Saskatchewan.

• Author: Ursulescu, Stacey
• Position: Legislative Reports

Passing of a Member

Kevin Phillips, Saskatchewan Party MLA for Melfort, passed away suddenly on November 13, 2017. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2011 and re-elected in 2016. Flags flew at half-mast at the legislative building from November 14 until his funeral on November 20. Mr. Phillips' desk was draped with the Saskatchewan flag, and a memorial tribute, consisting of flowers and a picture of Mr. Phillips with his wife and dog, were placed on the desktop. Brad Wall, Nicole Sarauer, and other members offered statements of condolence. Members agreed to adjourn the Assembly early and forego routine proceedings and orders of the day. To allow members to travel and attend Mr. Phillips' funeral, a sessional order was agreed to which altered the regular sitting day to begin at 9:30 a.m. for question period only.

Premier Brad Wall's last sitting day

In August, Mr. Wall announced his intention to retire once a new leader is chosen at the Saskatchewan Party leadership convention that will be held in January 2018. The final day of the fall sitting, December 7, 2017, was also his final sitting day in the Legislative Assembly. A government motion was moved to pay tribute to the Premier. Seven members, including Mr. Wall, spoke to the motion. At the conclusion of the day, he moved an adjournment motion for his last time.

Three upcoming by-elections

Two current vacancies in the constituencies of Kindersley and Melfort and the impending retirement of Mr. Wall will result in three by-elections in 2018. No dates have been announced yet; however, the by-election in Kindersley must be held by March 1, 2018 pursuant to legislation.

Notwithstanding Clause

The School Choice Protection Act / Loi sur la protection du choix d'ecole was introduced and read a first time on November 8, 2017. This bill is intended to protect school choice in Saskatchewan by invoking the notwithstanding clause of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The legislation would allow the government to continue funding students who attend public or Catholic schools, regardless of their religious affiliation. The bill is in response to an April 20, 2017 Court of Queen's Bench ruling on the 2005 lawsuit between the Good Spirit School Division No. 204, and Christ the Teacher Roman Catholic Separate School Division No. 212, and the Government of Saskatchewan. This ruling found that public funding of non-Catholic students in the Catholic school system is...