Question Period (26 March 2026)

From Hansard (26 March 2026)

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Supports for Vulnerable People

Erika Ritchie: — Mr. Speaker, this is a bad-news budget that is not protecting the most vulnerable people in our province. And the underfunding by the Sask Party government is just the tip of the iceberg.

We hear daily from income support recipients that they can’t get a hold of this government to get information on critical programs. This can be the difference between eating or starving, between sleeping with a roof over your head or sleeping on the street. It can mean the difference between life and death.

The people who can’t reach this government are turning to us, in my office, for help. And even government-side offices are sending their constituents to my office. What does the Premier think I should tell them?

Hon. Terry Jenson: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know what? This is a government that believes in helping the most vulnerable in our society, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to the SAID [Saskatchewan assured income for disability] program in this ’26-27 budget that we’re going to be voting on very shortly, our investment in the SAID is going to increase to $322 million, Mr. Speaker. These are investments that are designed to protect the people of this province, Mr. Speaker.

This is the government that introduced SAID in 2009, and we will certainly not be taking any advice from the members opposite on that. Maybe the member from Saskatoon Nutana wants to spin around in her chair and direct her feigned outrage to the member from Southeast who said, and I quote . . .

Speaker Goudy: — Okay. Minister, I’m going to ask that you would withdraw that — “her feigned outrage.” Please, that’s not the right kind of comments to be coming from a minister.

Hon. Terry Jenson: — I withdraw and apologize, Mr. Speaker. But that member from Saskatoon Southeast, and I quote:

I’ve talked to a lot of folks, and . . . [everyone] has very positive things to say about the Ministry of Social Services. You know, as I said, they speak so highly that in comparison to other ministries they rank it the best to deal with.

 

Erika Ritchie: — Well, Mr. Speaker, you know, that response from the minister does not reflect reality. It is just one failure after another from that side of the House. Cruel and callous cuts and policy changes in the Premier’s bad-news budget are causing so much harm to Saskatchewan’s most vulnerable. Funding for social services has increased a pathetic 0.4 per cent in this budget. And this morning we’re standing with people relying on income support who say their monthly support doesn’t even cover the cost of rent, let alone food, clothing, and other necessities.

Why has this Premier turned his back on the people of Saskatchewan?

Hon. Terry Jenson: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And this is a government that works hard to ensure that we’re protecting the most vulnerable, the most vulnerable in our society, Mr. Speaker. This is a government that’s going to be increasing SAID benefits for the fourth year in a row, Mr. Speaker, in this budget that we’re going to vote on today. Over the next three years, SAID residential supports are going to be increasing by 30 per cent over the next three years. Mr. Speaker, we also have exempted a number of other benefits, including the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, the Canada disability benefit, the Canada child benefit.

There’s GST [goods and services tax] credits, and there’s a lot of other initiatives that are built in that we are providing to these clients, Mr. Speaker. This is a government that, like I said, we will be there to protect them. And that is work that we will continue to do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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