The Saskatchewan Health Authority was established through legislation in 2017. A section of the Act entitled “Accountability” provided for the creation and enhancement of Community Advisory Networks after an Advisory Panel warned the amalgamation put local engagement at serious risk. The Act even spoke to a 180-day timeline for establishing these networks — to this day, that section has never even been proclaimed.
Beck is committing to standing up these networks within 100 days of taking office.
“For too long, critical decisions about Saskatchewan healthcare have been made by a few executives — often close political allies of the Premier — while the voices of patients, healthcare workers, and local community leaders have been ignored,” Beck said. “Promises should be kept and healthcare can be massively improved by the very people who know their communities best.
“I have an unwavering belief in the people of Saskatchewan. My message to them is, you will have a seat at the table as we deliver the big, bold change so desperately needed in healthcare. Together, we will fix the system and take us from last to leading the nation like we used to.”
The commitment comes as part of Beck’s rollout of her healthcare plan, which was created directly with Saskatchewan people through the largest healthcare consultation in Saskatchewan history. Last week, Beck unveiled the first phase of the plan: a four-pillar approach to ending Saskatchewan’s healthcare lottery in primary care.
The plan would guarantee every resident access to a primary care team based on where they live, actively match patients with care, and ensure they aren’t abandoned when a provider retires, moves or a clinic closes. It would also connect local teams with specialists, as well as other health professionals and programs, expand virtual and mobile care, and link medical records so patients don’t have to navigate a fragmented system on their own. Full details of that plan are available at
YourCareOurPlan.ca.
“We have travelled to every corner of this province to hear directly from Saskatchewan people about how we can improve healthcare in their communities,” said Jared Clarke, Rural & Remote Health Shadow Minister. “On Day 1 of forming the next government, we will get to work to fix healthcare, and we will keep listening every step of the way.
“I can’t thank everyone we have connected with for this consultation enough. Their input and support in this process has been critical in helping us develop this plan together.”
The Sask. Party’s own government-appointed Advisory Panel warned that, with the establishment of SHA, the loss of local engagement was a significant risk. The panel recognized the strength of local connections and recommended that meaningful community engagement be enhanced under the new provincial structure. Instead, existing networks were quietly disbanded and nothing has taken their place.
“We know that this Premier has a chronic aversion to accountability,” said Keith Jorgenson, Associate Health Shadow Minister. “People in rural Saskatchewan know what their communities need. They know the challenges facing their local hospitals, the pressures on healthcare workers and the barriers patients face getting care. Their voices should matter to this government — but they clearly don’t.
“I’ve sat with people in their living rooms and talked about how the current system failed them. Today, we’re bringing this commitment forward on their behalf in hopes that we can prevent more Saskatchewan people from experiencing such heartbreaking loss, pain and suffering.”
Health Shadow Minister Meara Conway added, “The solutions that will fix our healthcare system won’t come from the Premier’s office or the SHA executive suite in Regina. This is about putting patients, healthcare workers, and communities back at the centre of our healthcare system. Saskatchewan people deserve a government that listens to them, respects their expertise and gives them a real say in the decisions that affect their lives.
It’s time for big, bold change in Saskatchewan healthcare — and it’s time to deliver that change together.”