real. I’m sure most, if not all, my colleagues on both sides of this House can relate to what I’m saying.

I’d also like to give thanks to the Premier, all my colleagues in caucus, as well as the caucus staff for being such a great team and great leaders. I’d like to think I’m a fairly likeable guy among my colleagues and the building staff, but it was my dad who kind of stole the spotlight a few times last week. You see, Mr. Deputy Speaker, he’s not just an ordinary Saskatchewan guy anymore. He’s now affectionately known as the guy who sold one of his airplanes to James Bond. If you give me a couple of minutes, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I’ll quickly tell the story of how this came to be.

So for those who hadn’t heard or read about the story, my dad bought an older Cessna 185 airplane a couple of years back. He and his staff spent some time one winter refurbishing it inside and out. He flew it to their winter home in Arizona, and all that was left to do was put the striping on the airplane. It was then that he decided to put it up for sale.

Lo and behold, Mr. Deputy Speaker, he got a phone call almost right away from a potential buyer. He had a British accent, and he told my dad that he was very interested in seeing this airplane. So not long after that, my dad took him up on his offer, flew to Lakeland, Florida, and after the standard presale inspection, the deal was made.

But before leaving the airport, Mr. Deputy Speaker, my dad asked the buyer where this airplane was going to be based out of. He figured well, maybe it might be ferried back to the UK or somewhere else, but the buyer said it was going across the tarmac to the paint shop where the paint was going to be stripped off, the aluminum was going to be polished up, and it was going to be flown to Jamaica.

By now, Mr. Deputy Speaker, my dad was a little worried. It had just received a fresh coat of paint, and he began to think this airplane was going to be maybe used for some rather nefarious purposes. But the buyer handed him a business card and told him it was going to be used in a movie. Curious to know more, Mr. Deputy Speaker, my dad asked about it, and the buyer said they were going to be using it in the new James Bond movie called No Time to Die.

Now my dad always says he’s been born at night, but it wasn’t last night. And as Ronald Reagan used to say, trust but verify. So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, that’s what he did. Back in Arizona, he’s got friends that have friends in the entertainment business, and they verified to him that this was a legitimate company that was procuring props for movies. So as it turns out, an airplane that he owned and sometimes used to punch holes in the skies over Saskatchewan in is now a part of pop culture history.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, I’m not going to bore you with any more airplane stories, so I’ll just keep moving along here by thanking my constituency assistant, Whitney Friesen. Now my colleague from Batoche has a CA that’s been 26 years. I’m proud to say Whitney has been I think the longest serving CA in the province at 28 years. And he’s also — for my colleague from Arm River — the best CA in the province. I’m really fortunate to have Whitney’s knowledge and skills in the office, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

An Hon. Member: — He’s our candidate.

Mr. Jenson: — Yeah, he might be. Rosemont, maybe . . . [inaudible interjection] . . . It’s a he.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, I’d like to express my appreciation to you as well as the Speaker and congratulate you on your recent election as Deputy Speaker. This place can get a little fiery and heated at times, but you and the Speaker do an admirable job of making sure things stay on the rails, and for that we all thank you.

And it goes without saying, Mr. Speaker, that it’s great to be back to almost normal in this Chamber. Whether it’s having people in the galleries or Pages making things easier for us by delivering paperwork, or the fact that the Plexiglas is gone and I can see the member from Yorkton and not have to lean around the glass to talk to him . . . [inaudible interjection] . . . No, that’s right. Maybe there’s days where I don’t want to do that. It is a nice feeling to have some normalcy in the Chamber. I’m hoping like everybody else we can get to the finish line very soon and return to absolute normal in this building.

As I’ve said before and I will continue to proudly say, Mr. Speaker, I represent the best constituency in the province. The people of Martensville-Warman are incredibly good to me, and I wake up each day honoured to work on their behalf to make their lives better. Mr. Deputy Speaker, looking back I can’t help but be proud of our government’s work in my constituency and throughout the province this last 14 years. I represent two of the fastest growing communities in the province, and our government has responded with new schools; new overpasses; additional infrastructure funding for lagoons, parks, highways; not to mention the substantial revenue-sharing increases for our municipal governments so they can make their own decisions and provide the things they feel are important to make their communities better places to live in.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, these investments have been made because our government believes in the very people we serve. Being in business for 25 years prior to being elected, I always made sure I provided my people the tools they needed to succeed and got out of their way. Our government is no different, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Good infrastructure, sound fiscal policies, and a belief in the people of our province to use their talent and knowledge is the recipe for success.

So while the members opposite hypocritically pose for selfies in Pil Country, record videos maskless in COVID wards, and perch themselves on pedestals in the rotunda like it’s recess time at a school playground, Mr. Deputy Speaker, my colleagues and I in government will continue to do the heavy lifting and hard work. We will continue to do what’s best for all people by building a stronger, safer, healthier, a better-educated, and more independent Saskatchewan.

Under this government, Mr. Deputy Speaker, our province has experienced success over the past 14 years unlike any time in our history. We now have more people calling this province home than ever before. We’re among the leaders in wholesale trade, employment, take-home pay. And most importantly, Mr. Speaker, our government has demonstrated fiscal responsibility by being the province with the lowest debt-to-GDP [gross domestic product] ratio in the entire country. And, Mr. Deputy Speaker, as we come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re going to keep up the good work that’s been done since we formed government in 2007 by creating more good-paying permanent jobs; increasing our population; building more schools, more hospitals, more long-term care facilities; and well, Mr. Deputy Speaker, ensuring this province continues to be the best place in the country to live in.

Just in the last number of months, over $10 billion of new investment has been committed to fund new and expanded canola crush plants, a new potash mine at Jansen, which I might add is the single largest capital investment this province has ever seen — Jansen — plus a new wheat straw pulp manufacturing plant, a new urea fertilizer facility, and the list goes on.

Mr. Speaker, the member from Saskatoon Eastview likes to recite lists of opinion headlines written by the daily media. So to keep things in perspective, I’ll keep going with the list of important developments that are happening in our fine province under this government. Clean Seed has announced they will be building a state-of-the-art seeding and planting equipment plant in their new facility. Brandt Group is expanding their workforce by 1,000 people. There’s a new OSB [oriented strand board] plant being built in Prince Albert. Upgrades are going to take place at pulp mills and saw mills that will result in hundreds of more new, skilled jobs being created. Our government has a plan, Mr. Deputy Speaker. It’s a plan for growth. Nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a plan that the people of this province believe in. It’s a plan that grows our economy, provides a better way of life for all, and it’s a plan that we will work hard to fulfill.

While I’m proud to sit with my colleagues in government, Mr. Speaker, I’m more proud to be a lifelong Saskatchewan resident. To see what we’ve been able to accomplish in 14 years is truly amazing.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, one of the things that really stands out to me in this Speech from the Throne is our commitments to the Indigenous community. Our government understands the long overdue need for reconciliation. In September, I was privileged to meet Tony Stevenson, a residential school survivor who has dedicated his life to helping other survivors on their healing journey. To those who have never met Tony or have heard his story, Mr. Deputy Speaker, it’s one of the most courageous and moving accounts I have yet to hear. From a distance, Tony could easily be mistaken as just another person walking through a shopping mall or sitting in a restaurant or in the stands at a Roughrider game. I was moved by Tony’s story from his seven years at Qu’Appelle Indian Residential School in Lebret. Tony is just one survivor with stories to tell, and I commend the work he is doing for those who choose not to speak or are no longer able to.

Mr. Speaker, I’m proud that our government is moving forward with initiatives to continue the journey of reconciliation and healing. Two million dollars will be used to assist FSIN [Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations] in their work to identify and investigate undocumented deaths at former residential schools across the province. Money helps, but reconciliation happens in so many other ways, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Bringing children home to their people is now happening at Cowessess and I’m hopeful other First Nations will follow the lead of Chief Delorme and his people. Programs that offer culturally appropriate child welfare services to Indigenous families that need the support are being expanded, Mr. Speaker. Highway signage is being planned to signify Treaty 4 and 6 boundaries along our major roadways so it can be a visual reminder of the historic lands we share and which we call home.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, reconciliation goes much further than visual education and reminders. Indigenous people need additional opportunities to become full participants in our province’s economy, and our government recognizes this. Mr. Deputy Speaker, 30 per cent of the timber supply in 954 Saskatchewan Hansard November 1, 2021 Saskatchewan is allocated to Indigenous businesses, by far the largest allocation anywhere in Canada. No other province in the nation has a gaming agreement with First Nations as successful as the one we have here with the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority.

And, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we are doing more to create wealth for Indigenous people and communities by providing up to $75 million in financing for equity investments and resource development projects throughout the Saskatchewan Indigenous Investment Finance Corporation. Our government is supporting and growing Indigenous involvement in forestry, energy, mining, tourism, and the work is continuing to make sure all people benefit.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, it’s been a very challenging 20 months with people around the world grappling with COVID-19, and I just want to say thank you to all the people working in our health care system. I also want to recognize the contributions made by our business community who continue to evolve and adapt in a rapidly changing environment.

I also want to take a moment to thank the 87 per cent of eligible people in our province who’ve rolled up their sleeve and have done the right thing by getting their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. We are so close to reaching 80 per cent of our eligible population being fully vaccinated, and I am fully expecting we eclipse that milestone tonight.

Vaccination is a choice, and for some in the 12 per cent left yet to receive it, it comes with difficult discussions and decisions. Mr. Deputy Speaker, I know this was the case in my family, and it’s quite possibly the case in many others as well. But with each passing day, more and more Saskatchewan people are doing their part by getting vaccinated to help us exit this pandemic and return to the normal way of life that we all love. These are difficult times for all of us, Mr. Deputy Speaker, but as we’ve always said here in Saskatchewan, we will pull through and we will persevere.

While we’re dealing with COVID-19, work must continue to drive our province forward, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Last Tuesday, I was shocked and very saddened to learn of the sudden passing of a good friend that my colleagues from Melfort, Swift Current, and Melville-Saltcoats also knew very well. Gord Dmytruk was the embodiment of the Saskatchewan can-do spirit.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Gord brought the Melfort Wellness Centre to life. He helped develop shopping centres in Melfort and Warman and was working on a few other projects in my home community of Warman on behalf of the Avatex Group of Companies.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, I met Gord for the first time a number of years ago when the Stonegate Shopping Centre sign went up in a bare field at the north end of Warman. He sat down in my office and we talked about the project and how it was going to play a role in creating more employment and more opportunities for our region. I remember that first meeting very vividly, Mr. Deputy Speaker. His smile was infectious. He was confident, and most of all he was genuine. It would be the first of many meetings over coffee that we would have in the last number of years. Every time we met, I walked away a better person for that experience, and I can’t thank him enough.

I spoke with Gord on the phone the day before he passed away, Mr. Deputy Speaker. He sounded more excited than usual as he shared some very exciting news about a particular project he was working on. We agreed to meet later in the week when I returned home from Regina, but sadly that meeting wasn’t going to happen.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, it’s the Gord Dmytruks of this province that make Saskatchewan the special place that it is. To him there was no such thing as a barrier that couldn’t be overcome. He understood the need for patience and imagination in everything that he did. Mr. Deputy Speaker, the constituency of Martensville-Warman lost a true treasure and community builder on October 26th. I just wanted to express my heartfelt condolences to Pat, children Ryan, Jillian, and Nicole and all the grandchildren as well as all those who were blessed to have had him in their lives.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, when I look through our plan for the next year, I’m encouraged and excited about what lies ahead for our great province. Every initiative that is contained in this year’s Throne Speech will benefit the province in many, many different ways. I’ve touched on the economy and reconciliation, but there’s so much more that our people will benefit from.

Mr. Speaker, a lack of moisture made for a very tough year on many of our farms. But our government responded by working with our federal counterparts on programs that support our producers in the wake of this drought. To that, $119 million in direct support to livestock producers; AgriStability interim benefit payments were increased from 50 to 75 per cent; crop insurance relief for producers who converted their crops to feed; a tripling of funding for dugouts, wells, and pipelines, and so much more.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, our government can’t control the weather, but during times of adversity and crisis we have been there and we will continue to be there for the people who produce our food, that feed the people around the world. We will be there to help sustain our province’s economy and the ag sector with jobs on the farm, in manufacturing facilities, in research and development, and in technology.

Off the farm our government has set aside $3.2 million to fund a new engineering biology centre at the Global Institute for Food Security in Saskatoon. Mr. Deputy Speaker, this is part of an overall plan to ensure Saskatchewan producers remain global leaders in agriculture research and development. Additionally, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we’ve committed more than $30 million to support institutions and specific research projects, expand scientific capacity, and assist in the commercialization of agricultural research happening right here in Saskatchewan.

And, Mr. Deputy Speaker, when I talk to constituents, they are happy to have a government that is creating the environment for people to succeed. But there is so much more work to be done to protect our residents from criminal activity, to improve supports in mental health and addictions, and continue to ensure children and young adults receive an education that will give them the tools they need to succeed in today’s ever-changing and demanding world.

I’m very happy with the approach that we’ve taken to making our province a safer place to live, and one that will target the criminals who put the illegal drugs and guns in our streets, Mr. Deputy Speaker. As I’ve stated before, this pandemic has caused tremendous stress for some people in our province, and that’s resulted in added mental health and addiction problems in our communities. We’re going to meet these issues head-on, Mr. Deputy Speaker, with additional in-patient addiction treatment beds, a new overdose awareness and prevention campaign, and the pursuit of further opportunities to add an additional 150 treatment spaces in our province over the next three years.

Saskatchewan people are creative, resilient, and adept at overcoming challenges and adversity, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Our government’s plan to grow our province is charting a course that will set us up for success as we emerge from this pandemic. So for all those reasons, Mr. Deputy Speaker — I’ve been so fortunate to be able to speak to some of these today — I will be supporting the motion made by the member for Prince Albert Northcote, seconded by my colleague from Arm River, and will not be giving any consideration to the amendment put forth by the members opposite. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

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