Sask. legislative mini-sitting will be dominated by budget, COVID-19 and pre-election campaigning

Saskatchewan MLAs will return to the legislature Monday to examine a potentially multi-billion dollar deficit with an unprecedented three-week sitting in the middle of a pandemic. 

The sitting will last for 14 days, each with a question period, over the course of three calendar weeks. There will be 60 hours of scrutiny of budget estimates in legislative committees.

In the assembly itself, the government will be allowed 10 caucus members, with the opposition permitted to have five.

On Monday afternoon, Minister Donna Harpauer will rise in a sparsely-filled assembly and table her 2020-21 budget, three months after it was supposed to be unveiled.

This sitting will be dominated by the budget debate and the COVID-19 response and recovery plan. It will also serve as a preview of this fall's provincial election campaign.

Here's a preview of what to expect:

2020-21 Budget 

After a couple of weeks of negotiating over a return, the government and NDP agreed on terms to resumed the legislative sitting, highlighted by a 2020-21 budget.

The NDP criticized the government for not allowing its budget to be scrutinized in the legislature and will now have a chance to do just that.

As for the budget itself, both Harpauer and Premier Scott Moe have referred to a "pandemic deficit." Both had promised March's budget was going to be balanced, with a surplus projected for a second straight year, but that was scuttled by the pandemic and the oil price collapse in early March.

In April, the government announced that revenues could decline by between $1.3 billion and $3.3 billion in 2020-21.

"The 2020-21 deficit is not a structural deficit," Donna Harpauer said on April 17. "Saskatchewan will manage through this because we have the strength, the foundation and the people to do it."

The government has said its spending plan will be largely unchanged from March, except for money it has pledged to support COVID-19 response.

Both the NDP and the province have said the budget debate will occupy a considerable amount of time over the truncated sitting.

COVID-19 recovery and response

During the sitting, the government and the province's chief medical health officer are expected to continue to provide regular updates on the COVID-19 situation in the province.

The province entered Phase 3 of its five phase reopening plan on June 8.

The NDP has spent much of the last three months calling on the government to spend more money to support those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. NDP Leader Ryan Meili has said the government's current response has fallen short of what is needed.

On Thursday, the NDP unveiled its "People-First Recovery Plan." It is likely a preview of what the NDP will focus on over the next three weeks and a sign of what could be major points of a fall election platform.

The plan includes increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour, a Saskatchewan-first procurement pledge and the creation of SaskPharma, a new Crown corporation.

Meili has said that even before COVID-19 hit the province services were "stretched too thin" and "struggling to make ends meet."

For the government's part, Deputy Premier Gord Wyant said Thursday the sitting will allow for it to provide "transparency and accountability" to the people of Saskatchewan.

"I think the people of Saskatchewan will be quite happy with hearing the answers to the questions that we're going to be having in question period," Wyant said.  

Lockout, long-term care and education

Many other issues will likely be raised over the next three weeks, among them Federated Co-op's lockout of Unifor workers at its Regina refinery. The labour dispute has passed the six-month mark and before the sitting was suspended Unifor workers regularly watched proceedings from the visitor's gallery. 

The NDP has asked the government for binding arbitration, but Moe has not entertained that, saying he prefers a negotiated deal. 

Another topic that is guaranteed to get attention is long-term care in the province.

On Friday, the NDP called for an independent investigation of the long-term care system in the province. Long-term care has been a focus all over the world during COVID-19.

The NDP also wants more teachers, educational assistants and supports committed to classrooms this fall. The government announced Tuesday students would return to in-classroom instruction in September.

In May, Saskatchewan's teachers ratified a new four-year contract. Negotiations had been a point of debate over the past two sittings.

Election campaigning

The sitting will be the last time the public will hear from its MLAs in the assembly before ballots are cast in October.

It will also be another opportunity for the two leaders, who have never led their parties in an election, to sway voters.

The NDP has more work to do, with just 13 of 61 seats and four current MLAs not seeking re-election.

The pandemic cancelled the chance for a potential early spring election call. The election date remains October 26.

The Saskatchewan Party will seek a fourth consecutive term.