Vermette re-introduces bill aimed at establishing provincial suicide strategy
Cumberland MLA Doyle Vermette wants the Saskatchewan Party to work with him in passing Bill 618, also known as The Saskatchewan Strategy for Suicide Prevention Act.
The bill was re-introduced Tuesday in the legislature by Vermette, where it underwent a first reading. It marked the second time the bill was brought forward by the MLA as he already did so in 2018, but it died on the order desk when government proceedings came to an end. Vermette is hopeful other MLAs will put politics aside and take action as more than 2,200 people died by suicide in the province between 2005 and 2019.
“If they don’t want to, I guess we will serve a petition every day,” he said. “We’ll remind them in question period, we’ll remind them from residents, and we’ll start to campaign. We’re not going to quit; we can’t afford to quit.”
Joining Vermette in the legislature were northerners Sally Ratt and Linda Roberts. Both mothers lost children to suicide with Ratt’s daughter Ariana being 12 years old at the time and Roberts’ daughter Jadene being 14. They served a petition with hundreds of signatures in support of the bill and the need for the province to be more involved when it comes to including more support for suicide prevention.