Cumberland MLA Doyle Vermette was suspended from the Legislature for one day after cursing during a legislative discussion about mental health and addiction services in the province. (Screenshot/Sask. Legislature)

By Susan McNeil

Politics

Cumberland MLA Vermette suspended from assembly after cursing during mental health discussion

May 19, 2022 | 4:08 PM

Cumberland House MLA Doyle Vermette (NDP) was suspended for one day from the legislative assembly after accusing the government of not “giving a [expletive]” about issues such as suicide and mental health.

Debate in the assembly became heated yesterday after NDP leader Ryan Meili and Vermette took the government to task for not supporting a request to strike an all-party committee on suicide prevention.

“Why didn’t you just tell them yesterday you didn’t care about them and minister, why don’t you just tell the truth and say that you don’t give a [s*@!] about anyone,” Vermette said.

Vermette has stood up in every sitting of the Legislature for the last 22 days of the sitting asking for more action on his suicide prevention bill.

The bill was passed in 2021, three years after he first proposed it.

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Vermette and Meili both said that in the time since, not much has changed and that there does not seem to be any actual evidence there is a committee overseeing the work as the Saskatchewan Party claims.

Mental Health and Addictions Minister Everett Hindley said that the idea that government is doing nothing is not accurate.

“This is a very serious issue for people in this chamber and across this province and we do take this very seriously,” said Hindley.

He pointed out programs such as Pillars For Life, the provincial suicide prevention plan introduced in 2020 and said that the province has spent millions of dollars in targeted mental health and has expanded the number of treatment beds available and hired more counsellors.

Meili said that a Google search for the Strategic Planning and Oversight committee yields no contact information and there is no way for people to use the related government website to contact anyone.

“Nowhere on the Pillars of Life website is there a phone number, nowhere an email. In fact, the only public mention appears to be the Premier’s use of it to try to distract from his embarrassing answers yesterday,” said Meili, referring to a previous discussion.

Vermette listed the names of multiple families who have had loved ones commit suicide and who he said feel ignored by the government.

“Mr. Speaker, I can tell you the families that came here yesterday have been treated miserably by you as a government,” said Vermette. “We’ve asked the government to work with families who are suffering.”

Premier Scott Moe said that the existing committee that includes representation from a variety of areas is best suited to overseeing the plan.

“This is the appropriate committee of professionals,” said Moe, citing that the committee includes representatives from families of suicide victims, health professionals, law enforcement and the coroner’s office among others.

Meili said the province should give the same focus to mental health as it does when re-writing traffic safety laws and there should be publicly accessible hearings.

According to the Saskatchewan Coroner’s website, in the four years starting in 2018, there were 214, 208, 199 and 204 people who committed suicide annually and there have been 34 so far in 2022.

When it comes to addictions, in 2020 in Saskatchewan 322 people died after overdosing on drugs with 11 of those in Prince Albert. In 2021 there were 350 fatal overdoses with 14 happening in Prince Albert.

So far in 2022, there have been 24 overdose deaths with none in Prince Albert.

Following some other discussion, Vermette was suspended for disregarding the authority of the chair after refusing to apologize three times when asked by the speaker of the house.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow