REGINA – The start of the next session of the legislature keeps getting closer, and new MLAs have been hard at work since April 4 getting ready for it.
“We could set up a BBQ or we could set up pancakes right here, and invite constituents to come,” Regina-University MLA Tina Beaudry-Mellor said outside her constituency office at 196 Massey Road.
She’s settling into her new role well so far; getting her office set up, speaking with constituents, and attending caucus meetings.
However, the 51 seat Saskatchewan Party caucus offers some logistic difficulties that are hard to get used to.
“Sometimes you can imagine your Thanksgiving dinner at home with a big family it’s kind of hard to have a conversation with everybody, it’s a little bit the same with a 51 person caucus,” Beaudry-Mellor said.
Up town in Regina-Lakeview, NDP MLA Carla Beck is set up in a temporary office space. She hopes to have a permanent office established in May, but for now she’s in a basement surrounded by art and a foosball table.
“It’s very Cathedral that’s for sure!” she remarked.
In addition to getting set up, these early days of Beck’s term have been filled with establishing community connections.
While Beck works on getting a permanent office she plans on meeting with constituents in public places, like coffee shops.
Both Beaudry-Mellor and Beck are going to be busy with other responsibilities as well in addition to their normal MLA duties.
Beaudry-Mellor has been appointed to both the caucus and standing committee for human services, which covers policy areas like education, health, social services, and labour.
“I’m really looking forward to those discussions, because I think they’re a lot more fulsome than what occurs in QP,” Beaudry-Mellor said.
“Being the policy geek that I am, I’m quite looking forward to that.”
Across the aisle Beck has five critic portfolios to keep track of, including education and SaskEnergy.
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“We’re going to have to understand we’re going to have to do more than our share. We’re a small caucus, but we have a very strong caucus,” Beck said.
“It sets from the outset that we’ll have to punch above our weight.”
Being an MLA is a lot to take on, but additional staff at the Legislature are on hand to ease the transition.
“We can do our job well, and hit the ground running. As new MLA’s I think that transition has been a pleasant surprise,” Beck remarked.
And they’ll need to come out running when the session begins on May 17.
“Obviously the budget and throne speech in one session is going to make that a very, very intense period.,” Beaudry-Mellor said.
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