Saskatchewan NDP Caucus

Last-minute changes to schools plan after six months of Sask Party inaction is too little, too late: NDP

With schools set to reopen in mere weeks, Saskatchewan’s parents, teachers and students are still in the dark about how schools will reopen safely and school divisions are left struggling to implement the government’s unclear, inadequate and constantly changing “guidelines” and “plans.” 

“The moment schools were closed in March is the moment Scott Moe and his government should have begun planning for a safe reopening,” said NDP Leader Ryan Meili. “They’ve had five months to put a plan in place. This last-minute, eleventh-hour scrambling shows how they failed to do their job. Now parents, teachers and school divisions are left scrambling at the last minute because Scott Moe failed to take school reopening seriously.”

‘Too little, too late’: NDP slams Sask. Party damage control efforts on school-reopening fiasco

Responding to a Saturday afternoon social media post from Premier Moe announcing that additional announcements would follow on Monday about the province’s deeply unpopular back-to-school plan, NDP Leader Ryan Meili slammed the Premier’s damage control efforts as “too little, too late.”

“The Sask. Party is spinning its wheels,” said Meili. “For months we’ve pushed for a serious plan for the safe reopening of schools. They have no plan, and no clue what to do. Now Saskatchewan families are paying the price, with widespread fear and frustration as our kids return to the classroom. It’s too little, too late.”

NDP warns of economic risk of getting school reopening wrong

Today NDP Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon joined business owner and grandmother Carole Carman in calling on the Sask. Party government to fix its back-to-school plan to protect students and staff, and to prevent further damage to small businesses, workers and our economic recovery.

“Saskatchewan people have been doing their part, but the Sask. Party has been missing in action when it comes to presenting a real plan to safely get back into classrooms this fall,” said Wotherspoon. “Ensuring a safe reopening of schools is a matter of protecting lives, and livelihoods. If the Sask. Party’s worst-in-the-nation plan for schools fails the test and forces a shutdown again, thousands more jobs and hundreds more small businesses like Carole’s will be devastated.”

Education Minister Gord Wyant Gaslighting School Divisions, Families: NDP

Today, NDP Leader Ryan Meili called out Education Minister Gord Wyant for his comments on the John Gormley show earlier this week. Wyant claimed that up to $200 million, the government’s entire 2020 contingency fund, which they’d spent over and over again in Question Period, could be made available to school divisions that requested it, but that “no school division has asked for any additional funding at this point in time.”

“Gord Wyant knows that what he is saying just isn’t true. He’s attempting to gaslight Saskatchewan families,” said Meili. “At no point have the Minister or the Premier indicated that more funding would be made available for schools in September. In fact they have been clear that divisions are to use ‘savings’ from the spring. Gord Wyant needs to be honest: the government has not come forward with new funding to deal with Covid-19, hobbling divisions’ ability to plan for a safe school reopening.”

Class Size Matters: NDP

Education Critic Carla Beck Renews Calls for Human Services Committee to deal with overcrowded classes

Following yesterday’s disastrous non-announcement by Education Minister Gord Wyant, which left families and school divisions even more frustrated and confused, NDP Education Critic Carla Beck underscored the need to address crowded classrooms in school reopening, and re-iterated her call for the Human Services Committee to address the province’s failed return-to school plan. Beck pointed to the government’s unacceptable refusal to reduce class sizes during the COVID-19 pandemic as a crucial step that must be addressed.

Statement from Education Critic Carla Beck on School Mask Use And Other Measures

After the latest update from the Education Minister today, I continue to be astounded by this government’s complete lack of planning for a safe return to schools.

The Minister of Education announced further potential measures that divisions might choose to enforce for the upcoming school year. Let us be clear: further guidance is badly needed, but the guidance they’ve provided so far is not nearly enough. Parents still do not know when, and under what conditions, mask use will be mandatory.