Sask. NDP leader wants health minister to resign, Shahab advice to be heeded

The leader of the Saskatchewan NDP is repeating his Friday call for the resignation of the province’s health minister, Paul Merriman.

In speaking to media on Monday in front of Merriman’s Saskatoon office, Ryan Meili and Health Critic Vicki Mowat renewed the call for Merriman’s resignation and called on the Saskatchewan government to listen to recommendations made by chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab.

Citing low vaccination rates — Saskatoon has the lowest rate of vaccination in the country — and the overwhelming of health-care services in the province, Meili and Mowat want to see a new health minister appointed.

Mowat explained she has heard from multiple families concerned about daycare and school safety for their children, while Meili said medical colleagues in emergency rooms in the province have informed him of their worries that Saskatchewan hospitals are becoming overwhelmed.

“The health minister has not been showing up for work this summer. When he did show up to work in the last year, he showed up to not listen to health-care workers, to not listen to experts in the field and, unfortunately, we’re seeing that again,” Mowat said.

“If the health minister is not going to listen to the public health experts, he should resign.”

Meili called Merriman “absolutely a failure.”

“Merriman’s already failed enough; he’s got to go,” Meili said.

Meili and Mowat both stated Scott Moe’s government has buried its head in the sand and gone “missing in action” over the summer, not listening to the concerns and recommendations of the medical community or the public.

“They just told people it was over, went home (and) declared victory long before the game was done,” Meili said.

Merriman’s record, according to Meili, shows he ignored doctors about the impending second wave and relaxed restrictions during the third.

Meili said Shahab was much more forthright with recommendations made last week — supporting vaccine and mask mandates — than he has been and Meili wants to see the province’s chief doctor given more freedom to share his professional medical opinions.

Last week, Shahab recommended that masks be mandated in indoor public places and proof of vaccination be required in public places for adults.

“Scott Moe and Paul Merriman have failed to live up to his guidance,” Meili said. “We heard from Dr. Shahab on Friday … and there was some big daylight between him and the health minister and the premier and that’s happened over and over again.

“We’ve seen Dr. Shahab’s advice ignored.”

Meili said Moe has the opportunity to now choose someone better, though Meili said Moe’s bench at this time is “thin.”

Moe responds

Moe said he wouldn’t dignify the NDP’s call for Merriman’s resignation with a response.

“The health minister’s been working very hard throughout this pandemic and most certainly … will continue to work hard with Dr. Shahab, Scott Livingstone (of the Saskatchewan Health Authority) and the Ministry of Health in providing the best advice that we can to the people of the province,” Moe said.

“I think this just further goes to how we see an opposition party that has essentially politicized this pandemic throughout.”

Moe said his government has always been upfront with its actions and is working to preserve health-care services in the province.

Saskatchewan Federation of Labour echoes NDP call

A provincial labour organization is adding its voice to the call for Merriman’s resignation.

The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) said in a release Monday it wants to see the provincial government take urgent action to protect workers and their families as a fourth wave in the pandemic looms with “skyrocketing case numbers” and overwhelms the province’s health-care system.

SFL president Lori Johb called on the provincial government to put public health measures in place immediately to combat the spread of COVID-19.

“The Sask. Party was warned that their disastrous approach of dropping all public health restrictions was reckless and would result in illnesses and deaths that were entirely preventable,” Johb said.

“Now, just as predicted, health-care workers are being pushed to the brink, frontline workers are still at risk of contracting the virus, and parents are worried for their children as school is starting while the virus is spreading and getting kids sick.”

Johb called for the resumption of masking mandates for all indoor spaces and areas where social distancing is not possible, the introduction of proof of vaccination to enter certain public spaces and plans to ensure schools can remain open while protecting the health of students, teachers and support workers.

The SFL president also called on the health minister to apologize to frontline heroes for “insulting” comments made last week, and for his resignation due to a “total mismanagement of the pandemic that has led to a fourth wave of COVID-19,” according to the release.

“It’s clear that Minister Merriman has no understanding of the work that frontline health-care workers do and the immense pressures they are facing because of his decisions,” Johb said.

“The Minister must apologize and resign so that someone more capable can step in to lead the province out of this pandemic.”