The March 22 provincial budget continues to dominate debate in the legislature, with cuts to school divisions being a particular focus in Question Period as the Easter break approached.
April 12, opposition leader Trent Wotherspoon went after the government over a controversial April 3 letter sent from the education ministry to school division board chairs, directing school divisions to find total compensation cost reductions of 3.5 per cent with no increases in the subsequent three years.
Wotherspoon’s exchange with Premier Brad Wall on that issue in Question Period is recorded in Hansard.
Mr. Wotherspoon: — … Let’s look just at the Education minister. He wants to take control of local school boards, but he can’t even keep track of his own ministry. There’s been really nothing but confusion since he sent out a letter from his ministry urging . . . or imposing massive cuts on school boards.
He now says the letter is “wrong,” but he also says he didn’t read it. Mr. Speaker, he’s now asking school boards to wait for more clarity, but says he doesn’t have it. He doesn’t even know how much has to be ultimately saved in salaries: “That’s one of the reasons we need to seek some more clarity before we go back to our employer partners.” And “That’s a question for the Finance minister.”
I’m asking the Premier, how can he ram through these damaging cuts and attacks on Saskatchewan’s classrooms, Saskatchewan workers, and Saskatchewan families when his caucus clearly doesn’t know what’s going on?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Premier.
Hon. Mr. Wall: —
… With respect to the member’s question, you know, Mr. Speaker, we have said, and it’s in the budget, we’ve noted that we have to find 3.5 per cent savings in terms of the public sector salary compensation expenses right across government, right across public service in the province, in Crowns, in health care, and education. Mr. Speaker, I have said publicly that we want to let collective bargaining determine how that’s achieved. We will not be prescriptive. We will not limit the bargaining tables to consider anything.
Mr. Speaker, the letter that’s referenced was wrong, as the Deputy Premier has indicated. And the Deputy Premier has indicated that the position’s been clarified. I do so again here today on the floor of the House. This is an important matter, Mr. Speaker. We want all of our third party partners to understand, and those bargaining tables to realize, 3.5 per cent must be found in savings right across government. And we will not be prescriptive how they’re found; we will not dictate to the collective bargaining tables.
Regina Lakeview MLA Carla Beck then rose to roast education minister Don Morgan on the same issue.
Ms. Beck: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Not quite clarified. The minister’s letter went out to every school division, demanded that they break contracts with teachers, teaching assistants, principals, custodians, and every school division worker across the province. And the minister couldn’t remember when he read it: “I don’t know. I can’t answer that.” And “Would it possibly have been sometime yesterday? I don’t know.”
And, Mr. Speaker, when I asked if any school boards had responded to the letter by the deadline, he said, no. And then he said, maybe. And then he said, “I’m told by the officials that they were, and they said about half. I haven’t looked at them.” Mr. Speaker, after all of this, he still hadn’t looked.
Then the minister, that minister presented a bill that takes control away from elected school board trustees because he thinks that some of them aren’t fit to do their job. Mr. Speaker, after all we’ve seen, from where does the minister get the gall to look down on anyone and judge whether they’re doing their job correctly?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Minister of Education.
Hon. Mr. Morgan: — Mr. Speaker, we spent a long time in committee last night. I’d like to give the member the opportunity to stand on her feet in the House today and withdraw some of the statements that she’s made.
We made it abundantly clear, Mr. Speaker, that we do not advocate or we’re not asking any of the divisions to breach any contracts. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having people sit down and have a meaningful discussion about how we can meet the targets that we have set. The targets we have set are aggressive targets. And, Mr. Speaker, we’re going to meet those targets, and we’re going to meet them by doing some hard work at the bargaining table.
Mr. Speaker, for her to stand up and say, we’re not fit to do something . . . [inaudible] . . . Mr. Speaker, their record is not something they should take any pride in whatsoever.
Since we have formed government, Mr. Speaker, we’ve increased funding, operating funding from $944 million in 2007, total funding is now up to $2.02 billion, an increase of 114 per cent. In ’07, operating funding was 1.41; now it is up 32 per cent to 1.86 billion. Capital, 18 million to 119 million. If the member has more questions, Mr. Speaker, I’ve got more particulars to give to her.
The Speaker: — I recognize the member from Regina Lakeview.
Ms. Beck: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. He was clear about one thing last night, and that is that he wants to be able to overrule the voice of elected trustees. He doesn’t trust the people of Saskatchewan to hold their local representatives to account, and it’s an affront to democracy.
Here’s a list for the minister: trustees’ conflict of interest, disqualification of trustees, board meetings, quorum for school division meetings, voting at school division meetings, general duties and powers of the division board, special and annual meeting of electors, submission of school division budgets, and changes to school division boundaries. Also protections against school closures.
These are just a few of the rules and protections that the Education minister is ripping out of The Education Act and putting into the hands of government with Bill 63. Can the minister tell the people of Saskatchewan why he’s silencing local voices and making it easier for the Sask Party to shut down our kids’ schools?
The Speaker: —I recognize the Minister of Education.
Hon. Mr. Morgan: — Mr. Speaker, we’ll make no apologies for wanting to find savings with regard to busing, common procurement, having a salary grid, having some common admin costs, looking at variety of different things to make sure that we commit all the resources necessary to keep our schools open, healthy, happy, and thriving.
Mr. Speaker, the member opposite talks about the variety of things that she’s done. She claims to have listened to the consultation when she accuses us of listening in the most literal sense. She used . . . and I’m quoting from her, “The minister has claimed to listen to consultations around the province and I think this is only the case in the most literal sense.”
Well, Mr. Speaker, I do like to listen in the most literal sense. I like to hear what people have said, and that’s why we’ve agreed to a number of things with the Saskatchewan school boards.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to talk about some of the literal things that she said. She talked in her maiden speech in this House about Lang School. Do you know what list Lang School is on? On the 176 been closed. She is the last MLA that will come out of the Lang School in our province.
The exchange between Beck and Morgan resumed in question period the following day, Thursday.
Ms. Beck: — Mr. Speaker, the lack of clarity from this government is astounding. They throw down heavy-fisted cuts and demands, but they have no idea how they’ll implement them, or what they are doing. And they’ve taken no time to measure what the impacts might be. The Education minister admitted that he doesn’t know how much of the $250 million cut to the public service will come from Education. He said this is “. . . one of the reasons we need to seek some more clarity before we go back to our employer partners.”
Mr. Speaker, they are clearly not putting our kids first; they aren’t even a consideration. They’ve decided to cut and that’s it. They don’t care that it’s our kids that are being forced to pay for their mismanagement, scandal, and waste. So can the Education minister tell us today if he has taken the time during the last couple of days to speak with the Finance minister and get some clarity? Exactly how much of the quarter-billion-dollar cut to workers will the education system take?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Minister of Education.
Hon. Mr. Morgan: — Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. Mr. Speaker, in the education sector there are 28 school divisions. There are in effect 28 different employers. We owe it to them to give them some detailed specifics, some clarity in what we’re asking them to try and achieve. And, Mr. Speaker, we need to give them a path forward. We indicated that we wanted to do that, and in the next few days we’ll be communicating with the school divisions to make sure that we’re able to give them appropriate guidance and direction. And, Mr. Speaker, the divisions I’m sure will want to work with us to try and achieve that.
The goal of all of this is to try and make sure that the resources that we have will remain committed to the classrooms so that we can do the very best for the children in our province. And that should be the goal of all of the members in this House on both sides.
The Speaker: — I recognize the member from Regina Lakeview.
Ms. Beck: — So the answer is no, Mr. Speaker. The Finance minister sits right over there; this shouldn’t be that difficult. And he sits with him in cabinet. Mr. Speaker, this answer to this question certainly shouldn’t have waited until after the budget was done.
These Sask Party cuts will mean job losses and fewer resources in our kids’ classrooms — teaching assistants, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, speech and language pathologists — people who support our kids in the classroom. They’ll be kicked out the door. The least that this government making the cuts should be able to do is give them a number, and they should have been able to provide that clarity from the start.
The Education minister committed to this, and I quote: “I don’t wish to see anyone go into the bargaining table without a clear set of directions, a clear mandate, and some options that are available.” Mr. Speaker, can this minister update us and let us know if he has followed up with his employee groups and has let them know what exactly is on the table?
The Speaker: — I recognize the Minister of Education.
Hon. Mr. Morgan: — Mr. Speaker, we of course want to work with the divisions to give them specifics of how they approach bargaining. We’ve always done that through the public sector bargaining commission. We do those things, matter of course every . . . [inaudible] . . . But if the member opposite wants to know the details of it, she can find them at page 46 of the budget where it says the target for this is 3.5 per cent, or $250 million spread across all of compensation for employment across government, Mr. Speaker. That’s the simple answer. We will work to try and achieve those savings all the way across.
And, Mr. Speaker, the goal of this is once again to make sure that we commit resources to the classroom to help and educate our children so that they can do the best in life, so that we’re not shipping them off to Alberta once again.
April 13 would be the last sitting of the legislature for a few days. MLAs returned to their constituencies for the Easter break, with activities in the legislature scheduled to resume again April 24.
