The NDP is accusing the Saskatchewan Party of planning to privatize the provincial health-care system, despite party claims to the contrary.

The NDP claims the Saskatchewan Party, led by Brad Wall, pictured, wants to privatize the provincial health-care system. Saskatchewan Party members deny the accusation.
(Jennifer Graham/Canadian Press)

NDP Finance Minister Pat Atkinson said on Wednesday that Saskatchewan Party Leader Brad Wall was advocating an efficiency review of the system, something done by British Columbia's Liberal government before it privatized a number of health-care support services.

"What does an efficiency review mean?" asked Atkinson. "Because I believe it's code for something other than what Mr. Wall is saying to the public."

Atkinson claimed Wall has secret intentions to outsource many of the services around health care to private corporations. Those services include home care, laundry, cleaning and hospital food.

"Can he assure us that those support services for seniors and disabled people will not be privatized?" she asked.

Dan D'Autremont, the Saskatchewan Party's MLA for Cannington, said the NDP is just doing some pre-election fearmongering.

Last week, the NDP launched a campaign attacking the Saskatchewan Party as a wolf-in-sheep's clothing. D'Autremont said these allegations are simply part of that strategy.

"This is all about the big scare the NDP run in health care every election," he said. "We fully support publicly funded and publicly administered health care."

D'Autremont said his party believes the health-care system could be more efficient, but has no intention of taking the province in the same direction as British Columbia.

"The B.C. experience has shown that it doesn't work. It doesn't save any money. It doesn't provide efficiencies."

D'Autremont said people should be more concerned about the long health-care waiting lists Saskatchewan people have endured under the NDP.