MOOSE JAW — After official opposition and Sask. NDP leader Carla Beck issued a statement claiming that the Saskatchewan Party has done “a poor job of” representing the people of Moose Jaw and said the NDP would do a better job of addressing the concerns of local residents, Premier Scott Moe offered a rebuttal.
Premier Moe’s statement was given during a public meeting at the party’s campaign office at 345 Main Street North on the morning of Oct. 5.
“I would say, contrary to her comments about Tim McLeod — who is a very strong not only advocate, but (also) voice on behalf of the people of Moose Jaw — that we would look forward to Megan Patterson joining him as an advocate within the governing caucus,” Moe said.
In her earlier interview, Beck accused MLA Tim McLeod of being “missing in action” and consistently unavailable to meet with concerned constituents. Additionally, she said the Sask. Party has done “a poor job of representing the people of Moose Jaw…” generally.
“What I do know is that the people of Moose Jaw deserve so much better than the representation they’ve been getting,” Beck said at the time.
When asked how he responds to the accusation, Moe replied, “On what topic has Tim McLeod done a poor job?”
“I see a Wigmore hospital here that is, in fairness, experiencing some challenges around the hyperbaric chamber,” he said. “Nobody has been a louder voice and a larger advocate than Tim McLeod within the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and within the government to ensure that our Health Human Resource Action Plan — the most ambitious in the nation — is working.”
The health care concerns Moe referenced pertain to a stated 300 days’ worth of reduced services that have been the result of 17 disruptions and the April 15 call by Carla Beck and the Moose Jaw Firefighters Association to reopen the province's only hyperbaric chamber in Moose Jaw.
Premier Moe said McLeod has been working diligently to ensure that this hyperbaric chamber can be returned to full service.
The Sask. Party’s Health Human Resource Action Plan was launched Sept. 7, 2022, and includes a four-point action plan “that accelerates efforts to attract and retain healthcare workers.” The plan’s four pillars include recruitment efforts, training, incentives to retain essential health care workers in the province and additional retention efforts including flexible staffing approaches, new full-time positions, and a new mentorship program.
“Nobody from the NDP is advocating with the government for any of that,” he added.
Moe then turned the discussion back on Beck and the Sask. NDP by requesting answers.
“We would ask for Carla Beck and the NDP to explain to the people of Moose Jaw how she’s going to fill the $3 billion hole in her very reckless spending and irresponsible platform that she’s put before us,” he said.
The “$3 billion hole” refers to the NDP’s costing document launched Oct. 4 inside the Atlas Hotel in Regina where Beck focuses on education and healthcare and includes $58 million in cuts to “waste and mismanagement.” Critics including Sask. Party campaign co-chair Donna Harpauer claim that the budget is “dishonest” because they claim the NDP is “hiding expenses.”
“Moose Jaw is well represented by Tim McLeod, and we would ask (voters) to support not only Tim McLeod but Megan Patterson, Blaine McLeod, and Barret Kropf in the surrounding area…” Premier Moe concluded.
For more information on the Sask. Party platform and its candidates visit SaskParty.com.
To learn about the Sask. NDP party platform and its candidates visit SaskNDP.ca.
The provincial election is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 28.
