Tuesday, Dec. 8 was a memorable day in the legislature for newly elected Cut Knife-Turtleford MLA Ryan Domotor.
It was his first speech in the Legislative Assembly, speaking in support of the Speech from the Throne. It was also a memorable day for other reasons, as power was knocked out at the legislature during mid-afternoon in the middle of Don McMorris鈥檚 remarks.
Fortunately, power was restored later in the day, allowing Domotor to eventually be able to make his remarks. Here is some of what the new MLA had to say, as recorded in Hansard.
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Mr. Domotor: 鈥斕�Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to my
colleagues for their warm welcome here听听to this distinguished Assembly. Mr. Speaker, it鈥檚 an honour and privilege for me to rise and address this Legislative Assembly of this great province and to be part of the legislative process. I rise听听for the first time, humble that I have an opportunity to represent the constituents of Cut Knife-Turtleford.
...Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to be the MLA for Cut Knife-Turtleford and to be part of a team that I know has Saskatchewan鈥檚 best interests in mind and will do what鈥檚 necessary to keep Saskatchewan strong.
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Mr. Speaker, in my first address I would like to acknowledge those who have supported and assisted me in my journey to be the MLA for the Cut Knife-Turtleford constituency. First and foremost, Mr. Speaker, I want to say a special thank you to my wife of 27 years, Noella. Since the fall of 2019, when I was successful in winning the nomination for the Cut Knife-Turtleford constituency, she has assisted me and given 100 per cent of herself to the success of this endeavour. She has provided me with encouraging advice, Mr. Speaker, sometimes when I didn鈥檛 even ask for it. That being said, I could not have done this without her support. For a woman who had very minimal interest in politics when I decided to put my name forward and proceed along this new path, she embraced it and became my biggest strength and my best asset.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my two sons Logan and Lyndon. Their support when I first contemplated this venture has been overwhelming and appreciated. I鈥檒l never forget the words: 鈥淚f this is your dream, Dad, just do it.鈥� I believe it is only with your family鈥檚 complete support and backing that lets one undertake this role and be confident that it will, in fact, be sustainable.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge my profound debt of gratitude to my parents. My father and mother, Louis and Sharon, instilled upon me and my brother Lance a solid work ethic and moral values. I believe this is what has made me successful in my past career and believe it will assist me in the new one that I鈥檓 about to venture into.
I should also note that this may be a little d茅j脿 vu for my father, who once sat in this great Assembly 38 years ago representing the Humboldt constituency which is now so aptly represented by the Hon. Donna Harpauer. I specifically remember when he was in cabinet. Back then the province owned a couple of aircraft for transporting ministers and the premier to various destinations within or out of the province. My father, Louis, who was Conservative, was just let鈥檚 say very frugal, usually decided to drive to the destinations that he had speaking engagements, no matter how tight his schedule was. However as his oldest son, who had his driver鈥檚 licence, I found that quite often I got rooked into being the unpaid chauffeur so that he was able to get some shut-eye in while we were on the road. Being a young teenager at the time who had recently obtained his driver鈥檚 licence, I didn鈥檛 complain much as I was just happy to be behind the wheel and on the road...
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Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank all of the people in the Cut Knife-Turtleford constituency. Without their unbelievable support that they have given me, I would not be standing here addressing you听. It was very humbling on election day, Mr. Speaker, to be declared elected so early on into the evening and later finding out that I had received 77 per cent of the vote. Mr. Speaker, when I was declared elected I was in awe, to the point I still couldn鈥檛 believe it when one of my campaign workers came over and congratulated me. I specifically remember saying, oh, I don鈥檛 know; it鈥檚 not over until it鈥檚 over. It wasn鈥檛 until I saw for myself that they had declared me elected on the news broadcast that it started to finally sink in that I had in fact won and would be serving as the MLA for the Cut Knife-Turtleford constituency. Wow. Words cannot express the gratitude and appreciation I had for the people of Cut Knife-Turtleford in not only showing their support for me, but for the leader of our party and the provincial
government. The people have put their trust in me and the Saskatchewan Party to represent them, and I look forward to representing them in the days and years that lie ahead.
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Mr. Speaker, reflecting back, I remember being approached by several people and being asked the question of the day: why do you want to be a candidate and get into provincial politics, Ryan? The answer to me, Mr. Speaker, was very simple. I believe that with my experiences I can serve the people within my constituency and my province and contribute something that hopefully leaves us just a little better off than before. This would be my only goal and, if successful, would be very rewarding and satisfying.
It鈥檚 a very unique occasion, Mr. Speaker, when a newly elected member first takes his turn to express his thoughts, his concerns, his position, as well as those of his constituents. There are many possible reasons that entice people to serve the public. I am a proud resident of this province. I was born and raised here, educated here, and I鈥檝e spent my entire career in this province serving the people in my former employment as the chief administrative officer for the RM [rural municipality] of Mervin for over 26 years.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the council of the RM of Mervin. When I first sought out to be the representative for the Cut Knife-Turtleford constituency, it was only with their support and encouragement that I decided to proceed with this endeavour, which has already proven to be a rewarding experience. I鈥檝e met so many great people in this constituency, Mr. Speaker, and that would not have happened if I had not set out to represent them. And for that I am forever grateful.
I would be remiss if I did not mention and thank not only the present day council but previous councils that I served along the way. It was only with their support which allowed me to be a representative on various boards, committees, town council, and being the district and area coroner, which granted me the experiences and understanding that I鈥檝e gained over the years, which I know will provide me with a better awareness and appreciation of constituents鈥� concerns going forward.
Please allow me to recognize my predecessor, Mr. Speaker, our former MLA Larry Doke. Mr. Doke faithfully served his constituency and this province for nine years and was always willing to listen to your concerns and assist you if he could. I got to know Mr. Doke in my capacity as the chief administrative officer for the RM of Mervin as well as my position with the North West Heavy Oil municipalities committee. In each of these positions, each time I reached out to Mr. Doke with a concern that we had, he always ensured that it was addressed and was able to coordinate meetings with the appropriate ministries or minister to assist us. I know the people of the Cut Knife-Turtleford constituency are appreciative for the work done by Mr. Doke, and on their behalf I would like to take this opportunity to officially thank him.
Mr. Speaker, on a personal note, I would also like to thank Mr. Doke who was very helpful in enabling me to have my constituency office up and running within two days after the election. In high hopes of anticipating being able to represent this constituency of which Mr. Doke鈥檚 constituency assistant was retiring from, his office was instrumental in assisting me in finding a replacement that would be able to train under and replace his retiring CA [constituency assistant]. My new CA, Jackie Gallon, has already proven to be invaluable in the constituency office as she eagerly takes on new tasks with determination and enthusiasm.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk a little bit about my constituency. Cut Knife-Turtleford is primarily a rural constituency and consists of agriculture, small businesses, industry, and tourism. While agriculture is predominating within the constituency, consisting of successful grain and cattle farmers, heavy oil development and the various service providers to the industry are also located through a large part of the constituency as well.
In recent years this heavy oil development has been decelerating in terms of drilling as the newer technology involving the construction of steam-assisted gravity drainage, otherwise known as SAGD [steam-assisted gravity drainage] plants, has been rising in the area. These SAGD plants provide improved recovery rates, greater energy efficiency, and lower operating costs, which enhances the economic viability of producing oil and will continue to be an advantage moving forward. These SAGD plants are an invaluable resource to this constituency as it provides employment, service industry spinoffs, and municipal taxation in the surrounding area, which helps ensure that our communities remain sustainable.
While we currently have seen some challenges with the oil and gas industry, Mr. Speaker, which has resulted in a downturn for some of our businesses that are service providers, I know that this government will do everything it can to stand up for our oil and gas workers. Mr. Speaker, the first thing that comes to mind when I make this statement is our current challenge to the federal government鈥檚 carbon tax and the effects it has within our province in terms of growing Saskatchewan鈥檚 oil, gas, and natural resource economy.
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In closing, Mr. Speaker, I just want to say thank you for allowing me to take this opportunity to speak on the Throne Speech. I will be supporting the Throne Speech as presented, Mr. Speaker. I will not be supporting the proposed amendment.
