Saskatchewan NDP Caucus

Cost of mismanagement evident in mid-year update: NDP

The consequences of the Sask. Party government’s cuts to the most vulnerable and tax hikes for the middle class are on full display in the 2018-19 fiscal update, with growth projections down significantly since the budget, and spending on social services up.

“It’s the choices we make when times are tough that define us,” said NDP Leader Ryan Meili. “And by that measure, Premier Moe and the Sask. Party will be remembered for making the economic downturn worse by cutting health and education, and by adding the PST to key economic drivers like restaurant meals, construction labour, and used car sales.”

Heavy haul traffic on Regina Bypass causing issues for area property owner

NDP join in his call for accountability

The Sask. Party’s mismanaged Regina Bypass has cost Saskatchewan $2 billion, but it has also cost Lloyd Rogina, a local property owner who believes his land and home have suffered extensive damage from the project’s high volume of heavy-haul traffic. The Sask. Party government deflected his concerns and told him to contact Regina Bypass Design Builders (RBDB), but he has not been satisfied with their responses, so Lloyd came to the Legislature and is demanding accountability.

NDP introduces bill to implement suicide prevention strategy

Today, to address the Sask. Party government’s failure to properly plan and implement a suicide prevention strategy for Saskatchewan, the NDP introduced Bill No. 613 — The Saskatchewan Strategy for Suicide Prevention Act, 2018.

“In cities, towns, rural and remote areas, people are dying because they can’t get access to the care and supports they need,” said Northern Affairs Critic Doyle Vermette, who tabled the Bill Tuesday afternoon. “I have been to way too many funerals for people in my communities who felt they had nowhere to turn. Suicide is a serious problem in Saskatchewan, and something needs to be done.”

NDP calls for mandatory trucker training in Saskatchewan

Documents obtained by the CBC show that SGI was moving towards mandatory training for truck drivers as recently as this spring, but then reversed course, presumably under the direction of the Sask. Party government. In response to this report and to a recent accident that a driving instructor says mandatory training could have prevented, the Saskatchewan NDP is calling on the government to clarify its position on mandatory trucker training, and commit to implementing such training in the province.

“This is about safety on Saskatchewan highways,” said NDP Leader Ryan Meili. “Legitimate concerns have been raised about drivers getting their license without having undergone any training, and people are looking to this government to act.”

NDP introduce by-election bill to close elections law loophole

Unless the Sask. Party government moves to close a loophole their fixed-election-date law introduced, residents of the constituencies of Regina Walsh Acres and Saskatoon Eastview will go more than a year without an MLA before the next provincial election. To close this loophole, NDP Ethics and Democracy Critic David Forbes tabled a bill today that would require a by-election be called within six months of a seat becoming vacant when the period between general elections is more than 48 months.

“MLAs Warren Steinley and Corey Tochor have already been nominated candidates in the next federal race,” said Forbes. “They’re focusing on a job other than what the people of Saskatchewan elected them to do, and by law they’ll have to resign their seats when the writ drops next August. But because of a loophole in the Election Act, the Sask. Party won’t have to face a vote in those constituencies for a further fourteen months, leaving those people with no voice in the Legislature. That’s unfair.”

Sask. Party failing families as opioid crisis grinds on

The Sask. Party’s failure to create a system where families can get their loved one treatment for addictions is leaving more and more slipping through the cracks, as yet another family has come forward to share their struggles and stand with the NDP in calling for change.

“It’s heartbreaking what families go through when a loved one can’t get treatment for their addiction,” said NDP Mental Health and Addictions Critic Danielle Chartier. “Families are desperate to find help, but that help simply isn’t there.”