Saskatchewan.

• Author: Woods, Margaret
• Position: Legislative Reports

The fourth and final session of the 24th Legislature opened on March 18th, 2003 and continued to sit for 68 sitting days, before adjourning on June 27th. The session saw the passage of a spring budget and a smaller than average number of bills. 46 of the 48 bills introduced received Royal Assent. All were government bills except for one Private Bill that granted the Western Christian College the authority to grant theological certificates, diplomas and degrees. The passage of the private bill was noteworthy in that the normal filing deadlines were waived to permit the bill's consideration in the later days of the session.

The discovery of a case of BSE in an Albertan cow and the resulting negative impact on the cattle industry was an ongoing concern to Saskatchewan MLAs over the spring and summer. One Private Members' motion and two emergency debates were held on the subject. Bob Bjornerud (Saltcoats) introduced a motion on May 27th expressing the Assembly's complete confidence in the Canadian beef industry and urging other nations to reopen their borders to Canadian beef imports as soon as possible. Two days later, Don McMorris (Indian Head--Milestone) moved that the Assembly demand the federal government to immediately waive the two-week waiting period for Employment Insurance applications for persons whose employment had been affected by the impact of BSE on the Canadian beef industry, and for the Prime Minister to show greater sensitivity to the country's international trading partners, particularly the United States. Then on June 9th, a third motion on the BSE impact was proposed by the Leader of the Opposition Elwin Hermanson (Rosetown--Biggar), seconded by Eldon Lautermilch, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Aboriginal Affairs. This motion urged the federal government to immediately develop a compensation package, which was separate and distinct from the Agriculture Policy Framework, that recognized that certain economic sectors and thousands of people have been negatively impacted by the discovery of BSE. All three motions were unanimously adopted. Copies of the motions and verbatim transcripts of the last two debates were forwarded to the Prime Minister and several of his ministers by the Speaker on behalf of the Assembly.

The session saw three new MLAs introduced in the Assembly following the passage of legislation to permit them to take their seats prior to the return of the by-election writs. Andy Iwanchuk (Saskatoon...