Today Premier Moe gave a State of the Province address that completely ignored the health crisis that his government created.

The state of our province today is that Saskatchewan has the highest active case rate and the lowest vaccination rate in the country.
🧵[1/6] #skpoli The state of our province today is that ICU patients are being medevac’d to Ontario while the Armed Forces are being flown in to provide care.

The state of our province is that more than 800 people have died from COVID, including 117 people lost in October alone.
🧵[2/6] #skpoli

Last night’s SK docs town hall had some hard truths to share. 🧵

We learned the devastating news that 3 children under 12 have died from COVID-19 in the province.

At 16% of the total child deaths in the country, this is by far the worst rate in Canada.

https://twitter.com/gqinsk/status/1451561898302914580

Cases and hospitalizations among kids have spiked dramatically since the SK Party sent kids back to school with no provincial public health measures.

We have the second lowest percentage of the eligible population (>12) vaccinated, the lowest overall population vaccination rate.

Shortstaffed. Crowded. Crumbling infrastructure. Four residents to a room.

There needs to be an inquiry into Extendicare Parkside long-term care home. Now.

Almost every single resident and staff member at Parkside has tested positive for #COVID19SK. Many have died. (1/7) And let’s be clear: the conditions that caused this didn’t come out of nowhere.

Workers, residents, and family members have been pointing out the failure of the Sask. Party government to address urgent needs and dangerous conditions for a long time. (2/7)

❗ WARNING: LONG THREAD, but it's important ❗ In 2017, the #SaskParty cut #STC, leaving thousands of people across our province stranded. 🚌

Since then, I've heard so many stories from folks who have been left in bad situations because of this dangerous cut: (1/6) 🏥 seniors who can't get to medical appointments
👍 rural and Northern people who are forced to hitchhike
🚗 low-income folks who struggle to afford a car
🌾 farmers who can't get parts sent out (2/6)

Scott Moe has shown us he can't be trusted. But don't take it from me...just look at his record. During the last #skpoli election, the Sask Party promised there would be no cuts or sell-offs. But when the election was over, they:

➡️ cut $54 million from classrooms (1/4) #sasked ➡️ cut $25 million from universities
➡️ cut 90 healthcare workers in #YXE & #YQR
➡️ sold off STC, leaving thousands stranded
➡️ had dozens of meetings to try to sell SaskTel and SGI
➡️ and much more* (2/4)

WARNING - long thread. But as a doctor, I care deeply about health care, and I have something to say.

#skpoli #healthcare #NDP2020 People in Saskatchewan have a very clear choice in front of them: Four more years of deep cuts that hurt people, or an NDP government that will put people first by making the investments a full recovery depends on.

I’m happy to announce today that an NDP government will reverse years of Sask. Party cuts to school-based supports and will make children’s mental health a priority in Saskatchewan.

#skpoli #saskatchewan #peoplefirst

saskndp.ca/invest_in_ment… Scott Moe’s government has failed to support vulnerable students. I’ve heard from too many parents and teachers worried about how this pandemic is impacting their kids’ mental health. Young people have been through so much in the past months, and supports were already inadequate.

Today @WotherspoonT and I announced a plan to create jobs in key industries and meet Saskatchewan's energy needs through geothermal power.

assiniboiatimes.ca/news/ndp-will-… Saskatchewan families were feeling stretched and stressed before the pandemic, and life has only gotten harder. Especially hard hit are workers in oil and gas and related skilled trades. We need to work with industry to get people back on the job.

It’s only fair that if you’ve overpaid for a service, you deserve a refund.

But the Sask Party thinks they should keep your money. They don’t want to return the money you’ve overpaid to SGI. #skpoli

leaderpost.com/news/saskatche… They did the same thing with their cruel CERB clawbacks.

As @NicoleMRancourt says:
“This money is not the Sask. Party government’s money. This money is to be put forward to the residents of Saskatchewan to help get through this pandemic.”

https://twitter.com/thestarphoenix/status/1304869049487290368?s=21

https://t.co/kzZ1UAvrC1

This has been a difficult year for so many Saskatchewan families. But even before the pandemic, people were feeling stretched and stressed and finding it harder to make ends meet.

Fortunately, we have the fiscal capacity right now to make life a bit more affordable. #skpoli That's why today we’re committing that an NDP government will reduce auto insurance premiums in the province by 7% and provide every policyholder a $100 rebate. This is money that’s more useful in people’s pockets than it is sitting in a over-full reserve fund.

We’re committed to creating good jobs right here in Saskatchewan. It’s time to invest in people. #skpoli #canlab

Today, we committed to introducing affordable, accessible, $25/day child care for Saskatchewan families under an NDP government. #skpoli #saskndp #ndp2020

thestarphoenix.com/news/politics/… Saskatchewan is a great place to live and raise a family, but for far too many families, life has been made harder by the Sask. Party.

They're threatening “austerity measures,” meaning cuts to the things families rely on, while the NDP are committed to putting people first.

THREAD: Saskatchewan is lagging behind the rest of the country in testing.

Fast access to #COVID19SK testing is essential to safely sending kids and teachers back to school. If kids, teachers, or school staff get sick, we need fast and reliable access to testing – period. (1/10) Any delay in access to testing means kids in #sasked could be out of class for days, with their parents having to stay at home with them, only to find out they have a simple cold. (2/10)

Today, I wrote to Scott Moe demanding that he recall the #skpoli Legislature to answer for his government’s disastrous return-to-school plan.

It’s clear that the Premier was hoping that if he ignored this problem for long enough, it would just go away. Everyone in the province knew that with overcrowded classrooms and overstretched school budgets, getting kids back to school safely would be a challenge. But instead of stepping up and finding a solution, this government wasted so much time they had to delay the return to school.

#SASKED THREAD: Last night, more than 250 concerned teachers, EAs, school staff, parents, grandparents, and community members joined us for the #SafeSchoolsNow Town Hall on Zoom to express their concerns about opening schools this September. (1/10) People are worried. They’re upset. They’re frustrated.

Parents haven’t seen the robust planning they need to feel comfortable sending their kids back into the classroom. (2/10)

THREAD: Today we’re calling on the Sask. Party government to get serious about plans to reopen schools in September.

We’ve laid out seven essential requirements for a safe back-to-school plan. #skpoli #sasked

ndpcaucus.sk.ca/saskatchewan_n… It’s so important that we get this right. The first priority for the safe reopening of schools during the pandemic period has to be the safety of children, teachers and education staff.

Another day of rising COVID-19 cases is very concerning. More concerning still is that, despite Health Minister Jim Reiter having had months to get his act together with the pandemic, Saskatchewan is still far below the national testing rate. #skpoli

saskatchewan.ca/government/new… Along with decreasing the staff working on testing, the Minister has still not directed the SHA to release the number of people waiting, nor the average wait time for COVID-19 tests.

Sask families are flying blind as case counts rise, left in the dark by this Minister.

Today's record jump in cases is extremely concerning, and should be a wake-up call for all of us. #skpoli

https://twitter.com/covid_canada/status/1283844761414103040

Saskatchewan has seen some of the biggest outbreaks in Canada, yet we've fallen significantly below the national average when it comes to tests per capita. We need to rapidly expand testing.

I agree with @MMandryk on this: the Crowns offer tremendous value to SK people and any government would be stupid to sell them.

Where we differ is the degree to which we believe the Sask Party isn't that kind of stupid. Their history on the Crowns certainly suggests they are.

https://twitter.com/MMandryk/status/1283029098625810434

We clearly disagree on the value of STC. I think it was an essential service worth the investment, Murray doesn't. That's fine.

But there's no question the Sask Party promised they wouldn't privatize it.

They lied. One year later it was gone.

leaderpost.com/news/local-new…

Last Friday, NDP MLA Doyle Vermette asked the last question of Question Period. He pointed to the high rates of suicide – particularly in the North – and asked once again why the Sask Party government voted against the Sask NDP bill to legislate a suicide strategy. #skpoli The response from Sask. Party Minister @WarrenKaeding failed to acknowledge the overrepresentation of Northern and Indigenous people in Sask’s suicide tragedy.

Last week I questioned the Premier about his deceitful #skpoli budget and his plans for deep cuts and sell-offs. Under pressure, he said five truly weird and concerning things -- which I will countdown for you here. (1/11) No. 5: When asked if he had seen financial projections beyond the current year as part of the budget development process, the Premier said he had not. His government is promising to get the budget back to balance in 3-4 years, but when pressed on how he will do this... (2/11)