Saskatchewan NDP Caucus

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.”

Reality Check: Mixed messages on Regina Bypass leave the public paying more, scratching their heads

The Sask. Party’s mismanaged bypass went from costing Saskatchewan people $400 million to $2 billion. And much like the price tag, the number of concerns around the project that the Sask. Party put in the hands of a foreign conglomerate has ballooned.

NDP call for transparency in Sask. Party’s library review

Saskatchewan libraries were only saved from deep cuts in the 2017 budget by widespread public outcry, with thousands of people rallying in support. The government walked back those cuts, announcing it would conduct a review of the library system to determine next steps.

Now, serious concerns are being raised about how little is being shared about that review process, and whether the focus of the review is positioning our libraries to meet the evolving needs of communities, or simply cutting costs. The NDP is calling on the government to release the submissions received as part of their review and be transparent with its plans around the library system, but has so far met with silence and obfuscation.

On National Child Day, Meili raises concern over rising number of baby apprehensions

The number of Saskatchewan babies apprehended in their first month of life has risen 42 percent over the past five years, a Freedom of Information request filed by the Saskatchewan NDP reveals. Such apprehensions of children less than 30 days of age have risen each of the past five years, from 104 apprehensions in 2013 to 148 in 2017.

“The last thing we’d want to be announcing on National Child Day is that over six hundred babies have been taken away from Saskatchewan families over the past five years,” said NDP Leader Ryan Meili, “And for those entire five years, we’ve been waiting on this government’s promised overhaul of the foster care system, which they first announced six years ago.”

Sask. Party’s inaction on high ambulance fees continue to burden Saskatchewan families

As more and more Saskatchewan people struggle to get affordable access to ambulance services throughout the province, the NDP is calling on the Sask. Party to finally scrap fees for inter-hospital transfers and start working towards the day we no longer have among the most expensive ambulance fees in the country.

“If even one person chooses not to call an ambulance for help in a medical emergency because the fees are too expensive, that is too many,” said NDP Health Critic Vicki Mowat. “Sadly, that’s what we continue to hear – horror stories of enormous bills and people thinking twice about calling for help because the Sask. Party hasn’t addressed having one of the costliest ambulance systems in Canada.”

Meili calls on Moe to follow the money regarding contracts stemming from vendor-sponsored junkets

This morning NDP Leader Ryan Meili called on Premier Moe to bring clarity to last week’s confusion over the government’s handling of vendor-sponsored travel for public employees.

“Public employees responsible for awarding public contracts should not be accepting gifts from the companies vying for those contracts — period”, said Meili. “We have no clarity on whether contracts were improperly awarded because of them.”