The Official NDP Opposition is gearing up for the upcoming session to begin on March 6.
According to Carla Beck, Leader of the Opposition, her crew and herself have racked up over 50,000 km on her car during the NDP’s outreach mission of traveling across the province and meeting with businesses, local leaders, and residents on what they want to see for Saskatchewan and from the provincial government.
She claims that people from all over Saskatchewan want better and more accessible health care, more job creation, and a better cost of living.
These are the attributes that the NDP plan to focus on in the spring session.
“Since Scott Moe took office, the Sask. Party Government has been last in Canada in job creation, on economic growth, and second last in the country on wage growth,” says Beck.
‘They’ve left our healthcare system in shambles and on top of all of that, they’ve made life even more expensive for Saskatchewan people with more taxes and higher power bills.”
Average weekly earnings in Saskatchewan from February 2018 to December 2022 have increased only 13 percent compared to other provinces, which places Saskatchewan second to last in Canada before Alberta. In Saskatchewan, average weekly earnings have only increased by less than $200 since 2012.
Beck says that Moe and his government need to take responsibility for these low numbers and the slow economic growth while operating under the slogan of ‘Growth that works for everyone’.
“Saskatchewan people expect accountability and they deserve results,” says Beck.
Beck as well as Jobs and Economy Critic Aleana Young say that while they’ve acted on the important need to talk and visit with the people of the province, the Sask. Party Government just simply has not shown up.
“They’re making choices, they’re making decisions without the input from people who actually have skin in the game. Local voices deserve a seat at that table. How are you supposed to deliver for people in the province if you don’t even give a damn about showing up,” says Young.
“It’s no wonder that Saskatchewan people report the highest level of economic insecurity in the country. Job creation has flatlined and so has wage growth.”
As the NDP push the Sask Party government on these issues during the session, Beck says they will also be paying attention to how the provincial government will spend the new Federal healthcare funding that was announced this morning and pushing to see the results from it.
