'Very heartbreaking': Proposed suicide prevention committee rejected by Sask. government
A bipartisan special committee to address the ongoing mental health, addictions and suicide crisis in Saskatchewan will not be formed, after the government opted to reject motion put forward by the NDP opposition on Tuesday.
The motion requested both parties work together to find solutions to the high number of suicides in hearing from affected families, experts and leaders. It was put forward by NDP MLA Doyle Vermette after Question Period.
“I’m not saying the government has to fix everything,” Vermette said.
“Let’s make sure there’s not barriers and hurdles for families. Let’s make sure we’re hearing what the experts are saying, let’s listen to families, let’s listen to leaders, let’s listen to frontline workers who can give good suggestions. Let’s look at other jurisdictions and make some recommendations.”
Vermette said he would like the propsed committee to travel around the province to hear from stakeholders on what the key fixes to the current system should be.
The NDP was joined at the Legislative Building by three families who have lost loved ones to suicide who support the call for more action.
Jude and Frannie Ratt lost their daughter, Betty, in December.
“It was very heart breaking,” Jude said. “She took her own line and a few days later, on my wife’s birthday, she had to bury her only child.”
Jude said they sought help for their daughter but there weren’t enough professionals available.
“We tried everything we could think of to help her get the help she needed,” he said.
They also lost their niece to suicide, and said they could not get help for her either. Jude said they plan to keep trying to raise awareness about the suicide crisis in Saskatchewan.
“We can only do so much. We’re not the government, so we need the government to step up and help. There are a lot of people that need help,” Jude said. “It’s almost impossible to get help professionally.”
The Saskatchewan Party did not agree to the motion to work alongside the NDP in the proposed special committee.
During Question Period, Premier Scott Moe said more help is needed in the province.
“Specific to psychiatrists, we’re up about 38 per cent from where we were when we took government,” Moe said. “We need more. We have positions that are open across this province that are already funded and we need to ensure we’re intensifying our efforts to recruit for those positions.”
Moe, along with the Minister for Mental Health and Addictions Everett Hindley, said the government did not agree to the proposed special committee because there is already a committee of experts focusing on suicide prevention under the its Pillars for Life program.
“We do have a number of mechanisms already in place,” Hindley said. “Pillars for Life does have a strategic planning and oversight committee that has a number of representatives from a variety of ministries that are collaborating together on this. It also includes groups like the SHA, for example, community organizations and most importantly patients, residents and families that have had their lives tragically impacted by suicide.”
Hindley said impacted families can speak directly with that committee to voice concerns and collaborate. He said the public can also reach out directly to their MLAs.
After the special committee was rejected in Question Period, Ratt said he was very disappointed.
“They obviously don’t understand anything that we’re going through, anything that we’ve said,” Ratt said. “They obviously don’t realize the gravity of the validation that they could give us families that have lost loved ones. Validation is very important.”
He said the government could have showed it cared by agreeing to the committee.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Security guard shot, critically injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.