In response to the Speech from the Throne, NDP Leader Carla Beck suggests governments should be measured on the results they deliver, not the promises they make. She states that Premier Scott Moe ran on lower power bills and then increased them three times.

Beck believes there are no game-changing solutions for health care when there is an emergency in our emergency rooms with not enough staff and long wait times. The Official Opposition Leader adds that the Canadian Institute for Health Information has reported that Saskatchewan has the longest wait times for key surgeries, including a median wait time for knee replacements last year at 466 days, while the national average was 198. Beck notes that the speech also fails to show any plan to fix overcapacity pressures in urban emergency rooms and to stop rural emergency room closures.

Beck also touched on the need for more long-term care spaces. She explains that three long-term care homes in Regina – Parkview, Princess and Precious Memories Villas have all announced closing in the past few days. Opposition Critic for Seniors, Matt Love, says, “We’ve seen this government act with lightning speed to fix much less important issues before. Good affordable housing and the health and well-being of our parents and grandparents should be a top priority.”