Saskatchewan people are struggling due to the issue of affordability right now. Our social support systems and the wages people receive are not enough to keep up with the cost of living. We can and must do better.
✅ Establish a universal Guaranteed Liveable Income (GLI) program to replace the current array of income supports, such as disability payments, social assistance and income supplements for seniors. Payment would be set at a “livable” and realistic level for our province. The negotiation to implement a liveable income across the province needs to take place immediately. Unlike existing income support programs, additional income would not be clawed back. Those earning above a certain total income would pay the GLI back in taxes.
✅ We must immediately increase existing social income programs by double to give people an amount where they can thrive while a Guaranteed Liveable Income is put in place. People need immediate relief.
✅ Establish a minimum wage of $25 per hour in Saskatchewan. The cost of living has risen to a point where anything else is poverty enforcement. We must also abolish regressive wage policies – like training wages well below minimum wage –and unpaid internships.
✅ Design and implement a provincial mental health strategy to address the link between mental wellness and work productivity
The world of work is changing rapidly. We need to adapt.:
🌿 Raise the Saskatchewan minimum wage to $25 per hour
🌿 Support women, trans and non-binary people’s workforce participation, education and training
🌿 Establish a Guaranteed Livable Income program to eliminate poverty
🌿 Legislate housing as a legally protected human right
🌿 Make college and university tuition free and forgive provincial student debt