Concerned citizens gathered at MLA Mark Docherty’s Regina office to demand that Sask. Party MLAs stop catering to extremists and start speaking up for their constituents who want safe workplaces and an evidence-based path to recovery from COVID-19.

“We are here because workers are tired of being ignored by their Sask. Party MLAs. For the past two years, workers have been on the frontlines fighting this pandemic.  The mishandling of this pandemic by the Sask. Party government has put workers at risk and made workplaces more dangerous,” said Lori Johb, president of the SFL.

“For the past two years, workers have been calling on their Sask. Party MLAs to listen to health experts and take action to protect them at work - and for the past two years, these calls have gone ignored by Sask. Party MLAs, like Mark Docherty.”

Johb was joined by teachers, health care workers, students, parents and concerned citizens. The group was calling on Docherty, and other Sask Party MLA’s who have been silent, to speak up for safety.

“Scott Moe is pandering to far-right extremists. He is ignoring the medical community, and abandoning public testing, tracking and reporting. It is a slap in the face of health workers that have struggled everyday in the pandemic to provide care in a health care system that is at its capacity,” said Judy Henley, president of CUPE Saskatchewan. “I like freedom as much as the next person. But I also like safety. And I am here to demand that MLAs, like Mark Docherty, start to speak up for the safety of our community and their constituents.”

Harveer Singh, the Vice-President of Operations and Finance at the University of Regina Students’ Union led the crowd in a chant of “Safety First”. He also spoke about how challenging the pandemic has been on students.

“The message from students has been clear: We want to ensure that our safety comes first. And we want this for ourselves, but also for all members of our communities in Saskatchewan…It is as simple and straight-forward as that: Safety first! Safety for all students and all the residents and workers of Saskatchewan.”

Public school teacher Nick Day spoke about the mental toll the pandemic has had on teachers, students and parents.  

“This government is incompetent. A competent government would not hide from the data. A real government would not choose to turn people against teachers as a strategy to get out of their public responsibility,” said  Day. “The Sask. Party government does not care how many kids get sick, how many grandparents die, or how many teachers get sick. They don’t care one bit how much COVID rips through this population or how hard it is on parents who are trying to deal with the consequences. They care only about one thing: keeping the economy open so they can tell big businesses they will keep their workers coming to work.”

The group is organizing a month of action to demand that the Sask. Party: 

  • Scrap plans to cancel public access to PCR testing, daily case reporting and proof of vaccination
  • Ensure proper PPE for all workers
  • Legislate ten days of paid sick leave for all workers
  • Ensure safe staffing levels in our hospitals, schools, and other public services