SASKATOON — Fred and Gina Khonjie welcomed Saskatchewan-NDP Leader Carla Beck to their kitchen. The Regina Lakeview MLA discussed on Thursday, Sept. 12, how the cost of putting food on the table due to the provincial sales tax has affected families like the Khonjies.
Gina Khonjie said chicken, fruits, vegetables, and other produce are some of the grocery essentials that they buy for their family. She loves cooking and making healthy meals for her husband and three children from the ingredients they buy at the stores.
"I love nothing more than to make a slow food meal from scratch. I have always aspired to make homemade granola bars, but that is not the reality of our lives right now. We get home from work, we're off to an activity, and sometimes we only have 45 minutes to get a meal with our kids," said Gina Khonjie.
"We wanted to be as healthy as possible. We are lucky compared to other people in Saskatchewan, but it is also getting harder for us to meet our grocery budget every month. Every dollar now counts for us."
The PST increased from five per cent to six per cent in 2017, which brought an estimated revenue of $242 million. Meat, fish, cereals, dairy products, eggs, vegetables, coffee, tea, and snacks have PSTs.
Beck said the reality now is that costs are rising, and if couples have kids who do different after-school activities, they rely on providing healthy food and snacks that have the nutrients they need.
"Saskatchewan families are struggling with the cost of living. We hear that every day, and this week, we announced our plan to cut PST on children's clothing, and we've announced our plan to cut the fuel tax for Saskatchewan to offer some relief for families," said Beck.
"We've listened to the people of Saskatchewan and know how much of a struggle it is right now for families working harder just to get by. We also know that Scott Moe and the SaskParty refused to provide any relief to the people. They made life more expensive."
She added that PST had been applied to groceries that are not luxury items. Still, people rely on granola bars for snacks, chicken, vegetables, bread, and fruits, making them more expensive, as families have been paying 40 per cent more.
Beck said that if the NDP is elected to govern in the fall, they would remove the PST on groceries before the Christmas season to give Saskatchewan families a break and leave them with some money left in their pockets.
"We know families are already thinking of how they are going paying for hockey or dance, paying for Christmas meals and presents; this is another way that we would make life less expensive for Saskatchewan people in addition to our pledge not increase taxes," said Beck.
"This is in contrast to the [provincial] government that has no plan, refused to reduce cost, has increased cost for Saskatchewan families, that defends decisions to take a million-dollar trip to Dubai or taking a private limo service sightseeing over Paris. They will defend those decisions but don't seem to understand how much Saskatchewan families struggle."
She added that the NDP had been listening to the people of Saskatchewan, and they know Saskatchewan families need a break when they go to buy groceries or fill up their cars' tanks.
"We will continue to put our plan forward. People will have a chance to look through that. We are confident in the numbers that we are putting forward. Again, people will be frustrated that the government could have been making these investments. That we can afford to have quality education and healthcare," said Beck.
'This is the government that has not prioritized that. People will have a chance to see our full platform, and they will make their choice when it comes to election time. This government is not focused on priorities, but we are. We'ree interested in delivering better economic opportunities for Saskatchewan people and not focused on mismanagement""
