“As we mark World Suicide Prevention Day, I think of people like Samwel Uko, who died needlessly after being turned away from the ER.

“I think of Tristen Durocher and the Walking With Our Angels group – a group the Sask. Party preferred to take to court instead of engaging in conversations about the far too many First Nations children who have been lost to suicide.

“And I think of a Sask. Party government that was the first government in the country to vote down implementing a suicide prevention strategy.

“There are glaring holes in mental health and addictions treatment in our province and it’s costing Saskatchewan people their lives. We need to do better.

“The first step to solving an issue is to admit that you have a problem — and we have a problem with suicide in Saskatchewan.

“To solve it, the province needs to implement a suicide prevention strategy and establish a public inquiry to examine the high rates of suicide in Saskatchewan and the devastating impact it has on families and communities.

“Let’s be clear: there is a suicide crisis in Saskatchewan. The people of Saskatchewan deserve a government that cares enough to actually do something about it.”