Throne Speech Debate (2 November 2026)

From Hansard (2 November 2026)

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Throne Speech Reply

Hon. Terry Jenson: — Well thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t even get that kind of applause when I go home for the weekend, Mr. Speaker. I feel really privileged to be able to be on my feet today to provide some remarks in relation to the Throne Speech that was delivered by Her Honour in this Assembly last week. And the work we’re doing as a government not only impacts the people that I represent in the Warman constituency, but indeed for every resident right across this great province.

But before I get going on that, I just do want to recognize a few people who help me serve the citizens of this province day in and day out. First I’d like to recognize my wife, Angela. Mr. Speaker, we’ve been married for almost 21 years. In fact, it’ll be 21 years on November 12th.

[Applause]

Hon. Terry Jenson: — That’s right. And there is a reason why she does need the occasional glass of wine and some quiet time for 20 minutes every weekend when I come home, Mr. Speaker. But in all seriousness, she’s everything that I could ever ask for or want. And we’re at the stage of life where . . . We have our two kids. We have one, our son Asher, who is making a slow but very, you know, direct exit into adulthood. And we’re helping him every day to accomplish that goal. And our daughter Kolbie is half way up the ramp to graduation, Mr. Speaker. She’s in grade 7 at Warman Community Middle School, and doing very, very well.

And like I said, Ang and I are so proud of our children, Mr. Speaker. And we know that they’re going to be part of some big things in this province during the course of their respective lives. They are truly inspirational people, Mr. Speaker. They’re kind. And above all, just like the people of Saskatchewan, they’re caring.

Another person I just want to quickly give a shout-out to is my constituency assistant Whitney Friesen. I introduced him here many times, Mr. Speaker. I’ve spoken about what a great guy he is and how I haven’t driven him completely insane yet. But I’m sure there are days when it’s closer than others that I do that, Mr. Speaker. Whitney has served the people of the province in this role for I think it’s about 33 years now, the longest serving constituency assistant in Saskatchewan. I’m the fourth MLA that’s worked for him. And I say that only because he has an incredible talent for keeping me on track. So again thank you, Whitney. Your friendship is valued and your contributions to this province are extremely, extremely appreciated.

Like I said, Mr. Speaker, I’ve listened to replies from both sides of the House, and talk about a contrast. You know, the sun is shining on this side of the House every day, full of optimism, full of pride in what we’re doing as a province. Mr. Speaker, over there, completely different story.

And I’ll get into that in a few minutes if I have time, but there is so many things positive to talk about. If the member wants to get to his feet and criticize what he’s doing . . . Anyway like I said, over there it’s a different story, Mr. Speaker. Anyone who knows me knows that I have worked and I thrive on positives . . . [inaudible interjection] . . . This again is why nobody can take this opposition seriously, Mr. Speaker. They’re heckling from their seats because obviously they have nothing constructive to do, Mr. Speaker.

So anyone that knows me knows how hard I work. I thrive on the positives, and I work very hard to improve things for people in this province each and every day. That’s what makes Saskatchewan strong and steady, Mr. Speaker. As an MLA I gave my oath to the people of this province, and I work without reservation. And I’ll continue to do so because it’s something that I cherish, and I don’t take it for granted for one waking minute.

With regards to my work as a minister, there are several different areas that I’m most proud of. But first some credit where credit is due. I want to really express my thanks to my staff upstairs in my ministry office as well as the officials within the Ministry of Social Services, who work so diligently each and every day on behalf of the people of Saskatchewan. They are all truly professionals, and it’s an absolute privilege to be able to work with them each and every day.

[15:45]

We’ve made an impact on so many lives within the four divisions that make up this ministry, Mr. Speaker. One of the most memorable was the opening of two homes, specially designed to help youth aging out of care as well as those from the broader community who would otherwise be at risk of homelessness, Mr. Speaker.

In February the ministry, in partnership with YWCA Regina, opened a 12-space supported, semi-independent-living home. And in May we announced, along with Egadz in Saskatoon, the creation of Fusion Plus, a 40-space supported housing facility, Mr. Speaker.

Both of these projects aim to provide youth with additional wraparound supports for learning life skills, assistance with education, career guidance, and job training, as well as health and wellness. Mr. Speaker, we often focus on what we are doing in the homelessness space. I’m proud to work with our ministry and having them help identify and address this issue at the front end to do everything possible to ensure that we are preventing homelessness in the first place.

There is also a lot of credit — and I would say most of the credit actually — that needs to go to the youth advisory teams here in Regina as well as Saskatoon. It was their vision, Mr. Speaker, through lived experience that identified the gap. And we were able to collaborate with the teams and work up a sustainable solution to filling that gap.

Mr. Speaker, the youth advisory teams are integral to our ministry’s work. They’re made up of young people from Regina, from Saskatoon, and from Prince Albert. And our ministry and others — including the ministries of Health and Justice, among others — we meet and we listen to these young people from the youth advisory team on their ideas for what we as a government can be doing better to help vulnerable youth coming out of care.

Mr. Speaker, it was a very busy summer. Spent some time at Creighton opening the new group home in that community. Spent some time in Buffalo Narrows earlier this fall making a housing announcement there for some affordable housing. Also spent a couple of days in Pinehouse doing the same thing, announcing more housing in the North, Mr. Speaker. So we are working in the North to improve the lives of those who are looking for such things as housing, Mr. Speaker.

I also had the opportunity to spend some time with Métis Nation of Saskatchewan at Camp 67. Now Camp 67 is located — you guessed it — 67 kilometres north of Pinehouse. It’s a cultural camp, Mr. Speaker. They do traditional storytelling. They do sweats. They do community hunts and then feed everybody that’s at that camp. It’s made up of Métis Nation residents as well as northern residents at large.

But the one really neat thing, Mr. Speaker, among all the canvas tents, the occasional small camper in the bush, was the presence of industry. There were individuals from Denison mines, individuals from Cameco that were taking part in the culture camp along with the northern residents. And, Mr. Speaker, that was absolutely intriguing knowing that northern industry is taking part and learning cultures, learning the history of the land at Camp 67.

So to Mike Natomagan, the mayor of Pinehouse, I say thank you for the opportunity to go up there with him and his wife, to go spend a few hours and listen and learn from the people that were up there.

I also got to spend some time, Mr. Speaker, in Île-à-la-Crosse for that community’s 250th anniversary earlier this summer. It was a great celebration. People there are absolutely, you know, full of pride with their community, the history, Mr. Speaker. It was absolutely an incredible trip to be on, and it’s one that I will remember for a long, long time.

Mr. Speaker, the theme of the Throne Speech is “Strong. Steady. Saskatchewan.” Are there turbulent times around the world? There most certainly are. There hasn’t been a time in recent history when the biggest assets one can possess is the ability to remain calm, collected, and set aside the emotional knee-jerk reactions that we’ve seen so many times, especially from this opposition.

In spite of all the uncertainty we’ve seen, Mr. Speaker, Saskatchewan continues to be a top performer in our nation, and that’s not going to be changing any time soon. Investors are choosing to invest in Saskatchewan because this province is strong and steady. And we’ve created the environment for that investment to land in this province, Mr. Speaker.

Let’s look at the key economic metrics, Mr. Speaker. We’re at or near the top for the last number of years for the lowest unemployment rates. We have one of the best private sector job creation records in Canada across all sectors and across all parts of the province, not just in our major cities. Considering one of the best debt-to-GDP [gross domestic product] ratios in the country, Mr. Speaker. We have the most private sector capital landing in this province out of all provinces, and there is no sign of that letting up, Mr. Speaker.

And what does a strong, steady economy produce? Well expansion of training seats across many sectors, including health care and the trades, at all of our post-secondary institutions, including the U of S [University of Saskatchewan], the U of R [University of Regina], Sask Polytech, and our regional colleges, Mr. Speaker.

We have additional investments into health care and in the patients-first health care plan that include 50 action items to greatly improve patient access and to produce better outcomes, Mr. Speaker. We’re doing expansion of scope for medical professionals across the health system. We’re hiring more nurse practitioners, Mr. Speaker. The opening of 80 acute care beds across three Saskatoon hospitals in the past year that will benefit residents of not only my constituency, but as well as residents from dozens others.

We have an urgent care centre that’s going to be opening in the near future in Saskatoon to add on to the one that’s currently operating in Regina, with plans to add others in Prince Albert, North Battleford, as well as Moose Jaw. We have another 49 beds yet to come in early 2027 at City Hospital, an additional 150 permanent full-time and part-time positions created at RUH and St. Paul’s, with hundreds more being created and filled at Saskatoon City Hospital due to the expansions.

Mr. Speaker, there is so much more in the patients-first health care plan that I really could use up the rest of my time. But I do want to touch on some things that are happening in my constituency, so I’m just going to be moving on here.

Mr. Speaker, there’s never been a better time to live in this province regardless of age or background. Our province remains the most affordable place in the country in which to live. And this is due in large part to our government’s commitment to include over two and a half billion dollars in affordability initiatives in each and every budget. And it was our affordability plan that voters chose over the NDP’s plan in the last election in which . . . And the member from Mount Royal, he’s at his chair. He’s talking, he’s doing what he does. But at the end of the day, they mixed up their revenues and expenses, Mr. Speaker, in their campaign.

Mr. Speaker, at the risk of sounding like a broken record again, my home community of Warman, my home community of Warman, Mr. Speaker, has been the province’s fastest growing city and one of the fastest growing regions in the entire nation over the last 20 years. And the new numbers are in to back that up. According to a report in early February of this year, the pace of construction in Warman in 2025 climbed to levels not seen in the last decade. The total value of all construction last year, Mr. Speaker, clocked in at $87.6 million. That’s in permits. A total of 138 single-family home permits, 54 multi-family dwelling permits have been issued in the city of Warman in the past year.

The total value of construction in the 15 years, from 2010 to 2025, Mr. Speaker, over $965 million. Almost a billion dollars in one city of 14,500 people. It’s safe to say that with this year’s permits, we’ll easily be topping $1 billion in construction activity since 2010. The growth in Warman, and throughout my constituency in communities like Hague, Neuanlage, and Hepburn, is a testament in the confidence people have for our province’s future.

Mr. Speaker, I was at a number of events over the summer and fall in my constituency. We have summer fairs, Canada Day celebrations, seniors’ nights, fundraising dinners for different community groups. And the message I heard was the same at event after event after event: your government is doing a great job; keep up the good work. But what we do as elected representatives isn’t always confined to inside this building, Mr. Speaker. It’s gratifying to meet with constituents who thank me for taking the time to listen to them. We might not always agree on something, but just knowing I’m able to make a difference in someone’s life is the part of this job that I find most fulfilling.

Speaking of lives, Mr. Speaker, I do want to recognize someone who added to my life over the last few years. That person is Richard Porter, affectionately known by anyone who knew him as Porky. Mr. Speaker, I first got to know Porky in 2019, and we quickly became friends. He was so proud of this party. He was so proud of the people in this party, and he was so proud of this province. The conversations we had over coffee were fiery and passionate, but that’s what made Porky who he was. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Porky in early July. And to Ann and all the family and to all who knew him, we lost one of the good ones. His humour, his straightforward approach, and the way he said things, along with his big heart, is missed by us all, and he will be remembered.

As I was saying earlier, Mr. Speaker, Warman is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, and the fastest growing city in Saskatchewan. In January The Globe and Mail also declared Warman to be Canada’s safest city, with an 80 per cent lower crime rate than the national average. Modern urban amenities mixed with a safe, small-town environment makes Warman the perfect place to live, work, and raise a family, Mr. Speaker.

You know, the city of Warman is made up primarily of families with a sprinkling of single individuals as well as seniors. Fifty-five per cent of the households in Warman have children living at home, Mr. Speaker, over half. And among the families with children living at home, 46 per cent of them, just about half of them, those children are aged zero to nine. So, Mr. Speaker, it’s quite understandable we have a very, very young community.

Top five languages most spoken at home, and this speaks to the diversity of our community: English, Punjabi, Tagalog, Mandarin and, of course, German. One stat that I found extremely interesting, when the city of Warman put out their demographic report for the year, the statement “strong sense of belonging to local community.” Eighty-one per cent response rate said, yes, they feel a strong sense of belonging to their local community.

You know, Mr. Speaker, I just mentioned how many kids are living at home and how many of those kids are aged zero to nine. I couldn’t be more proud to be standing here today saying to the residents at home, there will be a new joint-use high school coming because it’s going to be desperately needed in the next five to six years. With those kids growing up, and the member from Martensville behind me, Martensville-Blairmore, she knows as well that that community is young and growing.

When I look at the education investments that we have, you know, besides the joint-use high school that is in the planning stages for my constituency as well as the Martensville-Blairmore constituency, we look at the Warman Community Middle School, Traditions Elementary School, Holy Trinity Catholic School. This is a government that’s investing in the growth in Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker. The young people are our future, and that’s where that investment is going.

And, Mr. Speaker, all these investments are only possible thanks to an economy that is performing very well and is leading the nation in almost every key metric. We have 60 projects representing over $100 billion in private investment. We’ve created that investment climate for certainty for investors. The world may be uncertain, Mr. Speaker, but Saskatchewan isn’t.

We have exports to 160 countries around the world. Those exports grew to nearly $50 billion a year under our government, compared to just 16.1 billion under the last year of the NDP government.

We have new uranium mines, a new copper mine, helium, lithium, the world’s largest potash mine getting closer to operations near Jansen. Canola crush plants have opened or expanded. And then there’s the confidence in Saskatchewan’s economy by Bell Canada, Mr. Speaker, its new $12 billion data centre being built right near Regina with a planned expansion worth over $50 billion in the planning stages. My gosh, Mr. Speaker, one doesn’t have to look very far to see the thousands of jobs and careers that are being created right here in Saskatchewan.

Mr. Speaker, this is good news for our people. It’s good news for our families. It’s good news for our children and the generations after them that will benefit from all this economic activity. Better health care. Better education. Better social safety nets. Better community safety. Better highways and roads. And overall, Mr. Speaker, a better quality of life for everyone.

[16:00]

Mr. Speaker, it’s obvious where we are today in this very moment. There is no better place to be in Canada than right here in Saskatchewan, and there’s no better time to be in Saskatchewan, Mr. Speaker.

So with that, Mr. Speaker, I will be supporting the motion made by my good friend and colleague from White City-Qu’Appelle and seconded by the member from Last Mountain-Touchwood. And I will not be supporting the amendment made by the opposition. God bless Saskatchewan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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