“Moving Forward” was the theme of the 2009 Throne Speech delivered October 21, 2009. This was a very appropriate name seeing that throughout the whole province there are examples of growth and forward progress. Our Population has grown by16, 000 people from July 2008 to July 2009. We continue to lead the country in economic growth. While we have not avoided the effects of the global recession entirely, we remain relatively strong.

Our government is moving forward on critical health care issues. We made the first ever commitment to significantly reduce wait times for all surgeries. We have committed to reducing wait times to no longer than 3 months. This will be done within the next four years. What does this mean to the people of Saskatchewan? This means that your families and loved ones will no longer be waiting for surgery for one, two or even three years.

We are moving forward by investing in our children and their education, through a $300 million commitment to pre-K to 12 schools. These investments have allowed us to make improvements to over 230 schools throughout the province. These improvements allow young people to be better prepared to pursue further education with greater confidence.

Our government has also grown the amount of money that every person in Saskatchewan takes home. This was accomplished through the largest cuts to income and property tax in the province’s history. Because of these tax cuts businesses who are looking for opportunities to invest are choosing Saskatchewan as the place they want to be.

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to lose sight of the important things. When Thanksgiving rolls around, we get to slow down and take inventory of the things we’re grateful for. For me, that starts with my family, so, to my wife Debbie and our kids and our grandchildren, thank you. To the constituents of Moose Jaw North: thank you for putting your confidence in me. It is very much appreciated and I look forward to continuing to serve you in the Saskatchewan Legislature.

I am also grateful for the strength of our local business community. While much of the world continues to feel the effects of the recession, local businesses are strong and growing. Congratulations to Seaborn Agencies for 65 years of serving Moose Jaw and area. I would also like to recognize the Main Street Pharmacy, which recently opened in the Timothy Eaton Centre.

I am thankful for a Premier who is committed to giving Moose Jaw the hospital it needs. Advanced capital planning on improvements at the Moose Jaw Union Hospital has been underway for several months now, due in large part to $450,000 in provincial funding provided in the spring. It’s a lengthy process, but will be extensive and thorough. Taking the time to do it right, though, will mean the Moose Jaw-area gets a state of the art health care that meets the needs of people living in the Five Hills Health Region.

When you’re family, you look after each other. In Saskatchewan, family has a much broader meaning. We all look out for one another. Which is why our government will listen to seniors over the next few weeks to find out how they think the care they need can be improved.

A Senior’s Care Strategy will be developed by looking at five issues:
• Elder abuse;
• Home care supports;
• Accessibility of personal care homes;
• Falls prevention; and
• And the feasibility of developing a seniors' secretariat.

There will be public consultations held in communities across the province in September and October. For information, Legislative Secretary for Long-Term Care Initiatives and Regina Qu’Appelle Valley MLA Laura Ross at 306-545-6333 or contact her by email at longtermcare@health.gov.sk.ca.

Our mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers deserve the best care that we can provide.

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When the Uranium Development Partnership report was released, it became immediately clear Saskatchewan people were concerned about the need for nuclear power here. Many of the people who attended the public meetings or made written submissions said they wanted more meetings, more time and more electricity options, like wind, solar or geothermal, to consider.

Our government listened and we’re taking action.

The Saskatchewan Party is proposing the Crowns and Central Agencies Committee double the number of public meetings future energy needs. The new hearings will happen early in the New Year, with the original nine still scheduled between October 6-19.