Saskatchewan’s economy has demonstrated incredible resiliency over the past year. Our province was not immune to the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, but we have implemented a number of strategies and programs to ensure economic and labour market recovery.
As part of our government’s commitment to stimulate economic recovery, we launched the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan to provide a phased-in and methodical approach to ensure the safe operation of businesses in Saskatchewan. The Business Response Team was established to provide Saskatchewan businesses and organizations with critical information and advice on operating within the current public health orders, as well as the various business support programs available to them. The programs include the Saskatchewan Small Business Emergency Payment, the Re-Open Saskatchewan Training Subsidy and the Strong Recovery Adaptation Rebate.
These programs have shown to be effective, as our province leads Canada’s economic recovery with the strong export growth figures and the lowest unemployment rate among the provinces. Our strong export numbers are a good indication of the huge demand around the world for our products. In addition, as of early March, the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) Small Business Recovery Dashboard cites Saskatchewan as having 74 per cent of private sector businesses fully open, compared to only 51 per cent nationally.
As we move through and ultimately into a post-COVID-19 world, our government will remain focused on key actions to grow our trade and export infrastructure in support of our Growth Plan over the next decade, including the goal to build and upgrade 10,000 km of highways by 2030. Saskatchewan’s two-year, $2 billion stimulus program is an investment that will help drive economic recovery from the global pandemic.
We are proud to work with the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association to a build a strong economy, supporting the growth of our families and our communities.
Jeremy serves as the Minister of Trade and Export Development, Minister of Immigration, Minister of Career and Skills Training, Minister Responsible for Innovation Saskatchewan, Minister Responsible for Tourism Saskatchewan, and as Government House Leader.