DESPERATE SASK. PARTY RESORTS TO ONE-NURSE EMERGENCY ROOM POLICY TO COVER FOR RURAL HEALTHCARE FAILURES

Minister Jeremy Cockrill’s Attempt To Cover Up Rural Healthcare Failures Is Going To Get Someone Killed: Clarke

REGINA – In a desperate bid to cover up their widespread healthcare failures, the Sask. Party government has issued a new province-wide protocol that will see hospital emergency rooms remain “open” even when just one health care work is on-site, a registered nurse.

The damning memo, copies of which have been provided to the Official Opposition, lays out the requirements for declaring publicly that an emergency room is closed — something the government began doing this week daily at 4 p.m. It makes it clear that an emergency room cannot close even if there are no doctors or lab technicians on site. This hospital is to remain open if one RN is working on-site by themselves.

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The leaked memo seems to suggest that it is safe to have one RN (with no help from other healthcare professionals) manage an ER and acute care beds and over see both point of care testing, virtual care, and care for patients. This is incredibly dangerous.

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“There’s a sad old trick that failing governments use — instead of fixing the problem, they change the rules, and hope people don’t notice,” said Jared Clarke, Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Minister for Rural & Remote Health. “The Sask. Party is playing dangerous politics with emergency room care. This attempt to hide their destruction of the health system over the past 18 years is going to get someone killed.

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“Saskatchewan’s incredible frontline healthcare workers are doing everything they can to provide care, it’s this government that fails them time and time again.”

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The Saskatchewan NDP has documented more than five hundred rural emergency room service disruptions since June 1st of 2025 alone. In response to the ongoing crisis in rural care, Clarke indicated in September he would be bringing forward legislation requiring public notification of emergency room closures during the Fall Sitting and he formally introduced his bill on Oct. 30. The memo from the Saskatchewan Health Agency detailing requirements to declare an emergency room closed was dated Oct. 25.

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“The Sask. Party is trying to make it look like they’ve fixed the problem, but all they’ve done is move the goalposts,” Clarke said. “You can’t just change the rules. You have to fix the problem — and that’s something the Minister of Health either doesn’t understand or won’t do.

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“It’s the Sask. Party that drove healthcare here to dead last in all of Canada and they can’t be trusted to fix it. It’s time for big bold change and that’s exactly what the Saskatchewan NDP will deliver.”

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The Saskatchewan NDP is continuing consultations on the future of healthcare and people are welcome to provide input at YourCareYourSay.ca.

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