Opposition leader Ryan Meili took aim at the provincial government’s COVID-19 response in remarks before the virtual Municipalities of Saskatchewan convention on Tuesday morning.
Meili was particularly critical of the province’s response in his remarks.
“In the last two weeks Saskatchewan has had more new cases, more new deaths per capita than any other place in Canada. And that touches us all,” said Meili, who voiced condolences for those who were lost to COVID-19.
Meili once again voiced support for the idea of a “circuit-breaker” lockdown of a short period of time.
He pointed out that on Nov. 18 the NDP opposition had called for a three-week circuit breaker to “protect people’s health against the coming surge of COVID-19 and avoid much longer and more damaging lockdowns”.
Meili also noted that this idea was supported by over 400 doctors, nurses and front line workers.
“These aren’t exactly people who work from home,” said Meili.
That remark was an obvious dig at comments during Premier Scott Moe’s speech to the convention the previous day.
Moe said: “It’s easy for some to just stand up and say we need to lock everything down, when they have the opportunity to work from home.”
In a virtual scrum with reporters Meili took aim at those remarks.
“When he said that the people who asked for more action, who asked to protect the public health, that somehow they were more privileged, they could work from home ... you know it just was, I thought, a slap in the face to all those who’ve had to deal with sickness and death in their families’ lives.”
It was also “a slap in the face for the people who are actually making those calls,” said Meili, referring to the doctors, nurses, pharmacists and others.
Meili said they were “right” in calling for more action, and “were right that we should’ve done something more that would have protected the long term economic damage that is ongoing, and all of the health problems,” he said.
“And for (Premier Moe) to say, ‘oh, they’re just people who can just work from home’ — well, you know what, I think the premier works from home a lot more than they do.”
