Budget Debate (27 March 2023)

From Hansard (27 March 2023)

 

Budget Debate

Mr. Keisig: — Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I think everyone on this side of the House is well aware that I had an absolutely great winter and I’m happy to be back in my seat today. I want to thank my constituency assistant. I’m glad our schedules were able to jive today and she’s able to join us in the Chamber. I want to thank her for all the hard work that she does on behalf of the constituents and how important these roles are for all of us on both sides of the Chamber. So thank her for that. She’s also joined by her sister Robyn. So it is very nice to see her be able to make it today.

My family’s doing great, Mr. Deputy Speaker. My older daughter Shannara and hundreds of other nursing students will graduate this June. I want every one of them to know that there are jobs for you here in Saskatchewan. Please look into our rural facilities for employment and the incentives that are out there. Up to $50,000 will help many of them pay down student debt, save for home ownership, or increase their net worth. Please take the hint, Shannara.

Sharlize, my younger daughter, has graduated from Lakeland College in Vermilion in veterinary technologist and is currently doing her practicum at Earl Grey veterinary clinic and is looking forward to entering the workforce once she’s done. I know both of my daughters will live in this province, Mr. Speaker, and I am very excited to see them working.

My wife, Sheila, and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary this winter, and she is always busy serving the ratepayers of Tullymet and serving on the Rural Municipal Administrators’ Association as vice-president. After the budget was announced, she was on her phone looking up the revenue-sharing grant for Tullymet. The Ministry of Government Relations does a really great job of updating its website. She knew that the RM of Tullymet would receive $292,587 in revenue sharing, a 233 per cent increase since 2007, Mr. Deputy Speaker. This budget has 298 million targeted for all municipalities to have stable funding based on an existing formula.

One of the highlights this winter, Mr. Deputy Speaker, was the Queen’s platinum jubilee awards. This program was spearheaded by the Lieutenant Governor and supported by the Government of Saskatchewan. I hosted my ceremony on the 10th of December in this building, and it was very enjoyable. I went to many ceremonies across the province and my colleague, the member for Moosomin, he put it the best, it’s so good to be around genuinely good people. And I really thought that’s a great way to describe all of the Queen’s platinum jubilee award recipients.

A big thank you to our Provincial Secretary, the member for Moose Jaw North, and Jason Quilliam and his team in the protocol office. Their hard work behind the scenes and during the ceremonies made them all truly special.

Recently, Mr. Deputy Speaker, there’s been some changes have occurred in this Chamber. My colleague, the member from Coronation Park, announced his resignation in February. I met Mark after the 2020 election — I didn’t know him before I got into politics — and his office was just down from mine, Mr. Deputy Speaker. So growing up in rural Saskatchewan, my father taught me it’s very important to be neighbourly, and Mark was my neighbour. We had a lot of great coffee conversations in the building and he quickly became someone I could call a friend.

About a year ago, Mark asked to take me to lunch, so I said, yeah, sure. We left the building, drove to a Coronation Park neighbourhood, and drove up to a very nice house. And we walked into the house and the house was absolutely packed. Like, it was full. We were celebrating . . . the people in the house were celebrating a spiritual holiday and everyone in there was so excited for Mark to show up. We sat on the floor on pillows, and I remember everyone coming up to Mark and so excited for him to be there, and I remember myself being terrified I was going to spill on my suit. Mark was a champion of his constituency and I will miss his presence around caucus.

The member from Lumsden-Morse announced his retirement early in session, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and Lyle Stewart was a very long-serving member in this Chamber. Elected in ’99, Lyle served in cabinet since 2007 when this party had the privilege of forming government. His work as the minister of Agriculture was instrumental in growing the pulse sector in this province, and his advocacy for family farms was really remarkable. I want to thank Lyle for his service to the province, particularly rural Saskatchewan, and let him know that the foundational work that he did on so many files will continue to benefit everyone in the province long into the future.

Now talking about the budget, Mr. Deputy Speaker, 7.1 billion in health care spending is something many constituents have been asking for, and this budget delivers. The health human resource action plan is an aggressive plan with almost $100 million of funding. Recently, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I did a member’s statement about changes our Health ministers were able to make, but I really want to take some time here and just explain fully how the program rolled out.

When it was initially rolled out, there was a policy that if you had an existing SHA [Saskatchewan Health Authority] employee number, you would not qualify for any of the recruitment bonuses as it was only for new employees. So any health student that worked the summer at their local seniors’ home or hospital would not qualify for the benefit upon graduation from nursing, laboratory tech, X-ray tech, and other relevant medical training. I brought the issue forward and the Health ministers did their research and realized the program had a problem, and they made the appropriate changes. This change is going to help thousands of students and it’s going to help all of Saskatchewan keep these newly educated people entering the workforce here.

I want to thank the Minister of Health and the Minister of Rural and Remote Health and all of their staff for all of their work in this case and the whole file overall. Thanks to the aggressive four-point health plan, I’ve had many successes in my constituency. We’ve got lab technicians in Balcarres, Southey, and Cupar, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Five and a half million to hire 75 continuing care aides is also very welcome, and 9.3 million to help third-party long-term care providers is going to help care homes all across the province, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

Four billion dollars in education funding is excellent news for all of Saskatchewan — 98 million for Prairie Valley School Division, which we met with this morning; and 78 million for Horizon School Division. Both of these are in my constituency. Our youth are our future, and this budget supports them.

$540,000 in the budget for five new seats at the veterinary college. It’s going to help all of our rural vets that are shortstaffed and is very welcome news across rural Saskatchewan.

Agriculture is seeing 548 million in funding to support crop insurance and all the other business risk management tools. A $38 million funding for research and innovation is critical and will help keep all of our family farms on the cutting edge of agricultural production.

The Ministry of Parks announced a group pavilion at Rowan’s Ravine Provincial Park at Last Mountain Lake, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for $14 million. Pairing this with the completed highway project to the park last year, this will set Rowan’s Ravine Provincial Park as a must-see in the Qu’Appelle Valley.

776 million in the highway budget to build, maintain, and improve our network of roads is critical as our economy surges forward. Our potash, agri-food, energy, and forestry products need a reliable infrastructure to reach end markets. I really want to thank the Minister of Highways for all the work he’s doing working with the Port of Vancouver. We need strong leadership to keep that port operating at full capacity as 80 per cent of all of our products head out through Vancouver. As our production increases, we have to plan to try and stop bottlenecks from occurring. And that, Mr. Deputy Speaker, is growth that works for everyone.

I have many people reach out to myself and my office. They have concerns about health care. They bring forward concerns about education. They bring forward a lot of highway condition concerns. But overall, the number one reason people phone me is frustration with the federal coalition government of Jagmeet Singh and Justin Trudeau.

Now, Mr. Deputy Speaker, people are, I don’t want to use the word “angry,” but they’re just very, very frustrated. The carbon tax policy drives higher inflation, just like our former Environment minister and current Premier said it would. It does not lower emissions. It does drive up the price of goods and services and it disproportionally affects rural families. And it’s going up from $15 a tonne on April 1st to $65 a tonne — on April 1st, Mr. Deputy Speaker, April Fool’s Day. It almost makes you feel like they’re mocking us, Mr. Deputy Speaker. A carbon tax is not environmental policy. It is terrible economic policy and does nothing but punish Saskatchewan families for heating their homes and driving to work. It puts us at a distinct disadvantage on the global stage where most of the goods we produce here are sold, costing this nation billions in lost income.

My phone rang off the hook with the implementation of Bill 21 and the proposed amendments punishing so many law-abiding firearms owners. This federal legislation singled out our hunters, farmers, and sport shooters. Thankfully it was stopped, but if the federal Liberals were to get a majority government, I feel they would really, honestly try this again. We have put 7.4 million in our firearm secretariat, Mr. Speaker. I’m very proud of all the hard work Robert Freberg is doing in that leadership role.

Now the latest thing that this coalition government is labelling plastics as a toxic substance. The whole premise is absolutely absurd. I ate my sandwich at lunch today wrapped in a toxic substance? And all in this Chamber understand that words have meaning. The member from Meewasin was just admonished by yourself, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Words have meaning. How can they label plastic as a toxic substance? I really want to say I fully support our Justice minister as she intervenes in a court challenge on the federal government’s single-use plastic ban, Mr. Deputy Speaker. We all want less litter. We want less waste, but banning plastics is poor policy and shows little big-picture thinking, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

Now there’s something here I want to talk about that is very close to myself. The federal coalition government announced a 30 per cent reduction in nitrogen fertilizer emissions a while ago. And the uproar in the agricultural community was tremendous. They walked back a lot of their wording. First it was mandatory, then quickly changed to voluntary, which boils down to a simple point: that rural Saskatchewan people have no trust in this federal government.

The Western Producer, a famed agricultural paper, wrote an article by reporter Karen Briere, where she interviewed University of Saskatchewan researcher Stuart Smyth, associate professor in agriculture and resource economics, where he asserts there is no scientific evidence that Environment and Climate Change Canada used to set this 30 per cent reduction target. I want to read a quote into the record, Mr. Deputy Speaker, “Without any government regulations, directives, mandates, targets, whatever you want to put . . . farmers have significantly increased their fertilizer efficiency.”

I just want to talk for a minute, Mr. Deputy Speaker, about how I make fertility decisions on my farm. And I’m very confident saying this is how the majority of Saskatchewan farmers make their decisions too. I use three different groups of advisors when making my spring planting decisions. First I consult with my local input supplier of choice. They will usually employ agronomists or an agrologist or a certified crop advisor. These people do a great job informing producers on many fertilizer issues and practices, and they educate people on the 4Rs [right source at right rate, right time, right place] of nutrient management — right source, right rate, right time, and the right place. Most producers have adopted this practice without government intervention because it is profitable and environmentally conscious.

The next person I consult with is my banker. Like many others, my farm depends on outside investment to acquire the capital to invest in our operation. Interest rates, carrying costs, and business plan development are issues that are discussed.

Lastly I talk to my wife. Every small-business owner has a different level of risk that they are comfortable taking on. This is a very personal and private discussion, as every person is unique in how much risk are you comfortable in carrying. Agriculture is incredibly risky — mother nature runs the show — and that risk assessment must include all business partners. I want all Saskatchewan producers to know that this government is aware of what’s transpiring, and we support you wholeheartedly.

Last August German Chancellor Olaf Scholz came to Canada looking for liquefied natural gas due to the war in Ukraine and changing geopolitical circumstances. Our Prime Minister met with him, gave some vague talk of hydrogen and climate change, and said there is no business case for LNG [liquefied natural gas]. The chancellor left, went to Qatar, and signed a historic $15 billion deal to purchase LNG. There’s a lesson here that I know, and many people in positions of authority should learn: the customer is always right. A $15 billion deal would have provided this country with billions of dollars of employment, royalties, and taxes.

How much money did we lose that could have gone to more health care, more education, more social services funding? This is why we have to fund our trade offices. I’m glad we’re opening an office in Germany — fourth-largest economy in the world — at a cost in this budget of 1.4 million, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

If I will make a single criticism of this budget, Mr. Deputy Speaker, it would be that 19.3 million for a trade and investment strategy, it’s not enough. Our federal government has shown a complete disregard for marketing our products on the world stage, and we have to take the reins, so to speak.

I want to thank the Minister of Trade and Export Development on this file, and all of our cabinet ministers, our agricultural minister, and everyone involved for all their hard work in these trade missions, and our Premier for engaging internationally on this critical file. A government cannot sit back at home and expect people to come to you. We have to go to them.

On this side of the House, Mr. Speaker, we understand what the people of Saskatchewan expect from a government. They want a government that works hard, and when the federal government fails them time after time, they can depend on this forwardthinking government to get the job done when it comes to promoting all that this province has to offer. We will always be an exporting province, and our vital role in government is to sell what we create here at home. And that is growth, Mr. Deputy Speaker, that works for everyone.

In this Chamber, Mr. Deputy Speaker, we debate, we critique, and we pass laws for the province of Saskatchewan. But outside of this Chamber, Mr. Deputy Speaker, there are far more powerful laws. These are the laws of physics. This federal government has imposed the clean electricity regulations and mandated they be imposed by 2035. They state no coal use by 2030 and no natural gas use by 2035. Our society is dependent on reliable, safe, and affordable electrical generation. Renewable energy has a role, but it is not the answer.

I want to thank the Minister of Crown Investments Corporation for all his hard work in this file, and I’m very excited about his leadership role in developing small modular reactors for the province. Still, we have to keep our feet fully planted on the ground in this area. Ontario is currently working on an SMR [small modular reactor] set to come online in 2028, and that’s great to see. But we will need coal and gas as bridging fuels moving forward. And I’ve said before, Saskatchewan people should decide our energy future, not the federal government.

I do want to give credit where credit is due, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I was very happy to see the Prime Minister and the president of the United States discussing on Friday critical minerals and how vital they are moving forward. Our government’s $4 million investment into the targeted mineral exploration incentive is going to support the development of these emerging commodities.

This budget also provides a billion dollars in debt repayment, which is absolutely supported by myself.

So with that, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I want to thank the Finance minister for all her hard work. I want to thank all the members of treasury board and the Premier for his leadership of the province. And I also want to say that, to the member from Regina Walsh Acres, all of us here are thinking of you and we’re supporting you and wishing you all the best.

I will be supporting the motion brought forward by our Minister of Finance, seconded by the member from Kindersley, and I will not be supporting any amendments from the official opposition. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker.

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