Addressing hundreds of party delegates in Prince Albert today, NDP Leader Ryan Meili laid out an economic vision rooted in early-years supports and local procurement.
Meili pledged that an NDP government would address the under-resourcing of Saskatchewan classrooms, including a cap on class size for early years and sufficient individualized supports for students requiring extra attention.
“With a New Democrat government there won’t be a single class from K-3 with more than 24 children,” Meili said.
Meili contrasted his plan with the current government’s underfunding of education over the past three years:
“The Sask. Party likes to talk about the economy, but they don’t know the difference between a cost and an investment.”
Meili outlined his vision for “an upstream, resilient economy.”
Building that economy, Meili said:
“means embracing innovation. It means seeking new markets at home and abroad. It means making sure everyone has a chance to be included in our prosperity. And it means growing local by building up Saskatchewan companies and Saskatchewan workers.”
In support of that vision, Meili committed to a Saskatchewan First local procurement policy.
“When it’s our hospitals, our roads and our schools, our bridges, built with our tax dollars,” Meili asked the crowd, “don’t you think we should be building them with our companies and our workers?
“That’s why New Democrats will implement a Saskatchewan First plan to ensure that public dollars go into local companies who hire local workers.”