The fall session of legislature came to a close in Saskatchewan earlier in the month, and Swift Current's MLA is giving his interpretation on how it went.

Following the conclusion of the session on December 6, Everett Hindley, Swift Current MLA is back in Swift Current, and says he is trying to find out what his constituents priorities are heading into the next session.

This was Hindley's second session in legislature as an MLA and he says that he had the opportunity to speak on a specific piece of legislation.

"I had the opportunity as an MLA to speak in the assembly and move a motion on something know as Bill C-69, which is the federal impact assessment legislation," Hindley explained. "Having talked with some folks in the oil and gas industry and just in business in general here in Swift Current, that particular piece of legislation would have a very negative impact on future investment, not just in Saskatchewan, but nationwide."

Other major issues covered during the fall session of government include mandatory training for semi drivers, enhancing rural policing policies, amending trespassing laws, and expanding workers compensation for firefighters to include coverage of certain cancers.

While these are current issues, Hindley explained that things like infrastructure are a more consistent issue still important in the legislature.

"We want to make sure, regardless of what's happening, that we're focusing on, for example, on infrastructure improvements," he commented. "We need to continue to make sure that we're making key investments in infrastructure, whether it's hospitals, schools, or highways. For example, here in our neck of the woods, folks will be very familiar with the work that's taking place on the number four bridge at Sask Landing there, so those sorts of investments are always important to us."

Hindley said that during the session there was thought of how to operate while balancing the budget, which entailed hard choices regarding taxes and spending.

"At the end of November was the release of the governments mid-year financial report, which shows that we're still on track to keep the budget back to balance within this three year plan, which is something that has been a key focus for our government since this was announced a couple of years ago, and it meant some difficult choices in terms of spending and taxation."

Looking forward to the spring session, Hindley said that budget day and the court challenge of the legality of the imposition of a carbon tax will be points of discussion.