The federal NDP is calling on the Liberal government to restore provincial bus service in Saskatchewan.
In a letter to three federal cabinet ministers, Saskatchewan NDP MPs Sheri Benson and Georgina Jolibois are urging the federal government to take action to ensure there is still bus service in the province.
READ MORE: Saskatchewan Transportation Company comes to end of road
The Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) ceased operations at the end of May after the provincial government announced in its 2017-18 budget that it was ending subsidies to the company.
Benson said shuttering STC is placing women’s lives at risk.
“British Columbia’s Highway of Tears serves as an important reminder that we cannot let history repeat itself,” Benson said in a release.
“The federal government, in its dedication to feminism, must intervene on behalf of women who are stranded without this vital public service.”
The closure of STC has been met with a public outcry, with protests held throughout the province.
READ MORE: Protesters refuse to get off final STC bus to Saskatoon
In its latest annual report, STC estimated over 60 per cent of its passengers were women, and low-income passengers made up over 70 per cent of riders.
Jolibois said the loss of the service greatly affects people in rural and northern communities who look at STC as a safe and reliable mode of transportation.
“Without the STC, many living in northern and indigenous communities will be unable to access services centralized in larger urban centres, or attend the upcoming Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls hearing in Saskatoon this October,” Jolibois said.
“This needs to be addressed.”
READ MORE: STC reports millions of dollars of losses in annual report
On Tuesday, STC reported a $34.2 million loss for 2016-17 before factoring in government subsidies.
Joe Hargrave, the minister responsible for STC, has stated that cutting the funding will save the government $85 million over the next five years.
Comments