With three days to go before the provincial election, Saskatchewan NDP leader Ryan Meili was in Moose Jaw on Friday afternoon to focus on past and potential future Sask Party cuts in the province.
Speaking outside the High Street office of Moose Jaw Wakamow NDP candidate Melissa Patterson, Meili said the choice locally was clear -- vote for the Sask Party’s plan for more cuts and privatization or vote for the NDP plan to invest in people right now, get the economy moving and help people in a difficult time.
“Over the last few weeks we’ve been in that van all across the province, over 10,000 kilometres on that van right now, and in all those miles, there have been a lot of conversations as well,” Meili said, referring to the well-used personal campaign van a few feet away. “People telling us they’ve been feeling stretched and stressed even before the pandemic and now they’re really worried about Scott Moe’s plans for more cuts, cuts that will make their lives even harder.
“We’ve seen this movie before. Scott Moe simply can’t be trusted when it comes to the public good and this time, he actually went ahead and said the quiet part loud. His own finance minister said ‘the road ahead is austerity, Saskatchewan people need to buckle up’.”
Meili said the previous election offered a sampling of what could happen this time around.
“We’ve already seen the damage from Scott Moe and the Sask Party,” he offered. “Last election, they told everybody not to worry, ‘just trust us’ they said. ‘There won’t be any cuts, your crowns are safe’, they said. Well, as soon as they were re-elected, out came the knives. Millions of dollars cut from our schools, millions of dollars cut from our health care and universities and front-line organizations.”
Meili also pointed to the loss of the STC bus service and attempts to sell crown corporations as a major concern, and highlighted health care cuts as “downright dangerous” in the middle of the ongoing pandemic.
“The cuts they make to health and education? They’re a bad idea any time,” Meili said. “But right now (it’s) the worst possible idea in the middle of a pandemic. That’s why this election is such a crucial moment for this province… Mark my words, if the Sask Party is elected, the cuts and privatization this time will make 2017 look like a walk in the park.”
Moose Jaw Wakamow NDP candidate Melissa Patterson offers comments as provincial party leader Ryan Meili looks on.Patterson herself spoke to the specific Sask Party actions locally, saying her plan was to put people first.
“Unfortunately, my Sask Party opponent Greg Lawrence can’t say the same thing,” Patterson said. “When they closed the STC, he let it happen. He voted to cut provincial funding to the Moose Jaw Wakamow Valley. And he stood silently by as good provincial jobs left our city.
"The SaskTel call centre? Closed and moved to Regina. The Ministry of Environment? Shuttered to the public. SaskPower and SaskEnergy offices were closed and closed.”
She added that “it was time for Moose Jaw to have an MLA who will stand up for the community.
“That’s why this time I’m asking for your vote so you will have an MLA who will stand up for you and your family,” Patterson said.
Meili said that with an NDP government, Saskatchewan citizens would see smaller classes, shorter wait times, safer long-term care, higher wages and more jobs.
“My message to Saskatchewan people is this: you can vote for the change you want, and you can get it with an NDP government,” Meili concluded. “So please, cast your vote, make your voice heard, get out there and vote to put people first.”
