SASKATOON — Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck sees homelessness as a complex issue that needs to be discussed with the help of various sectors in the province, especially with Indigenous communities since First Nations living in cities are the most affected.
Education and healthcare have been the campaign's central issues, and Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand, last week, challenged the leaders of each political party running in the Oct. 28 provincial elections to develop a plan to address homelessness.
During a campaign stop in the city on Sunday, Oct. 20, Beck said her team would find solutions with the help of First Nations leaders when asked about addressing homelessness if the Saskatchewan NDP is given the chance to form a government,
“The only way that we are going to address complex issues like homelessness, mental health and addictions, like crime [is] if we address both getting tough on crime on the reactive end and addressing the root causes, the things that are causing people to fall into addictions, into homelessness,” said Beck.
“Support for mental health and addiction, this has to be an all-of-the-above approach. It has to be about working together with First Nations communities, with leadership, Métis leadership, and all levels of government and coming up with a plan to see us tackle this problem and start to turn it around.
Insufficient income can be considered one of the factors which causes homelessness, as individuals are challenged to maintain housing payments.
The Saskatchewan Party and the Saskatchewan NDP are committed to making affordable housing accessible to those who need it most. If they remained in government, the Saskatchewan Party promised a tax credit for first-time homebuyers and those doing home renovations.
At the same time, the Saskatchewan NDP is dedicated to bringing an initial 500 affordable housing units to the market so that families can access their own homes. They added that at least 3,000 government-owned housing units all over the province are ready for occupancy.
Beck criticized Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe for changing his tone during the last campaign and when he won. She added that if a Saskatchewan NDP government wins, it will start working for the province's people on day one.
“We've [Saskatchewan NDP] talked about not just promises during an election, which is what we're seeing from Scott Moe. He says things on the edge of an election and does a different thing when he's in power. We've been across the province hearing from people that they're looking for change, and we're hearing that in rooms like this in the cities,” said Beck.
