Saskatchewan NDP Caucus

NDP calls for Sask First procurement on Assiniboia project

Today, NDP Leader Ryan Meili called on the province to employ local workers at the Golden South Wind project in Assiniboia, where workers are currently slated to be flown in from other parts of the country. Meili also repeated his call for a Sask First procurement model to put local workers first in Saskatchewan projects.

“People in Saskatchewan are out of work right now. Why would we bring workers in from out of province, risking the spread of COVID-19, when we can get local workers on the job right away?” said Meili. “When our Crowns build our power plants, they should build them with our companies and our workers. That’s even more urgent today.”

NDP calls for action to cap credit card interest and end predatory lending

With thousands of Saskatchewan people facing financial challenges because of the economic impacts of COVID-19, NDP Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon is calling on the banks to cut credit card interest rates, and on the provincial government to protect families from predatory lending. 

“People in our province were already stretched before COVID-19 hit, with half of Saskatchewan families living paycheque to paycheque. Now, with mounting job losses and layoffs, many families are at a breaking point,” said Wotherspoon. “We need to act now, before more families get trapped by massive credit card bills and gouged by predatory lenders during this vulnerable time.”

Ryan Meili statement in response to release of updated modeling

We heard some stark numbers today. Every person in Saskatchewan is now doing the math in their head, thinking about the health of their loved ones. I’m doing that same math right now, thinking about my friends, my parents and so many of my colleagues working in healthcare.

But as a province, we don’t have to take these numbers lying down. We can work together, stay home and reduce the toll that COVID-19 will take on the people of our province.

Meili renews call for united front on COVID-19

Today, the Leader of Saskatchewan’s Official Opposition Ryan Meili wrote Premier Scott Moe renewing the opposition’s call for a special committee to address the immediate and long-term impacts of COVID-19, a call that has recently been echoed by constitutional expert Howard Leeson and political columnist Murray Mandryk.

NDP Pushing for Protocols and Protections in Northern Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan NDP is calling on the provincial government to work more closely with northern communities to ensure clear protocols and protections for stopping the spread of COVID-19, including clear answers for northern municipalities seeking to restrict access to their communities to limit the spread of COVID-19.

“Our northern communities need support and solutions as we grapple with the spread of this virus,” said Highways Critic and NDP MLA for Athabasca Buckley Belanger. “Some communities are wanting to restrict access, and many are concerned about liquor stores remaining open. The province has so far been inconsistent in providing clear direction or support.”

NDP Leader to call for province to make non-medical masks available to the general public

With Canada’s Chief Medical Health Officer confirming today that wearing a cloth mask is an “additional measure that you can take to protect others around you in situations where physical distancing is difficult to maintain,” NDP Leader Ryan Meili is calling on the Saskatchewan government to facilitate the production of non-medical masks for distribution to the public.

“While medical grade masks must be reserved for frontline healthcare workers, Saskatchewan people can do their part in limiting the spread of COVID-19 by wearing simple cloth masks when they need to be out in public,” Meili said.