NDP Leader Ryan Meili is promising to give an injection of funding to Saskatchewan’s COVID-19 response if his party is elected Monday.
He was joined by Saskatoon-Westview candidate Malik Draz in the backyard of a Hampton Village neighbourhood Thursday morning to make the election promise.
“People are worried, worried about this second wave,” Meili said. “An NDP government will get to work on the COVID recovery immediately once elected.”
The $50 million of the NDP’s injection of funding would be delivered within the first month in government, according to Meili. It would send $20 million to both the education and health-care sectors, with the remaining $10 million heading to community-based, frontline work with Saskatchewan’s vulnerable community.
Meili said the money was costed within the NDP’s platform.
The measures will also boost frontline health-care staffing, including ensuring hiring nurses and care aides for seniors care, hiring more cleaning staff in seniors care, ensuring substitute teachers are in place and ready to enter schools, along with working on large class sizes.
Following the announcement, Meili answered questions from the media. He said he believes it should be required for people to wear masks to vote, as they hit the advance polls.
He said when he voted, people were very responsible with physical distancing and wearing masks within the polling station.
Elections Saskatchewan reported 43,409 ballots were cast on Wednesday, the second day of advance voting. That’s the highest such figure for advance voting in a provincial election in Saskatchewan.