The Saskatchewan Legislature wrapped up the spring sitting Friday, capping off one of the busiest sessions in recent memory. Since the start of the sitting on April 6th, MLAs met in the chambers of the Legislature 30 times, including the first Saturday meeting in decades.  

The provincial budget, which was tabled on the first day of the sitting, and the COVID-19 pandemic, dominated the discussions throughout the six weeks. The Saskatchewan Party government tabled a budget which included a deficit of $2.6 billion.  

"We have a framework in place to ensure Saskatchewan has a strong economic recovery coming out of the pandemic," Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said.  "We now have a roadmap to lead those reopening efforts, bring back jobs, and get Saskatchewan back on the path of strong economic growth, where we were before the pandemic started.”  

Moe also pointed to the announcement of the Re-Open Roadmap and the milestones in place as residents of the province receive their COVID-19 vaccinations. Other highlights touted by the Saskatchewan Party included restoring the Active Families Benefit, increasing senior's income, and creating a civilian-led model for police oversight. 

“Saskatchewan families were having a tough time before COVID-19 hit - and the Sask Party’s failure to act to contain the pandemic when they had the chance left those families even further behind,” said opposition NDP leader Ryan Meili. “Far too many people have lost loved ones because this Premier let them down. As we end the session, I call on the Premier to reverse his decision to deliberately not learn the lessons of COVID-19 for our province. We need a public inquiry in this province.” 

Meili said the government failed residents of the province by refusing to support paid sick leave, not taking action against those who organize anti-mask rallies and not removing the PST from construction labour and restaurant meals.