Sask. NDP tables bill that would make separation vote more challenging

Article content

Saskatchewan’s official Opposition has introduced a bill to make it tougher to trigger a referendum or plebiscite on the province separating from Canada.

On Wednesday morning, NDP Leader Carla Beck said the “Keep Saskatchewan in Canada Act” would increase the number of signatures needed for a citizen petition on a referendum from 15 per cent of the electorate to 30 per cent. It would also prevent government caucus from “unilaterally calling a referendum on separation,” according to Beck.

Article content

The private member’s bill, introduced by the NDP Wednesday afternoon, would amend The Referendum and Plebiscite Act currently in effect.

The motivation for Bill 604 was, in part, borne out of concern for economic stability that may be at risk in the face of a referendum vote, Beck said, referencing capital flight from Quebec during secession referendums decades ago.

“This is a bill about protecting jobs, protecting investment and bringing stability back to our economy at a time of economic uncertainty, at a time when signals of stability are incredibly important,” said Beck.

“A referendum on separation would drive jobs and investments out of Saskatchewan even if that referendum were to fail.”

The current referendum language refers to signatures from “electors.” There were 829,884 eligible voters in the last provincial election.

Under the current formula, which requires signatures from 15 per cent of voters, 124,483 would be needed to trigger a referendum. The NDP’s proposed legislation would double that to 248,965.

Article content

Speaking Tuesday before details of the bill were shared, Premier Scott Moe argued the NDP was seeking to disrupt the democratic process through the legislation.

“That’s wrong,” said Moe. “Silencing the very voters that you vie to represent is just plain out wrong.”

Beck emphasized the legislation would only apply to separation, adding that “no one will be kept from signing a petition.”

“People deserve to have a say,” said Beck, who noted that additional steps are needed in the context of separation. “The bar has to be set high. We’re not voting here on whether we change the provincial flower.”

Beck also explained that her party seeks to remove the ability of government caucus to initiate a referendum without a public mandate because of “real doubts about Scott Moe’s ability to control his caucus.”

Beck said she’d like to see the bill put to a free vote, not a whipped one, meaning MLA’s would vote according to their own personal beliefs instead of along party lines.

The move comes just a couple of days after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government tabled Bill 54, which is designed in part to lower the signature threshold for a citizen-triggered referendum and extend the timeline to get those signatures from 90 days to 120 days.

More to come …

[email protected]

Article content