75-Minute Debate (5 March 2026)

From Hansard (5 March 2026)

To view this section on video, click here and start play at 11:39:00 AM.

Welcoming Newcomers to Saskatchewan

The Assembly was debating the following motion moved by Aleana Young (NDP - Regina South Albert):

That the Assembly reject the divisive rhetoric from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith regarding the hard-working immigrants and calls on the Government of Saskatchewan to ensure Saskatchewan is a welcoming place for newcomers with quality public services and a growing population.

Megan Patterson: — Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Immigration is a critical part of our province. Our province was built on immigration. It is critical to the growth of our province. Since the government was formed by the Sask Party in 2007 we’ve been strong supporters of a well-managed immigration system.

Thanks to our government’s commitment to strong economic policy, there are over 600,000 people employed in Saskatchewan on average each month, an all-time high and an increase of 15,200 jobs from 2024. With business booming and new jobs being created in our province every day, we need people to fill those jobs. That’s why our government has the labour market strategy.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, our strategy has three pillars, but let’s focus on pillar 3, which highlights our government’s commitment to sustainable immigration through the Saskatchewan immigration nominee program.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, we are investing $4.63 million in newcomer employability supports; 5.12 million for general settlement support, including navigating the Canadian workplace and job market; and 2.92 million for language assessment and programming to build the communication skills necessary for our labour market. These are the investments we are making to welcome and retain newcomers in our province.

I want to take a moment to talk about the tone of our politics and the way we speak to each other as colleagues. Where I come from in Moose Jaw, we are known as The Friendly City. And in this province we have always been known for something simple but powerful — we look out for each other.

In cities and communities across this great province, you grow up learning that it doesn’t matter what someone’s job is, what party they vote for, or where they come from. If they need help, you lend a hand. That’s the province I know.

But when we talk about divisive language, we need to be honest about what that actually means. Standing up for the people you represent is not division. Division happens when someone deliberately tries to pit neighbour against neighbour, like we see here with the opposition’s motion today, when politics becomes less about solving problems and more about scoring political points. And today the opposition is playing the politics of division to try and score points.

But let’s look at what’s actually happening here. Our government clearly supports a well-managed immigration system. The benefits of bringing newcomers to our province is not just about building a stronger, more vibrant community for everyone. Immigration is a key component of our growth plan to ensure that Saskatchewan continues to have one of the strongest economies in Canada.

Saskatchewan’s motto, “from many peoples, strength,” recognizes the value diversity brings to our province. I worked as an instructor at Sask Polytech prior to being elected, and taught hundreds if not thousands of international students. I got to know a number of these students on a personal level, and I want to highlight the diverse perspectives that they bring to our communities.

International students come to Saskatchewan for a higher quality of life. They come here for opportunity because that’s what we have in our province — opportunity and a higher quality of life. Recruiting and retaining the talent that we need to sustain economic growth in our province through strategic targeted immigration is a key pillar of our growth plan. The immigration system of the last 10 years under the NDP-Trudeau coalition, which is quite ironic since the NDP brought the motion forward, was not a well-managed immigration system. Prime Minister Carney said so himself in his budget last year. Prime Minister Carney said:

Our immigration system was built to standardise and evaluate newcomers so that admission was based on a person’s merits. Over time, this system has evolved — its complexity has grown and its efficiency has waned. In recent years, the system . . . [has become] even harder to manage and less functional, and the pace of arrivals began to exceed Canada’s capacity to absorb and support newcomers in the way we are used to doing.

It goes on to say:

We are taking back control . . . [of] the immigration system and putting Canada on a trajectory to . . . [build] immigration back to sustainable levels — allowing us to fulfill the promise of Canada to those who call it home.

Now, here in Saskatchewan, our government has been clear. We are seeking a system much like that in the province of Quebec — one that gives us greater control over immigration. We believe that provinces are far better attuned to their own needs and can act and react quicker to ensure a fair and well-managed system that works for everyone.

In the 2026 Saskatchewan immigration nominee program, targeted priority sectors include energy, mining, manufacturing, and technology alongside health care, agriculture, and skilled trades. We rely on a strategic and deliberate approach to our nominations to make certain that we are protecting Saskatchewan industries and businesses while our province continues to have the strongest economy in Canada.

What our government cannot understand is why the opposition would take the opposite position on this important matter. We heard rhetoric that turns complex issues into simple slogans, and we’ve seen attempts to frame political disagreements as moral failings rather than just honest differences of opinion. That isn’t leadership. And frankly the people of this province are tired of it. Because the people I talk to aren’t interested in your political theatre. They want practical solutions. They want leaders to work with others even when they don’t agree on everything. They want politics that reflects values that we grew up with — respect, fairness, and common sense.

I’ve always believed that the strength of our province comes from our ability to pull together when things are difficult. We’ve done it through floods, through economic downturns, and through challenges that affect entire communities. And each time, we didn’t ask someone who they voted for. We helped them. We simply showed up. That’s community, and it’s exactly the kind of spirit we should be bringing into politics.

Now let’s be clear: there are real issues facing our province, issues people care about deeply. It’s why our Premier shows real leadership. He’s focusing on things that matter, things that we can affect. And that’s why he is overseas making historic trade agreements with some of the biggest markets in the world. And he is working with the Prime Minister to get unfair tariffs removed from our agricultural products. He is working to get uranium deals for our province and an energy corridor agreement with other provinces. Because what we do across this country matters, and how we do it matters just as much. And it matters to the people in my town and it matters to people across the province.

Unfortunately the opposition still refuse to see the way that they conduct themselves matters, and prefer to play games in the hopes that division can be politically convenient. They have spoken out against our trade offices, offices which have played a crucial role in encouraging immigration and promoting Saskatchewan as a place of opportunity.

But their approach comes at a cost. It erodes trust. It weakens communities. It pushes us farther away from the province that we want to live in. The province I believe in and the one I think most people in this room believe in is one where we can disagree but still work together, help each other out and remain a community, where leaders bring people together instead of tear them apart.

That’s the kind of leadership we’re committed to on this side of the House, leadership that focuses on solutions and not slogans. So let’s debate ideas. If we want a stronger province tomorrow, we’re going to have to build it together. And we’re proud of the story of immigration in our province.

After 65 minutes of debate, there is a 10-minute question and answer period. The following section begins at 12:09:50 in the video.

Meara Conway: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the member from Moose Jaw Wakamow: does she think the challenges in Saskatchewan hospitals and schools are caused by immigration?

Megan Patterson: — First of all, thank you for the question. Immigration is a key part of our growth strategy. We support and believe in a well-managed immigration system. It’s an important part of ensuring that we have sustained economic growth, and we want to work with our federal counterparts to ensure that we have a sustainable immigration system that meets the needs and capacity of our province. Thank you.

The following section begins at 12:12:00 in the video.

Noor Burki: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will ask a question to the member from Moose Jaw Wakamow. Will the member condemn Danielle Smith’s comments on immigration?

Megan Patterson: — Thank you for the question. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, as well. So on this side of the House, we’re actually focused on results. We’re focused on collaboration. We’re focused on doing what matters. We’re spending time impacting things that we can impact.

That’s why our Premier has been gone for the last week, if you guys haven’t noticed. And did you know he actually made a historic, huge deal for our province in uranium to generate more revenue so that we can do a better job to meet the needs of people in this province?

Instead of condemning, you know, we look to collaborate. We look for ways that we can actually work with people to get the results that the people in this province deserve. Thank you.

The following section begins at 12:15:05 in the video.

Aleana Young: — Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. To the member from Moose Jaw Wakamow, does she think that Saskatchewan’s immigration has been well managed, or does she think there are too many newcomers in Saskatchewan? Yes or no?

Megan Patterson: — Thank you for the question. Immigration is a key part of our government’s growth strategy. It is key to ensuring that we can continue to support industry and businesses, and bring over the skilled labour that we need in this province to sustain the economic growth that is driving the results that we have.

We have one of the strongest economies in the country, and we will continue along that path. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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