Saskatchewan.

• Date: 22 March 2023
• Author: Gudereit, Miranda

Prorogation and opening of a new session

On October 25, 2022, Indigenous leaders hosted a pipe ceremony on the invitation of Speaker Randy Weekes in the rotunda of the Legislative Building to mark the opening of a new legislative session. The annual ceremony included Elders, Knowledge Keepers, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker, and Members of the Legislative Assembly from both sides of the House.

The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan reconvened the following morning on October 26, 2022. As the first order of business, the Speaker informed the Assembly that Nathaniel Teed had been elected as the new member for Saskatoon Meewasin. Mr. Teed, who had been sworn in earlier that morning, was formally presented to the Speaker and Assembly and subsequently took his seat in the Chamber. Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty then prorogued the second session of the twenty-ninth legislature.

That afternoon, the Lieutenant Governor opened the third session of the twenty-ninth legislature with the delivery of the Speech from the Throne. This was followed by blessings from Indigenous Elders AJ and Patricia Felix and Catholic Archbishop Don Bolen. During his remarks, Elder Felix blessed the House with a smudge, marking the first time a smudge has been performed inside the Chamber.

Motions of condolence

On October 27, 2022, the second day of the fall sitting, the Assembly passed two notable motions. The first was in response to a shocking tragedy that occurred in Saskatchewan on September 4, 2022, when a mass stabbing took place on James Smith Cree Nation and in the village of Weldon, leaving 11 individuals deceased and 18 others injured. The condolence motion, which was moved by Premier Scott Moe and supported by the Assembly, expressed the Assembly's deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and friends of the victims, its support for their loved ones and communities, and its gratitude to Saskatchewan's first responders, RCMP, community leaders, and medical professionals. In accordance with a subsequent transmittal motion, copies of the motion and debate were then transmitted to the victims' families, the chiefs of James Smith Cree Nation, and the Village of Weldon.

The second notable motion passed by the Assembly that day extended a humble address to King Charles III expressing the Assembly's sympathy and sorrow on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The address welcomed the King's accession to the Throne and pledged the Assembly's continued...