Murray Wood The end of the great Canadian game as we know it
The last Roughrider home game was the last CFL game in Saskatchewan played on a CFL-sized field. Murray Wood thinks it's...
Whether it be families without a family doctor, crowded classrooms or the issue of homelessness, Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck maintains the Saskatchewan Party government’s Throne Speech contains no new ideas.
“I see nothing in today’s Throne Speech that will address those problems, or the countless other challenges people are facing,” argued Beck.
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“And, at the same time, this premier is racking up debt unlike anything we’ve ever seen. This speech reads like a government that has been in power for far too long. They’re entitled, arrogant, and out of touch. We deserve so much better.”
One piece of legislation being introduced by the government is The Safer Homes for Seniors Act, which will improve transparency and oversight for personal care homes.
Beck welcomes such new laws but says more details are needed to see if they will make any difference to the stories the opposition has brought to the legislature over the last couple of years.
Seniors and those receiving inadequate care in emergency rooms are not being addressed, she maintained.
“I’m going to keep calling them out on it, Beck said.
There is little in the Throne Speech regarding education, with no new measures announced.
“When we hear this government talking about a strong, steady Saskatchewan, that starts with an investment, a strong investment in our kids, because they are the future of this province,” said Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation president Samantha Becotte.
“There was nothing new in this throne speech for education. Everything that was mentioned has been introduced before, and those are positive steps within education to help address complexity, but they are only the first steps.”
For the health-care workers in Saskatchewan still without a contract, the Throne Speech does not answer what their union leadership is looking for.
“As you may know, we’ve been bargaining for three and a half years. There was nothing that addressed the here and now, and what is happening for workers right now in this province is that they can’t afford to pay their bills because they haven’t had a raise for four and a half years,” said Lisa Zunti, president of SEIU-West.
The Mandatory Testing and Disclosure Act is being introduced by the government, designed to protect any victim of crime or first responder from exposure to disease.
Zunti argued workers did not ask for that, nor is it an issue.
“This will affect some of our workers out in the field. Typically, we have gained consent for testing in the past, so I’m not sure what exactly this addresses that hasn’t been addressed already. Quite frankly, I had a hard time seeing anything in the throne speech for my workers in particular.”
— with files from 980 CJME’s Gillian Massie
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