Saskatchewan NDP Caucus

New numbers show majority of Saskatchewan people near insolvency, bankruptcies rising, as Sask. Party continues to offload costs onto working people

By this week’s numbers:

• 52% of Saskatchewan people say they couldn’t cover a $200 expense at the end of the month (MNP).
• 45% are experiencing “debt hopelessness,” the belief that they won’t be able to cover their expenses this year without going deeper into debt (MNP).
• Bankruptcy filings in the province are up 24% year over year, worst in the country (OSB).
• Retails sales are down 2.2% year over year in Saskatchewan, ranking ninth among the provinces (StatsCan).
• Employment Insurance claims have increased 11% year over year (StatsCan).
• Investment in building construction is down 10% year over year, while investment in residential construction is down 18% year over year (StatsCan).

Ryan Meili writes to Scott Moe on Co-op lockout, calling for return to table

NDP Leader Ryan Meili issued the following statement on lock-out at the Federated Co-op Refinery:

“Public safety and the wellbeing of our economy and workers here in Regina are threatened by this increasingly tense situation. Today I have written to Premier Moe asking him to join me in calling on the Co-op Refinery to agree to return to the table with Unifor Local 594 and negotiate a new collective agreement. We need the parties to come together and negotiate a fair deal.”

“Bone of Contention”: Government correspondence reveals extent of issues with Sask Hospital build, NDP calls for answers

Documents obtained by the NDP through Freedom of Information show that concerns about the roof at the Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford began at the design phase. In response, the NDP called for the Sask. Party to ensure the facilities audit ordered last October responds to serious failures in the decision-making process between the SHA and SaskBuilds.

“What these documents show is a government putting politics before people, bulldozing their way to a big ribbon-cutting with no concern for the wellbeing of patients or staff,” said NDP Leader Ryan Meili. “How did the Minister of Health let people down so badly, and what is he doing now to ensure future infrastructure projects aren’t falling apart before they even open?”

Saskatchewan is failing kids in poverty, NDP calls for action

The Sask. Party is continuing to let down the most vulnerable in the province, with the University of Regina’s Child and Family Poverty in Saskatchewan: 2019 Report showing that one in four Saskatchewan kids is living in poverty.

“Far too many kids in this province are being let down by their government,” said NDP Leader Ryan Meili. “No child in this province should go to school hungry, but the Sask. Party keeps dragging their feet on reducing child poverty, with devastating consequences for so many kids.”

 

NDP seeks answers on government contracts resulting from vendor-sponsored travel junkets

NDP Leader Ryan Meili wrote today to Health Minister Jim Reiter requesting that he provide a full public accounting of all cases where the health authority signed a contract following vendor-sponsored travel. The Provincial Auditor revealed in December that two out of the seven cases her office scrutinized had signed contracts after employees travelled at a vendor’s expense.

“These questionable practices cast into doubt the integrity of SHA contracts,” said Meili. “The people of Saskatchewan deserve some assurance that these contracts are in their best interest, not just in the interest of those paying for or receiving all-expenses-paid trips. It’s time for the daily parade of special deals for Sask. Party friends-and-family to come to an end.”

Statement from NDP Education Critic Carla Beck on the Curriculum Advisory Committee

“This is the second time this week we’ve seen Cabinet Ministers’ immediate family members get friends-and-family treatment from this government. Charting the future of education in this province is important work that should be kept far away from such blatantly political appointments. 

“For such a large committee, it’s also remarkable how much is missing. Chambers of Commerce are very well represented, but no one who currently works in a classroom. There’s no representation from the Saskatchewan Health Authority, the Human Rights Commission, or the Children’s Advocate. No LGBTQ organizations or anyone from the tech sector or many of the other growing sectors of our economy.