REGINA — Saskatchewan NDP Leader Cam Broten says he would expand mental health care and make it more accessible if elected as government when voters head to the polls April 4.
Broten says that means providing free mental health support for children and youth.
It's the latest campaign-style announcement from the NDP, even though the campaign has not officially started.
The pitch also includes a promise to reduce waits for mental health care by creating two provincial mental health specialty clinics and hiring more mental health workers in northern Saskatchewan.
Broten says he was inspired to do better while spending time in the northern community of La Loche after a shooting in January killed four people, including two at the local high school.
He says teachers told him that they watch students struggle with mental health challenges.
"And while they described children coping with rage and depression, teachers and parents told me the wait for a mental health assessment is far too long," Broten said Tuesday in Regina.
"Often, because of the lack of resources, when the appointment finally comes, the mental health worker has been called away to a crisis."
The Canadian Press
