Today Saskatchewan faces on of the greatest challenges we have ever experienced. The Covid-19 pandemic is rapidly changing the way in which we must all live our lives. It has forced us to adopt new measures, such as social distancing, to help fight Covid-19. This has resulted in the closure of schools, universities, businesses, recreational and entertainment centres, and many other places where we used to gather and socialize. These are challenging times, but rest assured, your government is committed to working to combat the spread of Covid-19.

Last week, our government tabled the 2020-21 spending initiatives, the government’s spending plans for the coming year. Due to the unprecedented and challenging time in our province, these estimates were put forward without a revenue forecast. However, the budget still provides a number of key investments for Saskatchewan communities. This includes $434.5 million dollars for mental health and addictions supports and services, an additional $20 million dollars to address surgical wait times and pay for 3,700 additional surgeries to help residents receive their procedures sooner, and an additional $18.4 million dollars to the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, bringing their annual grant to a record $196.4 million, to help them continue their necessary and much-needed work. We are also continuing to help build Saskatchewan with a capital investment of $2.7 billion dollars by Crown corporations and Executive Government, which will serve as an important economic stimulus during this challenging time.

Rest assured that our government is able to provide additional resources as required to help address the health and economic challenges that Covid-19 has brought to our province. We are taking action to help protect the safety, security, and well-being for Saskatchewan people during this difficult time.

As our Premier Scott Moe has stated, we will get through this challenge together. This challenge will only be met if we come together as a province. Restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 are key to flattening the curve. For further information regarding the government’s efforts surrounding Covid-19, including supports for individuals and businesses, please visit www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19.