In response to NDP Freedom of Information requests for the expenses claimed by the Premier and the government’s 18 ministers, seven have responded so far, with fee estimates to date totaling over $4,000.
“The Premier’s and ministers’ expenses should be public,” said NDP Ethics and Democracy Critic David Forbes. “Hiding basic information behind a paywall on how the Sask. Party is spending public money is an insult to democracy.”
Seniors and their families are being let down by the Sask. Party’s failure to respond to mounting issues at Pioneer Village in Regina. With news of Pioneer Village staff receiving layoff notices, the NDP is pushing for a reversal of the Sask. Party’s failure to act to address crumbling long-term care homes, stay ahead of growing demand for beds and the continued erosion of quality, publicly delivered long-term care.
In response to the doubling of MRI wait list in Saskatchewan over the past four years, the NDP Opposition is calling for action to lower wait times, and an end to Saskatchewan’s failed experiment with Americanized healthcare through their patient-pay, for-profit MRI clinics.
NDP Leader Ryan Meili called on the province to bring the parties together through binding arbitration to resolve the lock-out at the Co-op Refinery in Regina.
The Sask. Party are letting people, workers and patients, down in Saskatoon’s hospitals with massive infrastructure backlogs at both St. Paul’s Hospital and the Royal University Hospital. According to a Freedom of Information request, workers at St. Paul’s are holding on to their desks to prevent their chairs from sliding down sloping floors.
“Because of Sask. Party neglect of infrastructure issues, staff are getting sore arms from holding themselves in place,” said NDP Leader Ryan Meili. “Healthcare workers have a stressful enough job as it is, dealing with understaffing and overcrowding. It’s shocking that fixing these sloping floors hasn’t been a priority for the Sask. Party.”
“As the lock-out at the Co-op Refinery continues to drag on, it’s become clear that the province needs to step in,” Forbes said. “Today I have written to the Minister of Labour asking for the province to appoint a special mediator to help both parties negotiate a fair deal and end the lockout. For the sake of public safety and in the interests of our provincial economy, this is a step that needs to be taken.”