Scott Moe Talks About 2021 Regrets, Loss of Political Ground, and Brilliant Hockey in Year-End Chat | The Canadian News

2021 regrets?

Scott Moe has a few.

Saskatchewan’s prime minister has said more than once in recent months that the province would have benefited if his government had acted earlier to incorporate the mask and vaccine mandates as the fourth wave of COVID-19 began to escalate. At times during the fourth wave, Saskatchewan had the worst cases and death rates in the country.

In an end-of-the-year talk with Global News, Moe expanded on the impact he thinks it would have had.

“I think it would have driven some of the reductions that we are seeing now. It would have pushed them forward a few weeks, ”Moe said.

“I agree that we probably should have acted earlier with the mandates that we implemented. At the same time, we are grateful that we acted when we did. “

When asked if such an action would have saved lives, Moe pointed to the obvious risk of choosing to remain unvaccinated.

“You know, all of these decisions combined come together to ultimately help us reduce the impacts of COVID,” he responded.

“And ultimately, at the end of the day, [it is] those who are not vaccinated, predominantly, who end up in our hospitals and with some pretty serious health outcomes. And ultimately, all too often we see people losing their lives to this virus. “

But the number of cases and victims aren’t the only things Moe wishes had played out differently when it comes to how the pandemic shaped the outgoing year.

He said that maneuvers carried out to protect public health, regardless of when they occurred, have resulted in division among residents and have lost political ground.

“I think all governments have probably lost a little bit,” Moe said.

“I don’t know if that’s necessarily losing that support to the opposition parties or losing it to, you know, some other thoughts that are out there. This is a time of division for our nation, our province, our communities and our families. “

Moe said that while he sees Saskatchewan residents paying more attention to the actions of their peers than before the pandemic, he sees it as a negative, but believes it is a reversible trend.

“They are divisive policies, particularly the vaccination test and the negative test policy test. And you know, I regret the fact that politics is so divisive in our communities and in our families, ”Moe said.

“It has really given us a moment in which in the province we are looking inward, looking at each other and really looking at each other’s decisions. It is creating these divisions in our culture. I believe that, looking forward, we have the opportunity to return in this province to what we do best. And that’s looking outside. “

As for what Saskatchewan has to offer beyond its borders for years to come, Moe touts exports such as “potash, food and fuel,” which he calls some of the “highest quality, most sustainable and competitively priced products.” ” of the world.

However, he acknowledged that 2021 also posed challenges beyond COVID-19.

Parts of Saskatchewan were affected by drought conditions that had not been seen in decades. Some crops had their biggest year-over-year yield declines on record, according to Stats Canada.

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Wheat yields declined 43.4 percent year-over-year in the province. Canola production was down 45.4 percent.

Crop insurance payments for the year were the highest ever.

“Climate change is having an impact on the climate that we are experiencing, which has an impact, not just on agriculture, but on many other industries in Saskatchewan and across Canada,” Moe said, although he added, the impact of the la Drought was tempered by the province’s risk management programs.

“We have a very strong crop insurance policy here, and that was necessary in many areas of the province this year. It was shown in the largest payment of that crop insurance program in its history. It was a difficult year, and it could have been a lot more difficult if we hadn’t had an innovative and resilient agricultural industry that has employed so many positive agronomic attributes that actually allowed us to grow more in a drought year than we normally could. be 10, 20 or 30 years ago. “

But while similar droughts have occurred in recent memory, such as in the early 2000s and mid-1980s, recent research has shown that severe weather events, such as droughts, are likely to become more frequent and intense due to human-induced climate change.

When asked what his government is doing to mitigate the potential impact of increasingly unstable weather patterns, Moe acknowledged that a transition away from fossil fuel energy is imminent. However, he repeated his often promoted claim that the products are produced more sustainably in Saskatchewan than in other jurisdictions. That should be recognized as part of the province’s efforts to address climate change, he said.

“Yes, there is a transition out of oil that is taking place in the next few years. But in the meantime, while you buy oil, you have to buy the most sustainable product you can buy and the most sustainable food products you can too, ”Moe said, adding that he gives the federal government a failing grade when it comes to marketing exports of oil. Saskatchewan as environmentally friendly.

“That was the story we wanted our federal government to bring to Glasgow, Scotland, when they attended the most recent climate change conference there. They didn’t, so you will see our province, me and other ministers, really step into this space of telling the story of Saskatchewan products. “

While the summer drought and plight for growers in Saskatchewan led to significant collaboration between governments and farmers, that relationship was not without conflict in 2021.

The government’s message regarding its mid-year budget sparked a brief but notable contest that drew public criticism from the Saskatchewan Agricultural Producers Association.

The year was also characterized by strong criticism of the government’s response to COVID-19, by labor groups, health workers and the opposition NDP.

The Saskatchewan NDP leader repeatedly used the question period during the fall legislative session to attack the Moe government, frequently featuring guests affected by the slowdown in healthcare service during the fourth wave.

Meanwhile, in an effort to address one of the main sources of criticism from the opposition, the delays in surgeries, the provincial government recently announced an ambitious plan to reduce waiting times by the end of the decade.

But this plan has come under fire, with many questioning its feasibility amid the burnout of healthcare workers and staff shortages.

Moe acknowledged that the pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated existing gaps in the health system this year. He said hiring and retaining staff will be one of the top priorities for the future of his government.

“Yes, it is up to us, as a government and as a health system, the Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Health Authority, to do everything we can to attract more people to come and work here in Saskatchewan, in our health system, ”Moe said, highlighting plans to increase openings in the Saskatchewan Polytechnic intensive care nursing program, as well as increasing efforts to attract international talent.

“It is the people who offer medical care. We can build all the infrastructure we want, but we need people to offer those services. We have opened several export and business development offices around the world. Those offices are also focusing on opportunities for immigration. “

Moe was asked what his government had learned after another year fighting the pandemic.

“I think what we have learned is that we have tools available. Namely, and the most effective among them are vaccines, and we made them available to the people of Saskatchewan as quickly as possible and encouraged people to take advantage of the tools that are available to them, ”he said.

“If you look at the public health measures that were in place when we entered last Christmas, we didn’t have broad access to vaccines. We did not have extensive access to rapid tests. We had no early intervention therapies or treatments. So this year we do. [Yes] we have to wear a mask. Yes, there is some evidence of the vaccination policy, but for the most part things have returned to normal in our communities and in our homes as we enter the Christmas season this year. “

Heading into the holidays, Moe says he’s excited to spend some quiet time with his family at their home in the Shellbrook area.

Specifically, he said he looks forward to the family tradition of playing sparkly hockey on Christmas Eve.

As for the kind of impact he will have on the game, Moe said that he is likely to spend as much time off the ice as he is on it.

“I work better on the bench, in the penalty area. All my nieces and nephews are now much, much faster than me. So I realize that I have to hold on to them to keep up, ”he joked.

“It’s a wonderful time for us to go out and do something together with people of all ages, from four years old to me, who is just approaching 50. I am so grateful to spend time with family and discuss about, you know. Who cheers for the best team. “

The best team according to the prime minister, if you’re wondering, is the Edmonton Oilers.