The provincial opposition believed not enough action was taken by the Sask. government today.
Premier Scott Moe said the reason he wasn’t going to apply any restrictions on indoor gatherings was that the majority of Saskatchewan residents are fully vaccinated and the vaccination is the best tool to handle the pandemic.
NDP Leader Ryan Meili says the residents of Saskatchewan are open minded enough to any possible measures that are currently needed including the possibility of restrictions for private indoor gatherings.
The Premier is thinking about the political ramifications instead of thinking about the well being of the people in the province according to Meili. “Everyone in Saskatchewan expects the Premier to do his job, to protect us and as long as our hospitals are filling up, as long as people are dying, that’s what not fair, that’s what not fair to Saskatchewan and it’s not what fair to everyone.”
Meili says Scott Moe is simply transferring responsibility instead of assuming it with the announcement of the provincial command being assumed by the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre. “The shift to the command centre, we don’t know exactly what the purpose of that is, why that would make a real difference if they’re not going to make the changes that are necessary in their practice.”
With Alberta currently receiving additional support from the federal government, Meili finds it baffling that the Sask. Premier isn’t asking for any kind of assistance from Ottawa. The NDP leader believes this is another example of Scott Moe choosing politics instead of the people of Saskatchewan. “It’s hard not to read political motivations into that given how he has made his career on picking fights with the federal government, this is not the time to pick fights, this is a time to ask for help and use every resource that is available. ” Meili added that the Premier shouldn’t have to wait for deaths before making the call to the Prime Minister for support.
One thing that came out of today’s announcement according to the NDP leader is that the shifting of responsibility is a clear sign that the public has lost complete faith in the Health Minister, Paul Merriman.
According to Meili today’s press conference did not provide a new plan, all it did was create a new distraction.