NDP Leader Ryan Meili says the Sask Party is no longer the party sold to Saskatchewan people by former Premier Brad Wall. In response to Premier Scott Moe’s support of the trucker convoy and to the announcement of less PCR testing and only weekly COVID-19 updates, Meili suggests the Sask Party is turning into a version of the Republicans under Donald Trump, saying just because you test less doesn’t mean there are fewer cases.
He notes that the decision to stop having PCR testing available for most people comes at a time when the COVID numbers have yet to reach their peak. Meili believes Saskatchewan people should have access the daily hospitalizations, ICU admissions and death counts, and, something the updates haven’t shown which are included in some other provinces are child deaths. “We know that a young child lost their life in Saskatoon a few days ago. I’m hearing of another child in a precarious situation right now. This is not over, and it’s starting to hit kids more.”
The NDP Leader’s criteria for when it would be time to loosen the provincial regulations would be when hospitalization, transmission and the test positivity rates come down should be the benchmarks.
His message to those who would like to join the protests at the Legislature on the weekend is to stay home and stay safe. There are two being planned. One is truckers and supporters against the federal vaccine mandate for truckers and against provincial mandates, and the other is being organized by the provincial Liberal Party rallying against the Sask Party’s handling of the pandemic.
Meili urged Scott Moe to show some leadership, although there was an expletive in his actual quote, and tell these people to be smart and stay home, considering how contagious the Omicron variant is. His theory for the Premier’s support of the truckers’ convoy and recent pandemic decisions is that Moe is concerned that he too could lose his job like Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole did.
(CJWW)