NDP Leader Ryan Meili introduced a bill today to strengthen the regulations governing lobbying of public officials in Saskatchewan. The NDP bill, which draws directly from the recommendations made by the Conflict of Interest Commissioner & Registrar of Lobbyists in his 2016-17 and 2017-18 reports, would:
Sask. Party housing program flooded saturated market and stands to lose $10 million, NDP says
The government’s Headstart on a Home program, funded by the Saskatchewan Immigrant Investment Fund (SIIF), has been so badly mismanaged by the Sask. Party that it is currently saddled with $10 million in bad debt and has contributed to flooding an already saturated housing market, resulting in plunging housing prices. On Thursday, NDP Crown Investments Corporation Critic Cathy Sproule called on the government to answer for the program’s mismanagement and provide a plan to fix the mess they created.
NDP calls for action to address ‘slow-moving crisis’ in schools
School Division numbers show 23 percent more English as an Additional Language (EAL) students in our major centres and seven percent fewer EAL teachers in the province over the past few years — just one example of how this government’s underfunding of education has hurt students and strained classrooms, says Saskatchewan NDP Deputy Leader Carla Beck. Beck called on Premier Moe to live up to his leadership promise that he would not balance the budget “on the backs of our students, our elderly, our sick, or our most vulnerable.”
‘A licence to print money’: NDP slams sweetheart deal currently under auditor investigation
The Saskatchewan NDP pointed out today that the Sask. Party’s largest corporate donor stands to bring in $2.2 million dollars each year renting out office space in Wascana Park while leasing that land for a dollar a year. Reiterating his party’s stance that the proposed project should not go ahead as conceived, NDP Leader Ryan Meili called on the government to at least put the sweetheart deal on hold until the provincial auditor releases her report.
“This government has steamrolled over concerns and rewritten the rules, ensuring that this project proposal has not received the proper scrutiny,” said Meili. “The process the government has followed has been to take over control of the Wascana Centre Authority, fire the architects that didn’t agree with them, and change the rules that don’t allow them to move forward. These actions represent a significant and damaging betrayal of the public trust.”
NDP kicks off session with focus on budget, big money, and child nutrition
The NDP Opposition Caucus kicked off the spring session by directly challenging the idea that the coming budget will represent a return to “balance” for Saskatchewan. The Sask. Party government has yet to deliver a third-quarter financial report, are using special warrants to hide additional spending in last year’s budget, and have cut $74 million from education. Opposition members also reaffirmed their commitment to get big money out of politics and reverse the addition of PST to construction labour.
“A provincial budget should be much more than a marketing exercise, especially when so many families are struggling,” said NDP Leader Ryan Meili. “This government has taken zero responsibility for how they squandered the good times and then cut services and sold off Crowns during the hard times.”
NDP to focus on kids, trust, and the economy this session
The Saskatchewan NDP will be heading into the spring session with a focus on good economic management, ethical government, and investing in kids.
NDP leader Ryan Meili says he and the rest of his caucus will be seeking accountability for the Sask. Party’s cuts and backward spending choices, and calling on the government to act to build a better future for our kids and future generations. He is also seeking to expand public participation in their work of holding government accountable by inviting members of the public to share the questions they want to see answered in Question Period.