SaskTel is no longer up for sale, according to Premier Brad Wall. He included that in a response during Question Period on Monday.
Previously, the government said that if the perfect offer came along they would hold a referendum on whether or not to sell the Crown corporation.
“I just have the clearest sense from voters, similar to election campaigns in the past, that they’re not interested,” Wall said after Question Period.
“They’re not interested in a referendum, they’re not interested in selling SaskTel.
Talk of a potential sale began shortly after the last provincial election. The province commissioned a risk assessment after Bell first announced their intention to buy Manitoba’s MTS. This makes Saskatchewan the last publicly-owned, regional telecom company in Canada.
Premier Wall acknowledged the NDP’s Ryan Meili winning the Saskatoon-Meewasin by-election is a factor, but they had been hearing resistance to selling SaskTel long before that.
Legislation is before the assembly that would allow the sale of 49 per cent of SaskTel or any other Crown corporation.
Wall said there hasn’t been the same opposition to this idea, citing his recent “bear pit” session at the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) conference.
“Maybe SaskTel and other Crowns could benefit from partners,” Wall said.
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