Moe government poised to introduce Saskatchewan First Act

The Saskatchewan government is set to introduce legislation Tuesday to assert its autonomy, most notably over control of the province’s natural resources.

As promised in Wednesday’s throne speech, the government is poised to introduce The Saskatchewan First Act. In the speech, Premier Scott Moe’s government said the bill is designed “to clearly define that Saskatchewan — and Saskatchewan alone — has the exclusive jurisdiction over its natural resources and economic future.”

“This legislation will draw the jurisdictional line and defend that line based on the existing constitutional division of powers,” read the speech delivered by Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty.

Last month, the provincial government released an analysis by the Ministry of Finance that found “nine different federal climate change policies are estimated to cost Saskatchewan’s economy $111 billion between 2023 and 2035.”

Moe’s government also released a paper entitled Drawing the Line that outlined potential policy changes aimed at achieving greater independence in some areas from Ottawa.

In the throne speech, the government said it wanted to assert its autonomy against what it called the federal government’s “end run around Saskatchewan’s constitutional jurisdiction over natural resources under the guise of environmental regulation.”

That’s where The Saskatchewan First Act would come in. The throne speech said the legislation isn’t about ignoring the Canadian Constitution, but instead about defending Saskatchewan from federal intrusion.

Moe previously said his government would “respect and follow all the laws of the land” as it puts forward its changes.

More to come.

— With files from The Canadian Press