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Northern Sask. MLAs ready for return to Regina

The province’s two northernmost MLAs are ready to return to the Legislature to discuss the challenges facing their northern region.

The province’s two northernmost MLAs are ready to return to the Legislature to discuss the challenges facing their northern region.

While Buckley Belanger and Doyle Vermette are no strangers to the drive from their north Saskatchewan constituencies, the closure of Saskatchewan’s Northern Administration District due to COVID-19 has given the two MLAs and their constituents some unique challenges compared to the rest of the province.

Both MLAs have constituencies above the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District, which contains four per cent of the province's population. This region also had the most COVID-19 cases with 253 positive cases as of May 27.

The two NDP MLAs both said they were prepared to head back to Regina even before a May 26 announcement that the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly will resume on June 15.

Vermette said he is in constant communication with Saskatchewan NDP leader Ryan Meili about his situation of travelling from La Ronge to Regina, a 602 kilometre trip. His Cumberland constituents, including northern leaders, have been asking for more consultation with the province regarding issues of PPE availability, provincial funding and checkpoint confusion, without receiving it. People are frustrated, he said.

“People want answers and are asking us to ask some of those questions and make sure the government is well aware of some of the challenges, frustration, and confusion that our residents and our leaders went through and we want to share that.”

At the same time, Vermette said they also want to thank front line workers and community leaders for keeping their communities going during this time, especially northern leaders.

Belanger said his 726 kilometre trip from Île-à-la-Crosse to Regina can almost be done solely by muscle memory, and he welcomes getting back to work. However, with all the cases in the northwest portion of the province, he has been taking extra precautions to ensure the safety of his family and his community and will continue to do so even after he resumes his trips to Regina.

The Saskatchewan government’s spending is almost in the billions, he said, and that needs to be discussed and addressed with the entire government.

“This is the same party that wanted to not have a session. This is the same party that wanted to have an election in the middle of the pandemic. And this is the same party that has not risen to the occasion on many fronts. They have their political interests and there's a lot of questions.”

The budget will be the main priority, according to a joint press release put out by both the Saskatchewan government and opposition. Only 10 members of the government and five opposition members will be in the chambers at one time in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

The final vote on the budget will take place on July 2 with the house sitting until July 3.