Throne speech: Wall government plans to use notwithstanding clause for education, bring Uber and Lyft to Sask.

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Brad Wall’s final days in office were saluted with a speech from the throne that touched on the outgoing premier’s key political issues and poised him to be the first Saskatchewan premier in three decades to invoke the notwithstanding clause. 

Through the speech, delivered Wednesday by Lt.-Gov. Vaughn Solomon Schofield, Wall made official plans to invoke the notwithstanding clause in response to a recent court decision on funding for Catholic schools. (Solomon Schofield opened the address with words from a 2007 Thanksgiving column by longtime Leader-Post writer Ron Petrie.)

A Court of Queen’s Bench decision from April ruled that governments should not be allowed to give funding to Catholic schools for non-Catholic students. The Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards Association is appealing the decision, putting any changes on hold — likely for serval years while the court process plays out. 

Wall says invoking the notwithstanding clause in the coming months — which will effectively wipe out the court’s decision — is a “proactive way” of protecting school choice in the province “notwithstanding what happens in the court process.” 

NDP interim leader Nicole Sarauer said “we need to let that process happen” before considering using something as serious as the notwithstanding clause, noting it is a “tool in the toolbox” but one that should be considered down the line rather than now. 

Using the clause is a right of the provinces, but one which they rarely use. Wall would become the second premier in Saskatchewan’s history to invoke it.

The government once again signalled plans to continue pushing back against the Liberal’s plan to invoke a carbon tax. 

The outgoing premier is, however, preparing to introduce legislation related to the Liberal plan to legalize non-medical use of marijuana. The throne speech indicated his government will introduce a law to govern the sale and distribution of the product, despite concerns over the time being permitted by the feds to do so. 

Wall has also shown over the years a willingness to pick a fight with a government of a different political stripe. That, too, was on display in the throne speech’s announcement that his government will consider retaliating against Alberta’s NDP government over an ongoing, beer-related trade war. 

An independent panel found Alberta violated a trade agreement when it introduced a rebate program for local brewers. But the Notley NDP government is appealing that decision, prompting Wall to consider the retaliatory measures, which he says are “separate from any political considerations.”

“We’ve been pretty clear that we’re going to defend the province’s interests with respect to trade issues,” Wall said, adding Alberta’s decision to appeal “behoves us as a province to respond as well.”

Another trademark of Wall’s government has been his ability to pull back on unpopular policies. In announcing plans to revoke the section of a recently passed law allowing for up to 49 per cent of a Crown corporation to be sold, Wall is doing just that. 

Aware that a leadership race to choose his successor will be ongoing as these laws are introduced, Wall said most of what is being done was borne out of campaign promises or was decided on “by consensus of caucus.”

“Some of these other decisions down the road need to be a part of the leadership contest debate, but also they will rest with a brand new government that will be sworn in in February,” said Wall, who will step down as premier on Jan. 27. 

Sarauer said the Throne speech is “more about serving the premier’s legacy, protecting the premier’s legacy, than it is about serving Saskatchewan people.” 

Other highlights include: 

• Changing legislation and offering affordable insurance rates to attract the likes of Uber and Lyft — in part, an effort to reduce drinking and driving rates.  
• Raising the corporate income tax rate back to 12 per cent. It was lowered by half a per cent on July 1 and was supposed to go lower in 2019, but Wall says the province can be competitive at 12 per cent. In a parallel move, he will move to raise the income threshold for what qualifies as a small business from $500,000 to $600,000.
• A tax break for seniors, allowing those with household incomes under $70,000 to defer the education portion of their property taxes.
• An agricultural incentive to attract more investment, although details are still unclear. 
• Making it easier for people to seek court action when intimate images of themselves are shared online without consent. The law, according to the province, would allow people to seek justice in small claims court, reducing the legal costs for plaintiffs. 
• Individual funding for children under six with Autism Spectrum Disorder, investing about $2.8 million each year in order to offer $4,000 per year for each child.
• Continuing to increase the number of organ donations in the province by expanding who is eligible for donations and considering moving to a presumed consent model.
• Creating a new provincial park in the Porcupine Hills southeast of Hudson Bay.
• Creating a process to improve public access to decisions made by the Rentalsman’s Office, so tenants and landlords can be more aware of their rights. 

dfraser@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/dcfraser