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SASKATOON – Saskatchewan New Democratic Leader Carla Beck says she has a plan to get overstretched emergency rooms back on track if elected premier on Oct. 28.

Beck says she would hire more full-time staff, extend the hours of Saskatoon City Hospital and modernize legislation to get paramedics out of waiting rooms.

Beck has also promised an online dashboard to inform the public when there are unplanned emergency room closures.

She says the health-care system is at a breaking point, with people dying waiting for care or being left in hallways.

She has pointed to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, which recently violated occupational health and safety rules with patients crammed into hallways and rooms.

Beck says the Saskatchewan Party’s Scott Moe has refused to admit there’s a problem and that it’s time for change.

“We have to get Saskatchewan out of last place. We need to invest in our hospitals, we need to keep our emergency rooms open and we need to support the incredible people who care for us,” Beck said in a statement.

“This is an election with a clear choice. We can change the government and we can deliver better health care right across Saskatchewan.”

Moe has said his plan to hire more health care staff, announced two years ago, is working.

He said 1,300 recent nursing grads have been hired, but added there’s more work to do.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

RICHMOND, B.C. – British Columbia New Democrat Leader David Eby says he was “wired” and had trouble falling asleep after the televised election debate, adding that he would see his performance as successful if those watching at home felt he was focused on their priorities.

But Eby says he didn’t think he spoke enough about all the ways his “team is committed to supporting British Columbians with the cost of daily life.”

He says his government is “finally making progress” and that the province “can’t turn back now,” pointing to decreasing rental costs and that there is a realistic future where every resident has a family doctor by 2025.

Eby focused part of his debate time on BC Conservative Leader John Rustad, calling him an “anti-vaxxer” who is “embarrassing” the province, and at a stop in Richmond today he said it’s “critical” that people know where Rustad stands on issues.

Rustad has no scheduled campaign or media events today, while B.C. Green leader Sonia Furstenau will make a public safety announcement and hold a rally later today.

Eby says he shares several views with Furstenau, including environment goals, but cited differences including “disagreements about drug policy.”

He says Rustad is “vague” about his plans, and pointed out again that the B.C. Conservatives have not released their costed platform.

“Your vote really matters this election,” Eby said Wednesday. “There is a pretty stark choice between the two parties that are running a full set of candidates, and that choice is going to make a difference for the future of our province.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

MONTREAL – The Quebec government has put a branch of the province’s youth protection office under trusteeship following a report that alleges the rights of dozens of children have been violated.

La Presse reported this morning on an internal document from Quebec’s human rights commission, which found that the youth protection office serving central Quebec and the Mauricie region is removing children from their parents too quickly.

The document cited government statistics showing that the area covered by the branch, which includes the cities of Trois-Rivières and Drummondville, puts three times more children up for adoption than do more populous parts of the province.

Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant says the situation is “intolerable” and that parents must be supported instead of separated from their children.

According to La Presse, the internal document shows that parents who grew up in Quebec’s youth protection system sometimes have their babies taken from them without being given a chance to prove themselves.

The commission reported that many children in the area were put up for adoption without all the legal criteria having been met.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.