Sask. Party begins fifth term as majority with a smaller caucus full of new faces
A newly elected Saskatchewan Party government got back to work on Thursday, with returning and new government members meeting for the first time.
One of the first orders of business for the government about to begin its fifth term as a majority was plans for the upcoming fall sitting at the Saskatchewan Legislature.
This term it will be a much smaller Sask. Party caucus with 34 seats and the possibility of one more that is still to be decided. After the 2020 election the Sask. Party held 48 seats, meaning a decrease of at least 13.
Around half of the MLAs will also be new to the job. Premier designate Scott Moe posted photos online Thursday and said once again Saskatchewan people voted for a strong economy and bright future while many others voted for change.
Moe promised to deliver both, one of his longtime colleagues Jim Reiter, admitted there are some mixed feelings after losing so many people to resignations or the result of the NDP winning all but two seats in Regina and Saskatoon.
“Obviously a bit of mixed feelings because we lost some really good people, but this is our fifth majority government. We’ve got a bunch of new people that are full of enthusiasm and talented and they excited and we are all excited to get back to work,” Reiter said.
NDP Leader Carla Beck also arrived at her office with a suitcase in tow following the 28 day campaign.
Beck said the party is excited to be a much larger opposition than years past.
“I think there is still a lot of adrenaline from the campaign but we are excited to take on the work that’s in front of us now as a much larger opposition. There’s still a bit of an adjustment to post campaign life I think,” Beck said.
The newly re-elected government tabled its first report Thursday, the annual disclosure of salaries paid to civil servants and Crown corporation employees. Crown executives were among the highest paid in 2023.
Retiring SaskTel president Doug Burnett topped the list at nearly $600,000, which included holiday pay owing. His replacement earned $494,000.
The presidents of Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) and SaskPower were in a similar pay range, while the heads of SaskEnergy and the Crown Investment Corporation made slightly less.
There will be a brief fall sitting of the legislature which will allow the Sask. Party government to begin implementing some of its campaign promises. That could include Scott Moe’s pledge of a school changeroom policy that he said would be the party’s first order of business.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Manitoba RCMP identify infant human remains, asking public for help with investigation
Manitoba RCMP are looking for more information after the remains of an infant were identified.
Auto theft probe leads to arrest of 59 suspects, recovery of more than 300 stolen vehicles: Toronto police
Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.
Those typing monkeys will never produce Shakespeare's works, mathematicians say
Talented though they may be, monkeys will never type out the complete works of William Shakespeare, or even a short book, a new study suggests.
Roof collapse at Serbian railway station kills at least 11
A concrete roof above the entrance of a railway station in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad collapsed Friday, killing at least eight people.
Children's doctors reporting unusual increase in walking pneumonia cases in Canada
Children's hospitals across the country are seeing an unusual increase in the number of serious and more complicated cases of walking pneumonia affecting much younger patients, according to medical experts.
B.C. landlord who evicted longtime tenant, hiked rent and re-listed unit ordered to pay $16K
A landlord from B.C.’s Lower Mainland who evicted a longtime tenant only to rent out the same unit months later for more money has been ordered to compensate him $16,480.
Human remains found in Markham, Ont. in 1980 belonged to prison escapee: police
More than 44 years after human remains were found in a rural area of Markham, Ont., police are revealing that the deceased was an inmate who had escaped prison just a month before his body was found.
Mariah Carey officially kicks off the countdown to Christmas
Mariah Carey is finally ready.
WATCH 'It's mind-boggling': Drought reveals U.S. town submerged in the 1940s
Hundreds of people are flocking to see a rare site in Pennsylvania: remnants of a historic town that is usually underwater.