After two seniors voiced their concern that they could end up on the street because they will stop receiving the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disabilities (SAID) program when they turn 65, NDP Leader Ryan Meili renewed his party’s call for the government to restore senior eligibility for the program, and appealed to Premier Moe to do so before the holidays.
“No one deserves this for their 65th birthday,” Meili wrote on Facebook and Twitter. “Will Scott Moe recognize the damage his government's cuts have done and finally reverse them, or will he leave people like Cam and Anita Duff out in the cold?”
The NDP had flagged the issue of Old Age Security recipients not being eligible for SAID because of Sask. Party cuts when the change was made in 2017, arguing that the change would leave seniors falling through the cracks.
“Hoping and wishing upon federal programs to clean up your messes after you make cuts at the provincial level is no plan,” NDP Social Services Critic Nicole Rancourt said. “The Sask. Party needs to fully restore the cut they made to SAID and ensure those who are approaching their 65th birthday have confidence that they will be able to afford their rent in their senior years.”