Legislative Report (2 October 2008)

Telling the Saskatchewan Story

Saskatchewan was on the national stage again this week. Premier Brad Wall led a job recruitment mission to Toronto. The Premier and 50 Saskatchewan employers, I attended the National Job Fair, and hosted a barbecue for new Canadians either looking for work or considering a career change. Under the NDP, Saskatchewan had the worst job creation record in Canada, which resulted in a massive labour shortage. Currently, there are 10,000 jobs posted on the government website, saskjobs.ca. In order to sustain the economic momentum and ensure everyone benefits from our newfound prosperity, Saskatchewan needs skilled workers to fill those jobs. Attending events such as the National Job Fair are excellent ways to ensure we get our message out: Saskatchewan is not just a great place to live; it is a great place to make a life.

The latest population numbers suggest that message is getting out. Over the past year, Saskatchewan’s population has increased by 16,000 people, with almost four-thousand of those in the past three months alone. There are now 1,015,985 people living here.

Newcomers to Saskatchewan will see their wages increase more quickly than anywhere else in Canada. Statistics Canada says not only does Saskatchewan lead the country in wage growth; there are more people working and fewer people receiving EI. Today’s Saskatchewan is a very different place than it was just a few short years ago when more people were moving out than in; there is excitement and opportunities and optimism, and that is attracting people from all over Canada.

CBO SUMMIT: LISTENING TO, NOT TALKING TO

At the just-concluded summit series with Saskatchewan’s Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), your Saskatchewan Party government took a different approach. Unlike the former government, we spent our time at the five meetings listening to the needs and concerns of these important organizations. We learned a wealth of information from representatives of the more than 800 CBOs who attended the province-wide meetings. Our government heard about the need for a long-term funding arrangement, the creation of a central database of services, recruitment and retention of employees and the need for people with disabilities to earn more income before their benefits are reduced. Feedback from the summit is available at CBO Summit webpages. The summit meetings followed the announcement of the largest-ever single-year funding increase for CBOs of $18.3 million.

ENSURING SASKATCHEAWN PEOPLE HAVE THE BEST POSSIBLE HEALTHCARE

Our government’s commitment to ensuring Saskatchewan people get timely access to the best possible healthcare could be seen in a pair of announcements this week. A delegation from Saskatchewan’s healthcare recruitment agency, HealthCareersinSask.ca, is travelling to London, England for a healthcare recruitment fair. The delegation’s goal is to recruit doctors and increase Saskatchewan’s international profile. We are also making it easier for people to access detailed information on surgical wait times. The Saskatchewan Surgical Care Network is now publishing new cancer surgery data on its website which will provide more information on wait times. You can find the website at sasksurgery.ca. Recruiting and retaining health professionals, including physicians, is a top priority for our government. For years, the NDP failed to address the issue of doctors and nurses moving to other jurisdictions, which resulted in a critical shortage of healthcare professionals. Our government is also committed to accountability and transparency in our health system. These initiatives will support our efforts to improve access to surgery and cancer care for Saskatchewan patients. Work will continue on longer-term strategies to build the health workforce, support front-line care and put patients first.

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