REGINA — The government’s Compassionate Intervention Act legislation is set to pass third reading Tuesday, but without a host of NDP amendments proposed in committee.
The NDP put forward 17 proposed amendments at the Human Services committee meeting Monday to the legislation, which is aimed at mandating addictions treatment in certain situations.
All the Opposition amendments did not get past the Sask Party majority on the committee.
At a news conference Tuesday morning, the NDP’s Nicole Sarauer blasted the government for rejecting what she called “common sense” amendments.
“One of the most important amendments we proposed was very simple, that no person voluntarily seeking treatment for addiction could lose their space to someone being forced into treatment. The government rejected that, and let's be very clear about what that means.
“Even Scott Moe has admitted that treatment spaces in Saskatchewan are already, quote, largely full. We know there are people right now trying to get help, people ready to take that step, who are waiting six weeks or longer to access treatment. People will die waiting to save themselves.
“So the question is obvious. What good is involuntary treatment if there are no treatment spaces? This bill does nothing to fix that problem.”
As well, the NDP were also accusing the government of having “refused to allow proper questioning of the for-profit out-of-province company they are relying on to deliver treatment,” said Sarauer.
She repeated criticisms from the NDP in recent days about Edgewood Health Network, with Sarauer pointing to the company’s CEO having “compared his business strategy to aerial combat in the Korean War.”
“That should raise alarm bells for anyone who believes addiction treatment should be rooted in care, compassion, and evidence, not corporate strategy. We asked questions. They refused to answer them.”
Sarauer also said the government also “rejected calls to establish a child death review committee, something that has been recommended to this government by the former coroner for nearly a decade.”
“Thirteen children under the age of five have died after exposure to toxic drugs. Thirteen. Those families deserve answers. Those children deserve protection. And Saskatchewan deserves a system that learns from tragedy to prevent it from happening again. But sadly, the government said no.”
Sarauer also was critical of the government for not calling a coroner's inquest into the deaths.
She accused the government of being “more focused on the appearance of action than real solutions.”
“They want to give the illusion that they are addressing the drug crisis. But the reality is they are not doing the work required to actually end it. And that has consequences.”
With the NDP amendments voted down in committee and the bill headed to a third reading vote Tuesday, Sarauer said “you won't be surprised based on these remarks that we won't be voting in favour of it.”
“We were hopeful that the government would see the logic of our amendments and pass them last night and improve their bill. But they refused to do that. So we won't be supporting the bill today.”
But Sarauer said that their work will continue beyond the bill’s passage “in terms of monitoring this whole process.”
“We'll be watching very closely to see what government's next steps are.
Ensuring, again, that the rights and dignity of those involved in this process are respected by government. And again, focusing on whether or not voluntary treatment spaces will be removed for involuntary treatment spaces.”
Sarauer also said the NDP have concerns about who's going to get these contracts once this project is expanded by this government.
“So that's going to be a big piece that we're focused on as well. It's very important to the people that we've talked to in this province that no corporation profit off of the backs of suffering of Saskatchewan residents. And last night the government could not commit to promising that that would never happen in this involuntary treatment process. So that will be something that we'll be watching very closely as well. Because we know that's very important to Saskatchewan residents.”
