NDP’s Jagmeet Singh says Liberal budget plan will cut health-care spending

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he will “fight back” against healthcare cuts and will never support any budget that includes them.

At Kinsmen Park in Saskatoon on Wednesday morning, Singh criticized Liberal leader Mark Carney’s plan to balance the operating budget, stating it would mean $43 million in spending cuts over three years.

“That’s $300 million of cuts here in Saskatchewan, and that could be more than 3,000 nurses cut immediately,” Singh said. “Imagine our health-care system that is already struggling.”

Standing by NDP candidates and nurses, he said further cuts could strain emergency rooms even more, pointing to Saskatoon City Hospital’s reduced hours due to staffing shortages.

Singh said Carney’s plan could also mean cuts to pensions, disability support and GST/HST credits, stating it takes away from working families and gives tax breaks to millionaires.

Singh said in a time of economic uncertainty fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, the country must “double down and strengthen the things that make us Canadian.”

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Carney has said instead of making cuts to health care, he plans to reinforce it.

Additionally, the Liberal leader came out with his public safety platform on Thursday, which includes making it a criminal offence to obstruct access to places of worship.

Singh’s stance on tariffs

When asked how Singh would address growing concerns in Saskatchewan over tariffs, he said he would work with all premiers, even if their political views don’t align.

“We’ve got to find ways to diversify our markets,” Singh said, adding that Canada’s reliance on the U.S. and China for its agriculture sector has proven to be a vulnerability.

Singh said support for sectors such as agriculture comes from finding new trading partners and markets to sell products.

Singh’s housing-first approach

Singh believes in a housing-first approach to tackle the rising issue of homelessness.

“If you can get someone in a home, we can figure everything else out,” he said. “We can get people the supports they need to deal with, whether it’s mental health or addiction services.”

When addressing the opioid crisis, Singh wants to strengthen Canada’s border by adding more officers to prevent illegal drugs from entering the country.

“First and foremost, we (have) to get the toxic stuff off our streets,” Singh said. “Instead of punishing people after the fact, we want to stop this before it happens.”

Singh said rehabilitation is fundamental in addressing the opioid crisis, adding it must be treated with “urgent action.”

“We can solve this, but it has to take the priority of responding to this crisis like it’s a crisis.”

— with files from The Canadian Press