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UPDATE: Hundreds protest provincial cuts at MLA’s office

Apr 21, 2017 | 2:00 PM

Hundreds of government employees and concerned citizens rallied outside MLA Joe Hargrave’s Prince Albert office early this afternoon to protest the many spending cuts included in the recent provincial budget.

Protesters carried signs and images of Premier Brad Wall, Hargrave and other Saskatchewan Party ministers. A mock jailhouse was towed to the protest site with caricatures of Wall and his cabinet members locked up inside, and three symbolic coffins erected in front of the office bore the phrases “collective bargaining in Sask.,” “workers rights & benefits” and “the truth about the GTH land deal.”

Barry Nowoselsky, public service vice-president with the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union (SGEU), spoke at the rally and said he hopes Hargrave takes note of the growing public displeasure towards cuts made by the Sask. Party.

“What he’s doing to libraries, what he’s doing to Crown corporations, what he’s doing to the healthcare system, what he’s doing to the education system is unacceptable to us and we’re here to let him know that,” Nowoselsky told paNOW.

Nowoselsky said Hargrave has not represented his riding, city and province well, and accused the MLA of supporting the widespread layoffs of government-employed cleaners while also backing the creation of three new MLA positions.

“[That’s] $700,000 a year for people we don’t need,” Nowoselsky said. “That money could been well spent on other projects.”

Nowoselsky said although Hargrave was not at his office during the protest, he was not discouraged, and said the union intends to continue protesting until the minister takes notice.

President of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour Larry Hubich also spoke about the budget cuts, and accused the Sask. Party of doing serious damage to the province.

“This is one of the most draconian and harshest budgets that we’ve seen in decades,” Hubich said. “It just seems to be a heartless kind of attack on things that make Saskatchewan what it is.”

Of particular concern to Hubich was the closure of STC, the Crown bus company which is set to dissolve in May. The closure, Hubich said, was done in a “cavalier and disrespectful” manner, and will leave rural and elderly residents without a vital transportation service.

The STC closure, Hubich said, should be treated as a warning shot from the government which indicates that no Crown corporation is safe from potential privatization.

 

 

Hubich said the only response to the protesters’ concerns from the Sask. Party so far has been contempt, and noted that thousands of letters have been sent to MLAs calling for changes. In his 62 years as a resident, Hubich said he has never seen a time when so many organizations and individuals are so critical of the provincial government.

In a phone interview with paNOW, Hargrave said SGEU has every right to protest and voice their opinions. He said the government was aware that the cuts would be met with some resistance, but defended the budget decisions as necessary.

“There were many tough decisions that had to be made in this last budget,” Hargrave said. “When you’ve got a $1.2 billion shortfall, you have to go back to the core of what the government is about.”

Hargrave said core government services such as education, healthcare and social services were maintained in the budget, and noted social services received a nine per cent increase in funding over last year.

The Sask. Party MLA said although the government has revisited a few of the cuts, the majority are here to stay as the province only has finite resources to work with.

“The decisions that the government made were difficult decisions when it comes to the budget,” Hargrave said. “We generally will be sticking by those decisions.”

 

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TMacPhersonNews

Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 2:40 p.m. April 21, 2017 to add comment from MLA Joe Hargrave.