NDP calls for supports and protections for First Nations

The Saskatchewan NDP is calling on the Saskatchewan government to step up with urgent supports and protections for First Nations and Métis people who are at significant risk from the spread of COVID-19.

“First Nations and Métis leaders are doing all they can to prepare their communities for the arrival of COVID-19, but the response from the province so far has been slow and limited,” said NDP Leader and First Nations and Métis Relations Critic Ryan Meili. “We know these communities are at higher risk, with crowded housing, elevated levels of poverty and higher rates of illness.”

To date, First Nations and Métis leadership have not been invited to be meaningfully involved with pandemic planning and response. Health care facilities in First Nations communities are having a hard time accessing Personal Protective Equipment. Capacity for testing and contact tracing is limited in Northern areas and on reserve.

“A pandemic doesn’t respect jurisdictional boundaries,” said Meili. “We need to see a concentrated effort from the province to make sure all Saskatchewan communities are protected.”

The NDP called on the province to step up with commitments to:

Ensure safe housing for on- and off-reserve populations, including capacity for self-isolation;
Address acute food security concerns in rural and remote areas of the province as supply chains are interrupted and prices rise;
Increase testing and contact tracing throughout the north, on reserve across Saskatchewan and in urban areas with high First Nations and Métis populations;
Ensure protections for health care workers, including PPE resources, in already challenging work situations;
Increase communication with and involvement of First Nations and Métis leaders in decision-making.

“For the health of the entire province, we need to act quickly,” said Doyle Vermette, Critic for Northern Saskatchewan and Associate Critic for First Nations and Métis Relations. “To get this right, the province needs to step up and involve First Nations and Métis communities in a meaningful way.”

Latest posts

JEREMY COCKRILL IS FORCING HEALTHCARE WORKERS TO A STRIKE VOTE — AND HIS OWN COMMUNITY WILL PAY THE PRICE

Pattern Of Failed Bargaining Attempts Mean Workers Leaving For Good And Putting System In Increasing Danger: Roy
NORTH BATTLEFORD – Carla Beck’s team is in Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill’s own riding today, calling him out for forcing 14,000 desperately needed healthcare workers to vote on a strike as they have gone four years without a contract.

CARLA BECK’S TEAM CALLS FOR ACTION TO SUPPORT SASKATCHEWAN PRODUCERS IN WAKE OF DAMNING REPORT ON PRODUCERS BEING SHORTED AND SQUEEZED

Agriculture Producers Association Of Saskatchewan Says Costs Rising, Farm Share Falling For Saskatchewan Producers
REGINA – Carla Beck’s team, while taking in Ag in Motion in Langham, is calling on Scott Moe and the Sask. Party to take action to improve the bottom line for producers.

THE SASK. PARTY CLAIMS ABOUT IMPROVING SAID PROGRAM DON’T MATCH THE REALITY OF CLIENTS WHO ARE STILL STRUGGLING TO GET BY

Scott Moe, Sask. Party Focused On Photo Ops & Political Spin While Those In Need Suffer
REGINA – Today, Carla Beck’s team is calling out the Sask. Party for their continual failures to provide sufficient support for SAID clients here in Saskatchewan.

POTENTIAL HEALTHCARE WORKER STRIKE ENTIRELY THE FAULT OF SCOTT MOE, JEREMY COCKRILL

Carla Beck’s Team Demands A Fair Deal For Frontline Workers After Four Years Without A Contract
REGINA – Carla Beck’s team is laying the potential of a fall strike involving thousands of healthcare workers squarely at the feet of Scott Moe and his ignorant Health Minister — who seems to cause strikes everywhere he goes — and demanding immediate action to get to the bargaining table and deliver a fair deal.

NDP Caucus Office