5 heated highlights from Saskatchewan's fall legislative sesson

Sparring over ideological differences is a key fixture of any parliamentary democracy. However, some moments in the fall session seemed especially tense in Saskatchewan’s legislative chambers.

Sparring over ideological differences is a key fixture of any parliamentary democracy. However, some moments in the fall session seemed especially tense in Saskatchewan’s legislative chambers.

A visit by Saskatchewan steelworkers to their legislature, accusatory language by the government house leader, and Carla Beck’s refusal to apologize led the New Democratic leader to be formally escorted and expelled from the chamber – albeit just for the day.

The incident was sparked by claims that the provincial NDP does not support pipeline projects.

Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison said the provincial NDP invited federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to speak at their fundraiser, someone he said whose entire reason for supporting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was ensuring another pipeline never gets built in Canada.

“This is why they have absolutely zero credibility on every economic file and none more so than when it comes to pipelines and the energy sector,” he said.

In her answer – Beck said the NDP’s position of supporting pipelines had been clear – and called the minister’s accusations a lie.

“I think the minister likes to think himself rather clever within the walls of this assembly,” she said. “Everything that that minister just said is a dead lie.”