The Throne Speech laid out by the provincial government Monday missed the point, according to the Sask. NDP.
The speech focused on the province’s COVID-19 response and how the Sask. Party is going to fill campaign promises.
NDP Leader Ryan Meili says the government painted a false picture of the current situation in Saskatchewan.
“There was one line that really stuck out to me, and that was a line that said that Saskatchewan has fared far better than other place when it comes to COVID-19, well that was true for a time, but it’s not true anymore,” said Meili. “Over 300 cases again today, hundreds of cases per day, this is not going well.”
Meili says the government has had several opportunities to take the pandemic seriously and they’ve missed them all. He added the Throne Speech was another one of those opportunities.
“With the Throne Speech, a story of missed opportunity,” said Meili. “There was nothing in that Throne Speech to address the shortfalls in staff in health care and long-term care, in testing and tracing, nothing to address overcrowded class sizes, nothing for working people.”
He adds he’s disappointed that the government is deciding to sit on millions of dollars in a contingency fund, instead of spending some of it to ensure the right supports are in place.
“This is not the time for this government to be cheap with Saskatchewan people, this is the time to invest,” said Meili. “Every day is an opportunity for us to change the story, every day is an opportunity for us to prevent the spread, respond to the growing number of people who are ill, and to make the investments to help people get through this difficult time.”
Meili adds the government’s inaction on curbing the spread of the virus has led to more people losing their lives and livelihoods.
