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jili 611 Saskatchewan’s fall legislative sitting ended Tuesday with political barbs traded across the aisle after Premier Scott Moe promised a better tone two weeks ago. The swipes began when Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck told the assembly Moe should offer immediate affordability relief, including suspending the 15-cent-a-litre gas tax and scrapping the provincial sales tax on ready-to-eat grocery items and children’s clothing. In reply, Moe said there is no sales tax on groceries and that Beck should go speak to federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. “What we see unfortunately from members opposite, Mr. Speaker, decade after decade, leader after leader is the same old questions, the same old tactics and the same old NDP,” Moe said. The remarks drew ire from Opposition members, with one saying the Saskatchewan Party deserves a lump of coal for Christmas. “The premier knows full well we don’t support the carbon tax, but what he doesn’t seem to understand is how much families in this province are struggling,” Beck said. The jostling continued. Upon questioning for not removing the PST from children’s clothing, Crown Investments Minister Jeremy Harrison told the house that New Democrats don’t know how to grow the economy. He also urged heckling Opposition member Nathaniel Teed to get up and speak. “I’d encourage the member for Saskatoon-Meewasin to get up and ask the next question if he has so much to say from his chair,” Harrison said. “What we are committed to — and what this session really has been focused on — is affordability.” In late November, Moe had promised better civility in the assembly and that government members would not send the Speaker harassing text messages. Earlier this year, former Speaker Randy Weekes accused government members of bullying him. Moe told reporters Tuesday he’s leaving it up to others to judge whether the tone has changed. “We are not the Opposition. We are the government of Saskatchewan,” Moe said. “We should conduct ourselves accordingly, and I would hope throughout this abbreviated session this fall that the people of Saskatchewan can be proud of the individuals.” Beck told reporters her party will remain tough on issues of affordability, health care, education, crime and homelessness. “Decorum is important, but that doesn’t mean that we should put on kid gloves when it comes to the very real issues that are facing Saskatchewan people,” she said. The Opposition introduced six emergency motions in the assembly this sitting, including ones that urged the province to suspend the fuel tax, remove the PST, launch a committee to fix health care and investigate high food prices in the province’s remote north. Each motion failed after they were rejected by government members. “We believe Saskatchewan people do need some affordability relief,” Beck said. “We will continue to push for the things that Saskatchewan people tell us are most important to them.” Moe said the province has introduced its own affordability measures and is also prepared to strike a task force with nurses and doctors to address health-care issues. His government passed legislation last week that provides broad income tax relief, saving an average family of four more than $3,400 over four years. Another bill keeps the carbon levy off home heating. Saskatchewan has not remitted carbon levies to the federal government in the past year, arguing it should be exempt after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a carve-out for heating oil. The federal government has said it reached a deal with Saskatchewan over the issue by securing 50 per cent of what was owed until the dispute is resolved. “This session was largely about setting the foundation for both enacting our platform but providing the change that Saskatchewan people have asked for, and we feel that we have done that,” Moe said. The legislative sitting is to resume in the spring with the provincial budget. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2024.The Philippine transportation sector alone contributed 35.42 million tons of carbon emissions in 2022. It is also the country’s largest source of air pollution, negatively affecting health and economic development in the country. Piling on is the continuously worsening transport conditions, especially in urban areas across the country. Driven by the pressing need to address these issues and deliver a better way of living to Filipinos, the Philippine government enacted the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA) and initiated the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), now renamed as Public Transport Modernization Program, through the lead of the Department of Transportation (DOTr). However, to bring real, sustainable change, we need the participation of the entire transport ecosystem on board, including policymakers, transport workers, and commuters. Transitioning to a more resilient, cleaner, low-carbon transport fleet, including PUVs, depends on a crucial precondition: the consolidation of all transportation industry players. Achieving a just transition to a more sustainable transportation industry requires every stakeholder to be actively engaged. Who can adopt these changes? Who can actually afford to shift? Why consolidation matters. First, let us look at the state of the operations of jeepneys in the country, where 19 percent are only one-unit operations, making it difficult to implement policies and leading to laborious communications for both operators and drivers, as well as other industry managers (such as local government units, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Office of Transportation Cooperatives, and DOTr). The current state of jeepney operations itself makes it unwieldy for any sort of regulation. Consolidation could simplify operations, enabling more coordinated route planning and streamlined management. The second point highlights the consolidation of transport industry players that also leads to a consolidation of operations, such as coordinated dispatching and the implementation of local public transport route plans, ultimately achieving operational efficiency. Streamlining these operations means ease in operations, which facilitates smoother management, better data tracking, improved financial monitoring, and more effective administration, fostering the necessary improvements for transport fleets. Lastly, consolidation ensures inclusive participation in the transition, from drivers, operators, and assistants, to those working in the administrative side of cooperatives, and all other industry players. By consolidating, a sense of ownership and accountability is cultivated, particularly among jeepney drivers as cooperative members, empowering them to be part of the decision-making process and giving them the capacity to manage themselves and have a stake in their livelihood and futures. Furthermore, consolidation provides a platform for integrating diverse perspectives and expertise, leading to more innovative and effective solutions, with cooperatives having stronger negotiation powers when advocating for public investment support. Building a better system. The present condition of the Philippine public transport system is indispensable to the desired transition from more sustainable, in this case, electric forms of transportation—to a better public transportation system. A good public transportation system is defined by reliability, accessibility, safety, and security. National government agencies, like the DOTr, have already been striving to create such changes through the PUVMP, railway developments, the Motor Vehicle Inspection System, and the implementation of the EVIDA law, which provides a framework for the transition to electric vehicles. While many of these programs have yet to reach full implementation, these are the systems currently in place that equip the Philippines in the transition to just energy resources and to a better public transportation system. Another important caveat in this conversation is that achieving a low-carbon society and just energy transition in transportation requires more than focusing on a single technology approach. Transport is all about choices. The electric vehicle industry alone cannot drive the necessary change, it must be complemented by other forms of public transportation and active transport. The imperative to consolidate is clear and crucial. It is not just a technical necessity, but a pathway to inclusive growth where all stakeholders benefit from the transition, and where we can truly create an inclusive and sustainable system for public transportation. Improving public transportation, by making it cleaner, safer, and more accessible, will directly enhance the quality of lives of Filipinos. —————- Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . Dr. Ma. Sheilah Gaabucayan-Napalang is a professor and the current director of research and publication at the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning. She previously served as DOTr’s Assistant Secretary for Planning and Project Development from 2019 to 2022.

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