With the elections around the corner, it can be daunting to analyze all the parties’ platforms. Fortunately, this article will do just that for you.

Find below some of the promises that the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party and the Saskatchewan Party’s have made through their platform releases this election cycle.

Saskatchewan New Democratic Party

Healthcare

• Invest $1.5 million in public health to prepare for future outbreaks
• Invest $5 million in a suicide prevention strategy
• Starting with $2 million, fund an opioid and crystal meth strategy
• End short-staffing by hiring more doctors, registered and practical nurses, and continuing care assistants

Education

• Eliminate interest from student loans
• Provide free tuition for kids leaving foster care
• Help school divisions reduce class sizes and hire more teachers, educational assistants and caretakers
• Invest $3 million into a rural education strategy

Economy

• Remove the PST from construction labour to put that money back into the economy 
• Build a new Saskatchewan Transportation Company
• Institute a job creators’ plan to support local small businesses 
• Raise the minimum wage to $15/hour 
• Create a new internship program to get more young people working in the provincial government

Environment

• Support the protection of wetlands and grasslands
• Move to 50 per cent renewable and non-emitting electricity by 2030

Saskatchewan Party

Healthcare

• Invest $30 million to build new urgent care centres in Saskatoon and Regina 
• Expand the child autism funding for children aged six to twelve 
• Reduce surgical wait times to a three-month target
• Expand the Saskatchewan Insulin Pump Program

Education

• Increase the Saskatchewan Advantage Scholarship by 50 per cent 
• Create 750 new licensed childcare spaces
• Building new schools and major renovations to other schools

Economy

• Reduce the small business tax 
• Introduce a one-year 10 per cent rebate on electricity charges on power bills
• Introduce a Home Renovation Tax Credit 
• Add 100,000 new jobs to the economy by 2030
• Invest $4 billion into expanding irrigation at the Lake Diefenbaker reservoir
• Fighting the federal carbon tax

Environment

• Deliver on Saskatchewan’s climate change plan to reduce carbon emissions
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions at more than 40 industrial sites by a total of 10 per cent by 2030 

For a more comprehensive detail of healthcare and mental health policies, visit: (insert article from health)

For a more comprehensive detail of education and student issues, visit: https://thesheaf.com/2020/10/23/meet-your-saskatoon-university-riding-candidates/

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Wardah Anwar | News Editor

Photos: Instagram | @ryan.meili, @premierscottmoe