Both the Sask. Party and the Clerk’s staff were given advance notice of the motion on Tuesday, and the committee was prepared to debate the motion.
The motion read as follows:
“That the Standing Committee on Human Services conduct an investigation into the rising price of food in Northern Saskatchewan and the impact of high food prices on the health of Northerners, and further;
That the committee provide recommendations on policies to improve food security and health in Northern Saskatchewan.”
Sask. Party members used their majority on committee to quickly adjourn and block its introduction.
“The people of Saskatchewan send us to this Legislature to take action and bring forward solutions – not to play petty politics,” McPhail said following the vote. “This was an opportunity to get everyone around a table, from all sides, to fix a crisis. The fact that we’re dealing with scurvy in 2024 should be sending alarm bells down these halls.
“People in the North don’t need to be taught about a nutritious diet as the Sask. Party has suggested. They know what they need to eat to stay healthy and they can’t afford it, but the Sask. Party Government doesn’t care. My constituents — so many of whom are suffering — are ready for change.”
There have been growing concerns around food insecurity and costs in Northern Saskatchewan as doctors have treated 27 cases of scurvy over the past six months in the La Ronge region alone. The centuries-old disease is often linked to a lack of vitamin C and lack of access to fruits and vegetables.
McPhail illustrated the severity of the cost-of-living crisis last week with images of grocery store shelves and high prices in Stony Rapids:
- 4L jug of milk: $18.09
- 907g package of grapes: $19.99
“Northerners feel like this is a government that’s ignoring them. Frankly, the Sask. Party proved it to them once again today,” he said.
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