Spring sitting to get underway at Saskatchewan Legislature

The spring sitting of the Saskatchewan Legislature is set to begin Monday, with a lot on the agenda for the coming 10 weeks.

The Saskatchewan Party will undoubtedly be hoping this sitting starts with less controversy than the last one in the fall, when a government MLA invited a convicted murderer to the speech from the throne.

In a little over two weeks, the government will introduce its budget for 2023-24 – revealing its priorities for the coming year and whether it thinks the high resource prices that led the province to a surprise surplus this year will continue.

The budget is to be tabled March 22.

The last of the province’s SLGA stores will close its doors within the first few weeks of the sitting, a decision announced in the fall throne speech  to a chorus of frustration from employees.

The provincial government is expecting to pass several pieces of legislation introduced in the fall, like the Saskatchewan First Act, which purports to protect the provincial from federal overreach.

As for the Official Opposition, the NDP’s two health critics – Vicki Mowat and Matt Love – have been out on a province-wide tour, so it’s likely the NDP will be keeping attention on health-care issues through the sitting.

The Sask. Party will be down a body this sitting with the recent departure of Mark Docherty from his Regina-Coronation Park seat.

That seat will have to be filled by Aug. 10 so it’s possible the byelection date could be announced in the coming weeks.

The government will be hitting the halfway point in its mandate after the spring sitting, so more MLAs could announce their intention not to run for their seat again in the coming months, giving their parties time to find a replacement before the next election.