Sask. leaders speak on federal NDP's announcement to end deal with Liberals

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck says it’s about time that the supply and confidence agreement came to an end in Ottawa.

“I hear every day from residents who are frustrated with the federal NDP propping up the federal Liberal government, a government that has failed to deliver results for Saskatchewan,” she said on Wednesday.

Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh posted a video on social media on Wednesday announcing that he’s cutting ties with the Liberals ahead of the fall sitting because he thinks Liberals are “too weak” to fight for the middle class. The agreement was set to expire in June 2025.

The Saskatchewan government responded by written statement saying Singh’s announcement is “pretty meaningless unless he is prepared to actually vote against the Trudeau government and force an election, as most Canadians want him to do.”

The federal NDP announcement came while Carla Beck was in White City Emerald Park for a pre-campaign announcement.

“White City and Emerald Park are the only community in Saskatchewan over 5,000 in population without a high school,” she said.

Beck said an NDP government would immediately build a high school in the community.

“On day one of a Saskatchewan NDP government, I will instruct the Ministry of Education to review project proposals from Prairie Valley School Division and I expect that there will be shovels in the ground by the end of 2025,” she said.

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However, the provincial government says a high school isn’t on the school board’s priority list. A response from Minister of Education Jeremy Cockrill.

“The NDP closed 176 schools last time they were in office and Saskatchewan taxpayers can't afford the NDP's reckless, irresponsible spending promises,” the statement read.

White City Emerald Park students are currently bused to Balgonie. Some parents would welcome a high school.

“A community of this size not having a high school is unusual and I think there is a real opportunity with the way schools are being developed now to have a collaborative space. It’s also a community space,” said Candace Seon, a school community council member.

The end of the supply and confidence agreement opens the way to an earlier federal election, perhaps as soon as this fall. Should that happen, Saskatchewan voters could be going to the polls three times in the fall for federal, provincial, and civic elections.

- With files from Rachel Aiello