Health and seniors care, education and economic diversification are a key focus for NDP leader Cam Broten going into the fall legislative session.
Broten outlined the opposition's agenda in a conference call with reporters Tuesday morning, one day prior to the opening of the fall sitting of the legislature.
The NDP leader made clear he believed senior care was an issue that needed addressed in this session, in response to stories he heard during his summer tour of the province.
"When I heard stories of call buttons going off and not being answered, of seniors being left on the toilet unattended, of seniors being forced to wake up far too early in the morning when it's not the normal time to wake up, really some heartbreaking examples that I heard from families," said Broten.
He also spoke of "overcrowded classrooms" and "crumbling schools in many spots," and repeated his criticism of the "standardized testing approach that is an outdated approach compared to what most jurisdictions are doing."
Broten also said there needs to be "a much better focus on diversifying the economy" saying "there's too many instances where the government puts too many eggs in one basket."
He called cuts to programs like SpringBoard West and Communities of Tomorrow, as examples of "a step in the wrong direction."
In speaking to reporters, Broten said the seniors care issue is impacting the entire province including rural areas.
He called for more staffing, and blames "chronic short staffing" for the problems he is hearing about.
"It's not acceptable," Broten said. "What I heard time and time again is that it comes down to the need for more staff to provide the care to our parents, to our grandparents."
Broten was asked by the Regional Optimist about the crime issue, one that has been a hot topic in the Battlefords area. He was asked what the NDP would be looking for in the Throne Speech on the crime issue.
He said it was an issue that came up when the opposition leader was in the Battlefords where he spoke at a party event a couple of weeks ago. "This topic comes up in every conversation," said Broten.
The NDP leader called for a short and a long term approach to the issue. In the short term, Broten wanted to ensure the "right policing and the right enforcement measures as well as the right support being given to community-based organizations that are doing the work in addressing crime and providing opportunity to young people."
The longer term approach, he said, goes back to education. "When there aren't the right resources in the classroom to have the one-on-one attention they need, when teachers are addressing issues of social work as much as education, these are all aspects where we need a much stronger emphasis in education in order to have early intervention."
Broten said better resources were needed to put into communities and supporting families to make healthy decisions, but he also said the immediate concerns with crime and safety needed an immediate response.
"It's about good policing and good prevention," the NDP leader said.
The Regional Optimist also asked Broten about another issue that has been a hot topic locally, that of addressing bullying and cyberbullying in the wake of a suicide tragedy involving a local teen.
"Everyone's heart breaks when we hear of tragic situations," Broten responded.
"I think it's important to remind ourselves, too, that for every story we know in the news, there are countless faces in our community that are struggling with bullying, struggling with really tragic situations."
Earlier this summer Saskatchewan Party MLA Jennifer Campeau led provincial consultations on the bullying issue, with North Battleford being the first stop on that tour.
A report from those consultations is due out this fall and Broten indicated his party was waiting for those findings. He adds that in the last session there was a good discussion on the issue in which his party offered some proposals on best practices seen in other provinces.
"I hope some of those suggestions will be incorporated into the response now," said Broten.
Broten adds he hopes to see ways to support all students in the schools in dealing with the issue, and expressed encouragement for students "showing initiative" at the school level and taking the lead in changing the culture in their classrooms to end bullying.
Broten also indicated he wanted to see action on the bullying issue. While listening is good, he said, "listening can be an excuse for not doing anything, and we know there are things that can be done and should be done."
