The leader of the Saskatchewan NDP renewed his call Friday for democratic oversight to resume as the province continues to deal with the impact of COVID-19.
Ryan Meili wants the Saskatchewan legislature to reconvene in some form in order to restore democratic oversight of the government’s handling of the pandemic.
The provincial government’s Re-Open Saskatchewan plan was released on Thursday morning. Officials said the plan introduces five phases to methodically, gradually and cautiously reopen businesses and services across Saskatchewan, starting May 4.
Meili raised concerns with the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan and had four main areas of questions for the premier:
- Health care readiness: How ready is our health care system for a possible surge? Do we have sufficient ventilators, intensive care units and protective equipment, particularly as some businesses will need access to protective equipment? What is the government’s plan for expanded testing, aggressive contact tracing and the capacity to isolate positive cases?;
- Childcare: How can people who have kids home from school or who can’t access child care be expected to return to work? Will this put more pressure to send children to grandparents for care, for parents who have that option, exposing seniors to higher risk?;
- Business supports: How does early opening impact eligibility for federal programs? How will Saskatchewan businesses be supported to succeed in this time?; and
- Guidelines for family visits: The province’s plan offers no clear guidelines for how to do this safely, including how it applies to seniors. Can the province provide clear direction to people on how they are expected to maintain physical distancing?
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Meili said restoring democratic oversight by reconvening the legislature in some form could help ensure the best possible management of the pandemic.
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“The legislative assembly is where we make the decisions that govern the province, that direct the way that we go forward. And that is not any criticism of the public health advice that’s coming forward… So what we have here is a plan that is a good draft. It’s a start, but it’s not the final plan and it’s not the final plan because it didn’t bring in the entire group that should be working on it,” Meili said.
“We now are weeks into this. We’re weeks without the legislature sitting and there is a role for opposition, we’re not just decoration. It is important that the decisions being made by the government are evaluated and scrutinized. That’s due diligence. That’s our job. What we’ve been elected to do on behalf of the people of Saskatchewan.
“We have obviously political opponents, but we have a common enemy, which is the virus. We have a common goal, which is the safety and health of the public. That said, we will have different approaches to how we want to deal with those things and our different ideas of what is going to actually work the best.”
The NDP leader said his party is happy to work with the premier and with his team to come up with a way that continues legislative assembly with respect to physical distancing.
“Certainly, we want to do the full work of the legislature. Exactly what shape that takes, we’re absolutely open to negotiation… There’s so much going on right now to limit it to one aspect of the governance of the province would be negligent,” Meili said.
“I’m not wanting to get too prescriptive, but we can explore a couple of hypotheticals. One is that any changes to have virtual sittings of committees would have to go through the legislative assembly. We would be happy to work with the government on a way to have an emergency sitting to get those regulations in place so that we can move forward.”
The provincial government provided a response to the NDP’s call on Friday afternoon.
“No decisions have been made at this point about when or under what perameters the assembly may resume sitting,” read the statement to Global News.
“Our government remains focused on our province’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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