聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Most of us have done it...often more than once.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It's very likely that you have done it too.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 At some point, most of us have heard some decision emanating out of those hallowed halls of government in Regina, that's left us shaking our heads and muttering. We think about the far different choices we would have made...IF we were the ones elected to make such decisions.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Despite the (very real) wisdom that is frequently found in such musings the hard fact is that only a select number of people ever choose to take their convictions to the next level and stand up to become a candidate.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ryan Meili is one individual that has chosen to stand.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ryan is a physician who lives and works in Saskatoon. He was elected to the Provincial Legislature in a By-election held on March 2nd 2017 as the MLA for Saskatoon Meewasin.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 He is also a candidate in the race to become the Leader of the Provincial NDP.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 This is the third time that Ryan has stood as an NDP Leadership candidate. Given the amount of work that such a campaign demands and the current state of Ryan's ALREADY bulging schedule why would he choose to seek the Leadership again?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚'm doing this because this matters. The decisions made in Regina have a huge impact on the health of people in this province. I went into medicine because I wanted to help people have the best health that they possibly could. But, I've come to understand that the work we do at our clinic...while important...is really being done 'after the fact'.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚f we really want people in this province to be healthy, we have to pay attention to ALL of the factors that help determine health. A person's health is impacted by how much money that they earn. Health is also effected by the quality of education that a person receives in school. Whether or not you have a good and affordable place to live, safe and nutritious food, an environment that is itself healthy enough to sustain you...ALL of these factors help to determine people's health. And ALL of these factors are shaped by political decisions.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 For example, Ryan notes that recent decisions concerning education in Saskatchewan may have a profound impact on students, their families and their communities.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e have terrific schools and teachers in this province. My son is almost 6 years old and he's having an amazing experience in Kindergarten! But, I'm already seeing the stress that teachers are experiencing, and the hours that they are putting in. I'm seeing how difficult it's becoming to provide good support for the special needs students that have been integrated into the classrooms. And, I'm seeing the damage that's been done through the cuts that have been made to both K-12 and Post Secondary education in this province. At the same time, we've seen an increase in the Education Tax. So, we are being asked to pay more...for less.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淟ittle else has more impact on our health than the experiences and opportunities to learn that exist in our schools. As well, with Bill 63, the current government has removed聽 the power to make effective decisions from School Boards. Now, if a School Board makes a decision that the Education Minister doesn't like...that decision can simply be overturned. This means that people, especially in rural communities, will have far less ability to influence decisions involving their child's education. It will now be much more difficult for residents in those communities to have their concerns heard...and addressed.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Although his practice is located in Saskatoon, Ryan is deeply concerned about the health care challenges facing people in rural communities such as Kipling.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淥ccasionally, a community will be lucky enough to find themselves with a doctor that chooses to remain there. But in many cases, a community like Kipling is considered a 'short-term stop' on the way to somewhere else. Through the College of Medicine at University of Saskatchewan, I've been involved in developing a program that increases the amount of training medical students receive in rural communities. The goal is to allow medical students the opportunity to experience life in a rural community...so that they will be better able to see themselves living and working in a community like Kipling in the future.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ryan asserts that the best way to create positive change in health care, is to change the way that government approaches the decisions that are made.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e need to start thinking differently. There needs to be an open discussion about the core values that we ALL share. Government needs to focus on the real needs of patients and communities. As it is now, too much attention is being given to the 'system' itself. With the LEAN Program for example the Sask Party Government spent a lot of money examining ways that we could do what we already do...faster and cheaper. What we need to do, is pay more attention to the ways that we could do the right thing, at the right time, for the people whose lives might well depend on our decisions.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ryan has seen a growing dissatisfaction with the Sask Party Government being expressed by people throughout the province. However, he notes that the party he hopes to lead must renew itself, in order to provide Saskatchewan residents with a good alternative.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淧eople are starting to get fed up with Brad Wall's government. But, up until now, they haven't seen the NDP as a real alternative. I'm convinced that it's not enough to simply 'oppose'. We need to excite and inspire people. Saskatchewan...we have everything we need...the resources and the ingenuity...to make this the healthy and thriving province that it should be. The NDP needs to have a vision and a plan for our province, that is bold enough to allow people to see themselves becoming a part of it.鈥�
