“Northern Saskatchewan was abandoned by this government during the wildfires, and now the residents are being abandoned again as they contend with Scott Moe’s crime, affordability and healthcare crisis,” said Jordan McPhail, Northern Affairs Shadow Minister.
“There is nothing in this budget that will make life cheaper — in fact fees, and rates will go up — or safer. The people of Prince Albert and Northern Saskatchewan deserve better.”
While the government touts their commitment to the long-overdue Prince Albert Hospital, when asked on budget day by the media if the government was going to be able to staff it and the other health facilities being built, Moe’s Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill responded saying, “Great question, that is the challenge.”
“The only answer for a question like that should be yes,” said McPhail. “Scott Moe talks a big game about recruiting health care workers, but when push comes to shove, he can’t guarantee that these facilities will be staffed.”
This week, it was announced that British Columbia had managed to recruit over 400 healthcare workers from the United States — in contrast, Moe had only managed to recruit three.
“Under the Sask. Party, we are seeing the healthcare system crumble in a way we’ve never seen before, but it doesn’t stop there,” said Leroy Laliberte Shadow Minister for First Nations and Metis Relations.
“Poverty is hitting the people of Saskatchewan hard, but especially hard in Northern Saskatchewan. One in three children in Prince Albert lives in poverty. This is a crisis that the government needs to act on. Why are they abandoning the people of Prince Albert?
“It is clear that he just doesn’t think children living in poverty is a real crisis.”
Despite claiming that the budget is focused on affordability, there are no new affordability measures in the budget, and actually higher taxes, including a $136 million hike to power bills.
And while Scott Moe claims to be tough on crime, this budget actually proposes to spend three times as much servicing the interest on the Premier’s $43-billio debt than on police.
In January Prince Albert saw incidents of violence crime increase by 36 per cent month-over-month.
“During a crime wave in Saskatchewan, Scott Moe thinks its a better use of money to invest in his debt, than in protecting communities,” said McPhail. “That is a consequence of a bad out of touch government, that doesn’t care about the people and communities they present to represent.
“Saskatchewan deserves better. It’s time for change.”
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