Premier Moe launches re-election campaign as party faces criticism on multiple fronts

As Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe officially launches his re-election campaign, his government is being criticized on multiple subjects, including the education sector calling for more operational funding and municipal leaders saying they want the government to address homelessness.

Over the last couple of weeks, Onion Lake Cree Nation has launched a legal challenge to the Saskatchewan First Act, and a group of citizens are taking SaskPower to court over climate action.

Meanwhile, there have been calls for more action to address health-care staffing in hospitals and primary care.

Last week, representatives of Saskatchewan urban centres requested changes to income assistance, with Ward 3 Saskatoon Coun. David Kirton saying the current system is "manufacturing homelessness."

More recently, Regina and Saskatoon school divisions and teachers are united in asking for increases in funding for K-12 education.

On Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Party announced Moe's intention to seek re-election in Rosthern-Shellbrook. Moe was in Washington, D.C., meeting with U.S. lawmakers at the time.

"There are thousands of new jobs being created in every sector and our population is growing at its fastest pace in more than a century," Moe said. 

"That will be the choice in the next election — a choice between the Saskatchewan Party's record for growth that works for everyone and the NDP record of no growth that didn't work for anyone."

This week that "growth" slogan, which is simultaneously being used by the Saskatchewan Party and the provincial government, became a focus of critics.

Regina man Iain MacDonald tweeted the slogan and the government's wheat sheaf logo with the added line "who donates to the Sask. Party."

The government's official Twitter account sent a direct message demanding MacDonald remove the tweet, citing copyright. MacDonald deleted the tweet and shared the government message, which ended up inspiring copycat memes and posts turning the slogan on its head.

Lawyer Graham Hood, who specializes in copyright and trademark law, said MacDonald's tweet fell within the Copyright Act's fair dealing exception for parody and satire.

"[The government's] tone-deaf response to Mr. MacDonald's innocuous, satirical tweet lacks not only a basis in copyright law, but also a sense of humour," Hood said.

School divisions and teachers have expressed their disappointment with the government's K-12 budget for 2023-24 from the minute it was announced.