Carla Beck, head of the Official Opposition, speaks to media in front of Prince Albert's Victoria Hospital on Oct. 5. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

By Susan McNeil

NDP discuss affordability, housing, health care after PA caucus meeting

Oct 5, 2022 | 5:00 PM

Sask NDP leader Carla Beck says that her caucus members have heard a lot of worry in Saskatchewan about the state of health care in the province over the summer months.

Some of those impacts are being felt locally.

“I’ve heard from people concerned about the loss of the child psychiatrist here in Prince Albert and long waits for mental health care,” she said.

The Prince Albert child and youth psychiatrist quit his job in early August, saying he was overworked and did not have enough resources to keep his position open.

That resulted in the closure of 10 inpatient beds for youth at the Victoria Hospital until a new doctor, or preferably two, can be found.

Made in Saskatchewan

Find My Plus One: The Canadian App for Getting Out and Living Your Best Life

Mar 09, 2026

Riderville

Ask Not for Whom the Ed Hervey Tampering Window Opens!

Feb 02, 2026

Seniors Scene

New Year - New Habits

Feb 02, 2026

Beck also said that healthcare workers in smaller communities have told her they are burned out and exhausted but continue to work.

“We want to thank them, but they also need our help. We’ve heard there are solutions out there to fix our broken health care system,’ she said.

According to the NDP, the people reaching out to the province with solutions are not being heard and do not feel respected.

During the caucus meeting, Beck shuffled the critic portfolios in her party.

Aleana Young, Critic for Jobs and the Economy, has taken on the Energy and Resources appointment and newly elected Saskatoon-Meewasin MLA Nathanial Teed is the Critic for Parks, Culture and Sport, Tourism, SLGA, SaskGaming, and SGI.

Matt Love will be the critic for Rural and Remote Health, and Trent Wotherspoon has been named the critic for affordability on top of his previous position as finance critic.

“This is a signal to Saskatchewan people that we get the reality they’re facing by way of the crushing cost of living increases the serious inflation that they’re facing,” said Wotherspoon.

Wotherspoon said that the NDP priority is both immediate relief, which they have pushed for months but that longer-term solutions are also needed.

The costs are being particularly felt when it comes to items like fuel and the cost of groceries.

Wotherspoon said that food bank usage has also increased as a direct result of inflation.

The increase in fuel costs has put a further strain on budgets, something the NDP said that the governing Saskatchewan Party is not taking seriously.

“This is a very serious hit on household budgets and we’re going to be their champion, to make sure that they have the support they need now, on the immediate side, but also to address the long-term costs,” he said.

While the government has promised some relief in terms of a $500 affordability cheque that will go to every adult in the province this month, the opposition says there is no plan to control future increases.

Following its morning caucus meeting, NDP members planned to spend this afternoon visiting the community.

—

susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com