SASKATOON — The Saskatchewan NDP continues its attacks on Premier Scott Moe, with opposition leader Carla Beck criticizing the Sask Party-led government for ignoring the education sector, resulting in overcrowded classrooms, a lack of teaching personnel and an underfunded school system.
Surrounded by party members and educators, Beck announced on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at Alfred Bence Park, that if an NDP-led government replaced the Saskatchewan Party, it would invest $2 billion in education to address the concerns ignored by the provincial government since taking over in 2016.
"The problems in our education system have been long known to the Sask Party government. This government cut tens of millions of dollars from a growing system. This is a government in the last round of bargaining that, rather than sit down and understand the concerns that teachers were bringing forward, saw fit to spend a bunch of money putting up billboards vilifying teachers," said Beck.
"This is a government that you know pops into action when it gets close to an election time, but their record on education over the last decade in this province speaks for itself. This government has shown how much it values education. However, it has increasingly turned a deaf ear to concerns, whether from teachers or other staff in classrooms, parents, or school boards. It's time for a change."
Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill, who, along with MLA Gary Grewal, is under investigation by the Conflict of Interest Commissioner, said he is scheduled to meet with the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation in December to discuss the binding arbitration.
Beck, however, said Cockrill's December meeting with the teachers is too late, adding that he and the Sask Party should have understood the concerns in all classrooms when he took over the education portfolio in August of last year.
"So should every Sask Party education minister going back at least a decade in this province. This is a government that has shown how much they value education. This government increasingly has turned a deaf ear to concerns, whether it's from teachers or other classroom staff, parents, or school boards," said Beck.
"It's time for a change. It's time to get Saskatchewan out of last place. This commitment is about ensuring that every child in this province has the chance to succeed and thrive."
Beck, the Regina Lakeview MLA, said rebuilding trust in the province's educational system is one of the challenges they see. Many teachers have left in the first five years of accepting the job because they lack support, she said.
"These are people who desperately want to help kids learn. This is their calling. But too often, they come out and realize that the support in the classrooms is just not there and that the complexity is so high. This needs to change. We need to start recruiting some of those teachers back into the classroom to show them that we are serious about improving the education system and their working conditions," she said.
