If Scott Moe won’t do his job, it’s time for him to find a new one

Today’s provincial budget failed to invest in fixing Saskatchewan public services, the health care crisis or our broken education system. After over a decade of privatization and cuts to public services, Scott Moe has shown Saskatchewan people he does not care about workers and is not fit for the top job.

“Budgets are about choices, and Scott Moe has again shown us that he does not value Saskatchewan’s public services and the working people that deliver them,” said Kent Peterson, president of CUPE Saskatchewan. “Year after year he makes budget promises to Saskatchewan people he has no intention to keep. It’s crystal clear, Scott Moe can’t be trusted.”

Today’s provincial budget failed to make concrete investments to address class size and complexity or add capacity to Saskatchewan’s overwhelmed long-term care system. The promised health care investments are meaningless without a plan to increase staffing levels and retain the health care workers in the existing workforce. The provincial budget also failed to invest in public services that have suffered from years of cuts and privatization.

• Watch CUPE Saskatchewan President Kent Peterson’s response.

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This week, Scott Moe’s Sask. Party government will unveil their last provincial
budget before the general election and CUPE is calling for a budget that is focused on
Saskatchewan workers.

“This budget needs a plan to create good jobs, bigger paycheques, to protect public
services, fix the health care crisis and clean up the mess in education,” said Kent
Peterson, president of CUPE Saskatchewan. “Failing to do so sends a clear message –
Scott Moe doesn’t care about workers and needs to be fired.”

The 31,000 members of CUPE Saskatchewan who deliver public services in the health
care, education, and municipal sectors often bear the consequences of Scott Moe’s cuts and privatization. Years of underfunding education, mismanaging our health care
system and cost-downloading to other levels of government have worsened working
conditions for CUPE members and weakened public services Saskatchewan people
rely on.

“Our members are the backbone of our province and deserve a budget that invests in
them and the public services they deliver, added Peterson. “Workers are ready to
mobilize for change in the upcoming school board, municipal, and provincial elections.
They are done settling for less.”

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With over 30 years of activism, Omar Murray was recognized with the CUPE Saskatchewan Award for Union Activism on the closing day of convention in Saskatoon.

Omar Murray began his union activism when he organized the Maple Creek bus drivers and became the founding president of CUPE Local 4754; a leadership role he continues today. CUPE Local 4754 represents educational support staff, including school-based support, facility maintenance, bus drivers, and technological information staff at the Chinook School Division. Omar has also been instrumental in organizing several other locals of education support workers in the southwestern corner of Saskatchewan.

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The national president Mark Hancock and national secretary treasurer Candace Rennick took the stage on the last morning of the CUPE Saskatchewan convention to celebrate the good work delegates accomplished, and to set the tone for the union’s next steps. Among the jovial atmosphere and prizes, their message to the gathered activists was clear – if we want to protect our rights as union activists, we must get political.

Both Candace and Mark stressed the dangers of conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who is making in-roads with working people with his misleading rhetoric about issues which speak to us. Poilievre tries to appeal to working people by talking about “parent’s rights,” which he uses as a code to hide his bigoted attacks on human rights. “Our rights weren’t given to us, we had to fight for them, and they can be taken away with the swipe of a pen.,” said Rennick. “If Pierre Poilievre cared about mothers’ rights, he wouldn’t have voted against child care.”

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Today, Opposition Leader Carla Beck brought a keynote address to the CUPE Saskatchewan convention where delegates voted to formally endorse her and the Saskatchewan NDP in the next election and make her the first woman Premier in Saskatchewan’s history.

“Carla Beck brought energy to our convention and a welcome commitment to fight for Saskatchewan public services,” said Kent Peterson, elected president of CUPE Saskatchewan. “People are tired of Scott Moe cutting and selling off the public services they rely on.”

At CUPE Saskatchewan’s 2024 convention, members passed a resolution to support Carla Beck and the Saskatchewan NDP in the coming election and a motion to “reaffirm its affiliation to the Saskatchewan NDP” for the coming fiscal year.

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