SASKATOON — Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand is concerned about having a possible Social Services minister who might not be from an urban area as premier-elect Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party prepare to form a government after Monday’s election.
Moe, the Sask Party Leader, will remain the province’s premier after he and the Saskatchewan Party win a fifth term. However, former Minister of Social Services Gene Makowsky lost his re-election bid for the Regina University riding won by the Saskatchewan NDP’s Sally Houser.
“Congratulations to the Sask Party for having a fifth majority government. I hope we can work together on First Nations issues. One of my concerns about this election was that First Nations issues were not discussed. We weren't a key piece of the puzzle for any parties. Homelessness was not a big one,” said Arcand.
“I can support the economy. I can support education. I can support healthcare. I can support all of these things, but we've got to focus on First Nations partnerships. Just because we're given some crumbs doesn't mean we're making a difference in reconciliation.”
Makowsky, one of the victims of the Sask Party purge in Regina, and Ken Cheveldayoff in Saskatoon Willowgrove, the remaining member of the incoming government, live in highly urbanized cities.
Arcand is concerned the next Social Services minister might lack the experience to help solve the problems experienced by First Nations peoples living in big cities like Saskatoon.
“Right now, I don't see any, except for one riding in Saskatoon with a potential cabinet minister. I’m concerned [the next minister] lacks the experience dealing with the urban centres like Saskatoon or even [Prince Albert]. So, you're going to have to rely a lot on the program, [organization] services like the Saskatoon Tribal Council that's dealing with homelessness or others like the Salvation Army to advise and hopefully get somebody willing to make proper investments in social services for homelessness is a good example because we've been underfunded. We've got to make that change,” said Arcand.
“The second piece is homelessness. I'm very concerned because we've done a new count in Saskatoon. I estimate there are probably 800 people on the streets of Saskatoon, and those are most First Nations people. When we talk about the numbers increasing, that tells us we've got a lot of social problems that we have to invest more in. We've got to make more investments in treatment centres.”
He cited Alberta as an example of how to do things in providing social services, as he said their provincial government give funds to look for, maintain and operate facilities for treating addictions and mental health issues. Unlike in Saskatchewan, where money is provided, your organization must find the appropriate facility to maintain and operate a treatment centre.
“A lot of organizations don't have money to find capital. We've got to change that system because we've got to help people. If you want people in education, you've got to treat the symptoms. If you want people with good jobs, you've got to treat the symptoms so they can get to those good jobs, and we're not doing that. We've got some challenges, but we are willing to work together and address these. It's got to come with proper investment, and it's got to be immediate,” said Arcand.
He then asked whoever Moe appointed as the social service minister to visit the emergency wellness centre and the Salvation Army’s facilities in Saskatoon, where they help many First Nations people.
“Come and look at it. Learn, understand, be educated, and create awareness about why people are homeless. I can tell you right now you can put a person in a house, but if they have addictions and they don't deal with those addictions, they're not going to survive in that house because they're going to get evicted because of the friends they bring over, the bad decisions that they're making. So, we're not solving a problem,” said Arcand.
The Saskatchewan NDP will remain the minority in the incoming legislature but made a significant impact after sweeping all Regina constituencies and winning 12 of the 14 in Saskatoon, with one riding still a toss-up. They only won 10 seats in 2016 and 13 in 2020.
Bronwyn Eyre (Ministry of Justice and Attorney General) of Saskatoon Stonebridge, Paul Merriman (Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety) of Saskatoon Silversprings and Laura Ross (Ministry of Parks, Culture, and Sports) of Regina Rochdale were the other cabinet members who were given the boot.
