'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
BREAKING American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, Ontario police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80
Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, 'Ramblin' Man,' has died. He was 80.
Taylor Swift's new album allegedly 'leaked' on social media and it's causing a frenzy
A Google Drive link allegedly containing 17 tracks that are purportedly from Swift's eagerly awaited "The Tortured Poets Department" album has been making the rounds on the internet in the past day and people are equal parts mad, sad and happy about it.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.
Lack of detention space could force CBSA to release detainees, internal memo warns
The Canada Border Services Agency is scrambling to find space to hold high-risk detainees that are set to be transferred from provincial jails in June.
What does it mean to be 'house poor' and how can you avoid it?
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.