Beck officially named Cheryl Camillo Lead Researcher for the ongoing YourCareYourSay.ca project Thursday. Camillo will work directly with the Leader and Saskatchewan NDP Health Shadow Ministers to deliver recommendations for improving healthcare, which have come directly from workers, patients, community leaders, and many other stakeholders.
“Cheryl Camillo is an incredible addition to our growing team,” Beck said. “Like so many people in Saskatchewan, Cheryl is devastated by the current state of healthcare in our province and I’m so glad she has stepped up to help us fix it.
“It’s time for change — and Cheryl Camillo is going to help us deliver that change.”
Camillo is a retired Associate Professor at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Regina. She specializes in health and social policy, holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy (Health Policy) from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, as well as degrees from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and Yale University. Camillo has extensive research credentials, including work with Statistics Canada’s Research Data Centre and training in patient-oriented and Indigenous health research.
“The focus of my life’s work has been on improving healthcare,” said Camillo. “If I can step up and contribute my knowledge, my expertise, and my experience towards fixing a healthcare system that is collapsing here at home, well, that would be an honour. I love this province and I am excited to work with this team to help bring about change.”
Saskatchewan NDP Health Shadow Minister Meara Conway said a top priority of Camillo’s initial research work has been on improving primary care and delivering it in communities big and small across Saskatchewan.
Conway added the consultation has focused on measures to meaningfully recruit and retain healthcare providers across the province — including building up what she calls the foundation of healthcare and fostering team-based primary care models that will improve patient outcomes in every corner of the province.
“Too many people simply don’t have a family doctor or can’t get in to see them in a timely way,” Conway said.
“This government’s promise of providing everyone with access to primary care by 2028 is collapsing under the weight of their own incompetence, mismanagement, and open hostility for healthcare providers. Scott Moe’s approach has driven us to last place. Saskatchewan people deserve more than a headline. They deserve a plan and we’re going to get it done.”
Rural and Remote Health Shadow Minister Jared Clarke said another major focus will be on providing accurate information, local input, and reliable services in rural communities.
“When an emergency occurs, access to accurate information and quality care can be the difference between life and death,” Clarke said. “We know that Scott Moe has been failing to provide reliable healthcare to rural communities for years now and we hear overwhelmingly that local input has been lost — that has to change.”
Carla Beck’s team intends to bring forward several pieces of legislation during the Spring Sitting, which come as a direct result of consultations occurring on healthcare. More policy recommendations aimed at big, bold change in healthcare will follow at a later date after the initial phase of the consultation has concluded.
“The YourCareYourSay.ca project will refocus the system around patients, deliver practical solutions, and draw on Saskatchewan’s proud legacy of innovation and equity in healthcare,” said Beck. “We’ve led the country before — and we can do it again. It’s time to restore a healthcare system that works for patients — one that delivers the highest quality of care for the people of Saskatchewan.”
Every person in Saskatchewan is welcome to provide input on the future of healthcare at YourCareYourSay.ca.
-30-