REGINA - Buffalo Party leader Phil Zajac released his campaign platform, outlining pay increases for health-care workers, decentralizing health care and a long-term health-care plan.
Zajac was outside the legislature on Friday and said if elected, he plans to increase pay for all doctors and registered nurses (RN) by 20 per cent, and rural doctors and RN would get a 30 per cent increase. Both pay increases would be effective immediately.
He pointed to the disarray health care currently faces in the province and believes the platform the Saskatchewan Party and New Democrats have presented would not invest enough in health care.
Zajac also plans to invest $1 billion in the sector. The Buffalo Party leader would not get into specifics regarding how long it would take to get the investment into the health-care sector. However, he did note the funding would come from cancelling the Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Project and increased revenue from oil royalties.
When asked if his party would take money from potash royalties, he responded, “that's something that would probably need to be looked at. If all of those industries are an essential part of the province and the revenue stream for putting forward programs in the province, then we'd have to re-look at those.”
The second part of his campaign platform is breaking up centralized health care. Zajac wants to remove “those red tap strings by the government” so people can work in their local community hospitals and give back to the health-care facilities. He added every health-care worker and health-care authority worker would be given a distribution of profits in hopes of more efficient work.
The third part of his platform is opening up the University of Saskatchewan medical schools to allow more people from Saskatchewan to become nurses and doctors and solve the doctor shortage the province currently faces.
Zajac mentioned Saskatchewan's handling of both public and private health care is creating longer wait times, and change is needed.
The final part of the Buffalo Party’s campaign platform is creating a five, 10, 20 and 100-year plan for health care. Zajac did not give details about the plan but said Saskatchewan is always playing “catch up” in health care.
Zajac plans to meet with CUPE 5430 later today to discuss proposed bonuses for CCA who perform their jobs adequately.
Reporters also asked Zajac about Scott Moe and the Sask Party's proposed change-room policy. He was in disbelief about the announcement and added, “We have so many large problems to focus on, so many things to fix. And when we start getting into this type of nonsense of who can go in a bathroom, it's distracting from the real problems. And it's pretty simple. Male bathroom, female bathroom, family bathroom. Problem solved.”
