QUESTION PERIOD: MLA veteran speaks to TT about being handed Sask transport portfolio

REGINA — Saskatchewan’s new governing party recently revealed its 18-person cabinet, which features the Saskatchewan Party’s first elected MLA as the minister in charge of transportation.

Wayne Elhard was the first member of the Saskatchewan Party to be voted into the provincial legislature when he won a by-election in June 1999. He has served the constituents of Cypress Hills in southwest Saskatchewan ever since and on Nov. 21 was appointed the Minister of Highways and Infrastructure by Premier Brad Wall.

The Saskatchewan Party plans to introduce several pieces of legislation and will focus on ensuring the province’s economic boom turns into long-term prosperity and growth.

Elhard recently took the time to field questions from Today’s Trucking on the role trucking will play in the province’s long-term plan:

Today’s Trucking: You were the first Saskatchewan Party representative elected into the provincial legislature back in 1999, what drew you to run for the party?

Wayne Elhard: I can vividly remember hearing on the radio the announcement of the formation of the Saskatchewan Party. The thought that came to me was, “that’s an idea whose time has come.” What was announced was that the Conservatives and most of the Liberals were coming together to form a political party based on the things that united them and not so much on the things that divided them, and that coming together would provide a unified opposition to the New Democratic government. I really felt that was the appropriate political move to take at the time. I can remember thinking that was something in which I would like to participate.

TT: As an experienced MLA in the Saskatchewan Party, what is the significance of having the Highways and Infrastructure portfolio?

Saskatchewan is waiting for Alberta to act before it mirrors
federal HOS rules, the province’s new transport minister says.

WE: I think this portfolio clearly provides an opportunity to lay a solid foundation for the growth and expansion of our economy. Infrastructure in Saskatchewan is absolutely crucial to our success as a land locked exporter highly dependent on roads and rail. I think the infrastructure portfolio gives us an opportunity to build on our past successes, to increase our opportunities, and just to streamline and make more efficient the transportation logistics of the province, to the benefit of our economy and society.

TT: The Saskatchewan economy is beginning to heat up and the new government has made long-term sustainability one of its primary focuses. How will Highways and Infrastructure fit into that long-term goal?

WE: A critical piece in achieving that goal is the provincial highway system. Our government has made clear commitments to repairing and rebuilding the provincial highway system, forging a new partnership with municipalities to address municipal infrastructure challenges and working with our province’s post-secondary institutions to develop innovative new road and highway construction techniques and technologies.

TT: In the past, Saskatchewan and Alberta have planned joint highway projects. Will Saskatchewan continue to work with its neighboring provinces and is it possible for the cooperation to extend beyond road projects and into regulations involving the trucking industry?

WE: Exports account for nearly three quarters of all economic activity in Saskatchewan. As such, a strong and efficient transportation system is critical to our prosperity. For this reason, this province has a long tradition of fully participating in regional and national forums like the Transportation Association of Canada, the Western Transportation Advisory Council, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, the Council of Western Transportation Ministers and the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety.

Furthermore, a key commitment of this government is to strengthen our relations with neighboring provinces and the federal government and making Saskatchewan a leader in the New West. What this means in terms of transportation is working with other jurisdictions and industry to ensure that not only transportation infrastructure, but the regulatory and policy environments support the safe and efficient movement of people and goods both interprovincially and internationally. We are interested in eliminating unnecessary obstacles to uniformity in regulations.

TT: How does the ministry plan to address provincial hours-of-service regulations?

WE: Saskatchewan began fully enforcing the federal hours of service (HOS) regulations for interprovincial carriers on January 1. To ensure carriers in Saskatchewan are not placed at an economic disadvantage, however, we have delayed implementation of HOS regulations for intraprovincial carriers until a parallel approach on an implementation strategy can be reached with Alberta. Our ultimate objective is harmonized HOS regulations that improve public safety while, at the same time, do not disadvantage Saskatchewan carriers in competing in regional, national and international markets.

TT: Speed limiter legislation is gaining momentum in other Canadian provinces. Is that something your ministry is planning on supporting in the provincial legislature?

WE: This question is a matter for Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) in its capacity as administrator of the Traffic Safety Act.