NDP promises home care funding if elected, responds to Saskatoon Eastview Sask. Party candidates

The Saskatchewan NDP has made another election commitment, this time in the home care sector.

In front of a Saskatoon home in the Eastview neighbourhood on Arlington Avenue, NDP Leader Ryan Meili made the commitment Tuesday morning. If elected, $50 million in funding for 700 new home care workers will come to Saskatchewan.

“The pandemic has exposed the problems in long-term care here in Saskatchewan, and across Canada,” Meili said during the press conference.

“By expanding what home care offers… we can relieve pressure on our overcrowded emergency rooms and our overburdened long-term care — most importantly, that we can allow seniors to stay home longer, have the supports they need to thrive.”

Meili pointed to nursing staff, home care workers and cooks as positions that could be filled through the Tuesday commitment.

Meili said the funding would be an investment from the General Revenue Fund into healthcare. He added that the new wealth tax commitment would bring in $120 million.

The NDP Leader also mentioned that his platform, as it’s rolled out, will be investing in “minimum standards of care in long term care,” as well.

‘Continued failure of the Sask. Party:’ Love, Meili respond to Saskatoon Eastview Sask. Party candidates

The location of Tuesday’s press conference was not planned, according to Meili. It was timely, however, with Saskatoon Eastview’s Sask. Party nomination changing hands over the weekend.

NDP Saskatoon Eastview candidate Matt Love speaks at a press conference in front of a Saskatoon Breevort Park home on Oct. 6, 2020. (Brady Lang/650 CKOM)

The original nominee for the riding, Daryl Cooper, resigned Saturday after controversial social media posts linked to the online conspiracy group QAnon. Cooper said he didn’t believe he was in the wrong, but wanted to explore all diverse opinions on COVID-19 as a rookie politician.

He said he resigned because he “did not want to become a distraction in the debate about the important issues facing our province,” an emailed Sunday statement reads.

Instead, CEO of Saskatoon and Region Homebuilders’ Association Chris Guérette has taken over the nomination in the riding for the Sask. Party.

NDP Saskatoon Eastview candidate Matt Love was in attendance for the Tuesday morning press conference. He said he doesn’t intend to speak to Guérette on the issue but is sticking to the strategy he’s focused on since his nomination.

“I won a contested nomination here over a year ago. And since that time, all of my neighbours, the hundreds of families that I’ve taught (as a local educator in the area), and worked with here in this constituency over the last decade have been without an elected representative,” he explained.

The riding was left empty after former Sask. Party MLA Cory Tochor’s departure into the federal Conservative race, which he won in February’s election.

“The recent events (Cooper’s resignation) is just a continued failure of the Sask. Party that (serves) the people of Eastview… This has been going on for far too long, this is nothing new,” Love said.

Meili said the constituency is one of the highest concentrations of seniors in Saskatchewan.

“It was clearly a bad idea for the government to leave this constituency without an MLA for 14 months, now they’ve had to switch candidates midway through the race. We think having the stability of having someone like Matt Love… that’s the kind of representation that Eastview deserves,” the NDP Leader said.