Check out the new posting over on the "Owls and Roosters Blog" entitled: Saskatchewan Party: Energy industry donations top $142,000 in 2008; $1.178 million since 1998.Then read the April 20, 2009 Hansard from the Intergovernmental Affairs and Justice Committee when the Justice Minister (out of the blue), in defending the government's new Trespass Law, refers to protecting oil companies and oil well drilling. The full Hansard is linked here, and the specific Minister's comments appear at page 340 (PDF 34). Excerpted below:
Hon. Mr. Morgan: — I wasn’t privy to the discussions that were had within the municipalities when they put the . . . And I don’t think anything came out of the consultations that dealt specifically with that.
But if your question is would we as a government be willing to use that if there was a sit-in on private property where there was oil drilling taking place, I think the answer is yes. If there was a piece of property that was owned or leased by an oil company or an exploration company that had a lawful right to do that, and they asked people to leave, then it may well be something that might be used in that — subject of course to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and subject to the jurisprudence from the Supreme Court.
Mr. Nilson: — So is this an enhancement of the law then so that after this law is passed, then it will give more rights to oil companies and provincial government to deal with these particular kinds of protests that might arise?
Hon. Mr. Morgan: — I don’t look at it in terms of rights. I look at it in terms of we want to ensure that property owners or people that are in lawful use of their property continue to have that, and it’s an enforcement mechanism to ensure that those rights are protected..........
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