REGINA - Official Opposition Leader Ryan Meili called Premier Scott Moe and the Sask. Party government to take emergency action following the reports of nine deaths in long-term care facilities in one day in Saskatchewan due to Covid-19 outbreaks.
“Scott Moe campaigned on the message that Saskatchewan was out of the woods, even though he knew the second wave was coming,” said Meili. “What is happening in our long-term care facilities was predictable and preventable. The government refused to act. And things are only getting worse.”
Meili noted that when the first substantial outbreaks in long-term care occurred in Saskatchewan in November, the NDP Caucus called for an independent review on the state of long-term care facilities and for the Sask. Party government to allocate contingency funds for staffing in long-term care and home care. The government responded that staff would be added - after the budget in Spring 2021.
“We have been calling for an independent review of the struggles in long-term care since before the pandemic hit our province. It is inexcusable that this premier and this government – having the time, the resources and the experience of other provinces to draw on – sat back and delayed as COVID-19 overwhelmed our long-term care facilities,” said Meili. “Families worried about their loved ones deserve better. Families that have lost their loved ones deserve better. The front-line staff that are saving lives deserve better.”
Meili called for four emergency actions to be taken today by the government in order to ensure that the system is not further overwhelmed:
We’ve been clear since day one that this deal is bad for Saskatchewan.
SASKATOON – Saskatchewan NDP Leader, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Shadow Minister Carla Beck spoke out against looming 25 per cent tariffs during the annual Western Crop Production Show, warning of their devastating impact on jobs and the cost of living.
Saskatchewan has been treated unfairly in equalization under successive federal governments, Sask. Party
REGINA – With a federal election looming, Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck called on federal party leaders to commit to changing the unfair equalization formula.
PRINCE ALBERT – The latest December 2024 job numbers by Statistics Canada show that the Prince Albert and Northern economic area of Saskatchewan lost another 700 jobs last month. Overall, there are 1,100 fewer jobs in the region since Scott Moe became Premier in February 2018.