1st Question Period of fall sitting focuses on the government's response to COVID-19
CBC
The Saskatchewan Legislature will begin its first question period of the fall sitting today.
Thursday's opening question period will begin with the discussion of the election of a new deputy speaker.
Saskatchewan Party MLA Nadine Wilson was the deputy speaker of the legislative assembly. She had resigned from the government caucus last month after misrepresenting her COVID-19 vaccination status.
Wilson, who represented the Saskatchewan Rivers constituency, is now considered an independent MLA in the legislative assembly.
It's expected the Saskatchewan government and Opposition MLAs will debate the government's response to the pandemic inside the legislative chamber.
The Saskatchewan government presented its throne speech on Wednesday afternoon that featured plans to expand policing and increase support for people dealing with addictions.
The speech did not mention any new initiatives to deal with the pandemic's fourth wave.
Premier Scott Moe said despite the recent challenges, the 2020s are going to be 'Saskatchewan's decade'.
"Our most important and immediate task is dealing with the pandemic," the speech said.
"COVID-19 has proven to be an enormous challenge for Saskatchewan and every province and territory across Canada. The surge of patients caused by the fourth wave of the pandemic has put significant stress on our health-care system."
Opposition Leader Ryan Meili slammed the government saying the speech is a "deflection from fourth wave failures" of the government.
"What we need from this government is an immediate plan of action to address the crisis Scott Moe created."
Meili said the speech does not include a plan for people affected by health-care cancellations or delays, and has no new support for families and businesses affected by the pandemic.
Proceedings will begin today at 10 a.m. CST, with Question Period beginning during the hour.