'Holding Brad Wall Accountable' - Sask New Democrats Meet In Annual Convention
Saskatchewan's New Democrats are holding their annual convention this weekend in the friendly city of Moose Jaw. Party Leader Cam Broten has signaled that New Democrats are ready and able to hold Brad Wall accountable for the fact that his so called 'boom' has busted for many citizens of the province. The hype built up about the prosperity simply does not match with reality.
The following letter to the editor appears in the Yorkton News Review:
To the Editor:This spring session, the Saskatchewan NDP’s focus was on the government’s neglect of the basics in health care, seniors care and education.I believe people should be benefitting more from our province’s strong economy, but the reality for far too many hardworking families right now is that extra costs just keep piling up while the services we should all be able to count on are getting worse because of this government’s dismissive approach.The government’s own statistics show that health care is getting worse under its watch. With more and more concerns being raised about the quality of seniors care, the NDP pushed the government to fix the basics in health care and seniors care, instead of investing well over $100 million into its Lean pet project.As a positive step toward fixing the seniors care crisis, the NDP introduced legislation that would have required the government to establish minimum quality of care standards and a residents-in-care bill of rights. The government voted unanimously against the NDP’s bill, despite its own Law Reform Commission recommending such legislation.The NDP also pushed the government to fix the basics in our education system, like overcrowded classrooms, schools that desperately need repairs and students that are not getting the one-on-one attention they need.The NDP called on the government to reverse the “Lean initiative claw back” – the government’s new plan to rip education funding out of classrooms to force teachers and students to do more with their already stretched budgets.The government’s growing sense of entitlement was also on display during the spring session. The NDP exposed inappropriate travel expenses of Deputy Premier Ken Krawetz and Social Services Minister June Draude.Throughout the spring session, we worked hard to bring forward the important issues we’ve been hearing about from Saskatchewan families. Over the coming months, we will continue reaching out across the province, listening to concerns and ideas, and holding the government to account, not only for what it does but also for what it neglects to do.Cam Broten, Leader of the Official Opposition, Sask. NDP.
