Saskatchewan NDP Caucus

Damage from PST-on-construction hike continues: NDP

New reports from Moody’s and Statistics Canada are showing how the Sask. Party’s hike to PST on construction labour has caused a significant downturn in that industry, leading the NDP to renew its call to scrap the hike.

“The construction industry was dealt a blow by the Sask. Party government and has endured significant downfall and job loss,” said NDP Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon. “They hit the brakes on an industry that was already slowing, and the damage is definitely showing with more and more Saskatchewan people and companies looking for work.”

NDP keeps focus on people throughout spring session

Throughout this spring’s legislative session, the NDP Opposition has brought a strong and consistent focus on putting people first, from standing up for students, teachers and parents against the cuts to education, to calling out Sask. Party cuts to social programs that hurt the most vulnerable, to pushing for action on mental health and addictions, emergency wait times, and climate change.

“This session has been about putting people first, whether it was our successful stand with students and teachers to save Cornwall Alternative School, or getting Nicole Sarauer’s bill passed to provide paid leave for victims of domestic and sexual violence,” said NDP Leader Ryan Meili. “While Moe and the Sask. Party were pointing fingers to distract from the ways their policies have made life harder for people, we brought forward bold ideas to tackle climate change while creating thousands of jobs with Renew Saskatchewan, and elevated the voices and concerns of Saskatchewan people by raising questions shared with us by members of the public.”

NDP call for PST hike on construction labour to be scrapped

With the damage continuing to accumulate from the Sask. Party government’s decision to add PST to construction labour, the NDP is repeating its call for the policy, which is helping drive that industry into ‘deep recession,’ to be reversed.

“This is an industry that should be driving our economy and creating lots of good jobs in the trades, but the province threw a wrench in the engine by adding the PST to construction labour,” said NDP Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon. “In March we saw 1,400 jobs lost in construction year over year; in April we saw 1,800 construction jobs lost compared to the year before. These are good mortgage-paying jobs that are being lost and good people being hurt because of this government’s damaging decision.”

‘Move the ball, not the goal posts’: NDP call for more than targets to address increasing ER waits

With more and more people waiting longer in emergency rooms around the province and the Sask. Party government repeatedly downgrading its targets, the NDP is calling for concrete action to finally address the issue.

“Longer emergency wait times means real suffering for Saskatchewan people, and instead of redoubling their effort to meet their targets, they just keep changing their targets,” said NDP Leader Ryan Meili. “When it comes to addressing the unacceptably long wait times that people with emergencies are facing, we need a government that’s able to move the ball, not the goal posts.”

NDP and educators issue call-to-action on education funding

The NDP Opposition, joined in the Legislature today by teacher Jessica Brown and educational assistant Desiree Hamilton, both from Saskatoon, issued a call-to-action for the government to address declining per student funding and climbing class sizes in Saskatchewan classrooms.

“The gulf between the reality facing educators in the classroom and this government’s talking points just keeps widening,” said Education Critic Carla Beck. “Faced with increasingly complex classrooms, teaching staff are doing their best to make sure every student gets the support they need, but they keep having to do more with less.”

NDP offer apology for Sixties Scoop, advocate for healing and change

Today in the Legislature, with members of the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Saskatchewan (SSISS) in attendance, the Leader of the Official Opposition Ryan Meili offered an apology for all the lives that were harmed by the Sixties Scoop.

“We’ve heard from advocates the importance of formally adding our voice to the apology for this severely damaging policy,” Meili said. “Past NDP governments share responsibility for carrying out this policy, so we must also ask forgiveness for the harm done to children, for the pain caused to parents, and for the damage to communities. With this apology, we hope the healing can begin and that we can work towards change.”