Numbers forecast stormy weather for premier and party

From a young age I was taught to plan ahead: bring a sweater, pack a raincoat and bring an umbrella “just in case.” As a kid in air cadets, I learned how to predict changing weather as part of our survival training by learning how to read the clouds. I remember carefully observing different cloud patterns outside and being amazed that cloud shapes were evidence of what was to come.

As the jobs critic for the Saskatchewan New Democrats, I now closely observe labour stats as indicators of what is to come. A new labour report is released from Statistics Canada each month. Although they’re perhaps a bit less interesting than clouds, I follow these reports diligently.

Unemployment rates and job growth are two of the most used economic indicators for measuring how our economy is doing. Over the past year, the NDP opposition has repeatedly rung the alarm about what has been happening with these indicators. The truth is crystal clear: Saskatchewan is bleeding jobs.

This month, the unemployment rate climbed to 7.4 per cent. The Canadian Payroll Association reported that half of Saskatchewan workers feel overwhelmed by the debt load they are carrying. What was Premier Scott Moe’s response? He continues to crow that jobs are going great, in spite of the evidence. This should be a wake-up call, yet Moe and the Saskatchewan Party seem more interested in spinning the numbers than in addressing Saskatchewan’s unemployment rate.

What we’ve seen is clear: Unemployment in Saskatchewan has been getting steadily worse for the past four years. As Statistics Canada’s August labour report shows, the employment forecast in Saskatchewan is looking bleak. But the Sask. Party weather anchors, including Moe in a misleading Sept. 7 tweet, are still forecasting “sunny skies ahead.”

I’ve spoken to many people across Saskatchewan who are desperately looking for work. Even some of those who are working full time are living in poverty. Saskatchewan has the lowest minimum wage in Canada, and repeated cuts to post-secondary education and increases to taxes like the PST have stopped many people from being able to afford training for better jobs. Expanding the PST in the midst of an economic downturn has particularly struck the construction and restaurant industries.

Premier Moe and the Sask. Party are fixated on cherrypicking statistics that paint a sunny picture of the true situation. They hope that Saskatchewan people will turn a blind eye to the facts.

Other provinces are bouncing back, and while Saskatchewan remains an economically competitive province with a young workforce, this government’s poor choices have made life more difficult for many.

Your New Democratic Opposition will continue to demand honesty and sincerity from Premier Moe and the Sask. Party when it comes to job numbers in Saskatchewan, and we won’t forget our umbrellas.

Vicki Mowat, Saskatchewan NDP jobs critic, MLA for Saskatoon Fairview