It was a fairly short legislative session with a small team in opposition, but the leader of the New Democratic Party of Saskatchewan feels he and his eight teammates made progress when it came to raising criticisms regarding relevant issues.
During a conference call on May 13, just as the spring legislative session was rolling to a conclusion, Cam Broten suggested it was “a good session that addressed several issues.
“The Legislature was busy and some of it involved things we wanted to see happen. There were a number of rallies and protests in front of the legislature from people who wanted to push for change while pointing out the stubbornness of the government,” Broten said.
Answering a question on agricultural-based concerns, Broten said he welcomed a review of farmland ownership regulations, but currently they didn’t have much detailed information including just “who will work” the large tracts of land that was recently purchased by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
Broten said he also felt the NDP had been able to “move the needle” on the ambulance fee question. “Saskatchewan has the worst scheme in the country and a lot of it doesn’t make sense. This province could spend a few extra million to improve that service and that isn’t much compared with how much money is spent on health care. For instance, it costs them $20 million a year just to operate these kaizen promotion offices. They’ll spend that kind of money on the Lean file, yet ambulance fees have become a real burden for a lot of families, leaving some of them with crippling debts.”
When the topic moved to senior care, Broten said the current government had priorities mixed up and Saskatchewan seniors probably needed their own advocate. He said there were 89 cases of questionable senior care now on the books of the provincial ombudsman, so it was time to identify some solutions to the growing dilemma, beginning with the establishment of minimum care standards, improved staff ratios and the creation of a culture without fear. This, he explained, would mean that whistleblowers could be listened to rather than discredited without being given a proper hearing.
“The recent cases we came to know, the government put a chill on the topic. That shouldn’t be,” said Broten.
On the education file, the NDP leader said there needed to be openness on that file too whether it be students, parents or teachers and he added, “the role of education assistants needs to be defined.”
Broten said he also questioned the growing interest in using P3 (private, public partnerships) models to construct new schools which can then be amortized over 30 years. “This is a very costly way to do it,” he said.
When it came to highway repairs and construction, Broten admitted that more money is being spent by the government on rebuilding or maintaining highways and grid systems. “But, it seems they’re spending more and getting less, yet they keep on hiring all these consultants.”
When asked to comment on the recent shocking turn of events in the political world in the neighbouring province of Alberta, Broten said, “once again we are reminded that life in politics is unpredictable. Rachel Notley ran a positive campaign with alternative solutions. It happens all the time, with governing parties eventually suffering from creeping entitlements. We’re starting to hear about it in this province too with Mr. Wall and his travel scouts . He laughs it off, but it’s serious stuff. If there is an air of increasing arrogance coupled with instances of failures, such as those we’ve found in senior care, these are not isolated incidents, it sends signals.”
Broten said he was pleased to see the Alberta electorate being won over with a good campaign without heavy doses of negativity coming from the eventual winning side.
The Saskatchewan NDP leader said he will probably spend the summer visiting many corners of the province, listening to concerns, getting feedback and marking items down. He also said he expected to spend at least a couple of weeks enjoying a family get away, something that is nearly impossible to do during the rest of the year.
