Saskatchewan NDP Caucus

NDP and mayors call for immediate $10 million support for Northern municipalities responding to COVID-19

Today, Ryan Meili, Leader of the Official Opposition and Critic for First Nations and Métis Relations, called on the provincial government to provide $10 million in direct financial assistance to Northern municipalities as they struggle to address COVID-19.

“Northern leaders are stepping up in a tremendous way to help lead their communities through this challenging time,” said Meili. “The provincial government needs to do its part to help, and that means stepping up with substantial support to ensure Northern communities have the resources they need to respond to COVID-19 and save lives.”

Meili calls for COVID-19 plan that puts people first

Ahead of the release of Premier Moe’s “Re-open Saskatchewan” plan, NDP Leader Ryan Meili issued the following statement:

NDP calls on province to address the digital divide in education

With Saskatchewan schoolchildren needing access to Wi-Fi and a phone, laptop, or tablet to participate in online learning activities with their classmates, some kids are being left behind. The Saskatchewan NDP is calling on the province to work with stakeholders to close the digital divide for Saskatchewan schoolkids. 

“Teachers, school divisions and parents have stepped up in so many ways for our kids in these difficult times,” said NDP Education Critic Carla Beck, “but we know there’s a sharp digital divide in our communities that is leaving some kids isolated from their peers and falling behind. 

Meili calls for urgent COVID-19 planning for Northern Saskatchewan

As La Loche faces an outbreak and Northern leaders call for more support, NDP Leader Ryan Meili called on the Sask. Party government to work with leaders in the North on a COVID-19 plan for Northern Saskatchewan.

“We are hearing, loud and clear, the anxiety and frustration of people in the North,” said Meili. “We know that too many of these communities already have less access to health care services and are more likely to face challenges such as crowded housing. It is urgent that the province deliver concrete supports for all communities in the North.”

Meili calls for government to take action, invest in people

NDP Leader Ryan Meili is calling on the government to start investing in people, rather than clinging to spending projections put together prior to the massive economic and health shocks of COVID-19.

“When people are hurting, they need a government that is willing to step up, to invest in what they need,” said Meili. “But our government has done exactly the opposite. They have failed to provide meaningful support for the most vulnerable, including refusing to provide even modest support to food banks to ensure no one in our province goes hungry during this crisis. 

Meili calls for legislative oversight to ensure accountability

As the province releases more information on the state of Saskatchewan’s finances, NDP Leader Ryan Meili wrote to Premier Scott Moe, asking for a plan to ensure appropriate legislative oversight and accountability.