The Saskatchewan NDP is trying to poke holes in claims by the government that it is going to reduce its reliance on American firms. The Opposition is referring to LifeLabs. Any Saskatchewan resident who has ever needed a blood test will be familiar with the service it provides. LifeLabs when first contracted was owned by a Canadian Pension Fund but in 2024 was acquired by U.S. based Quest Diagnostics.
The NDP says a $60 million contract awarded to LifeLabs in 2017 expired on April 1st. And in a news release the NDP says instead of a competitive bidding process, the government appears to be simply extending the contract for three more years. The NDP also claims it is a major party donor to the Saskatchewan Party.
During Question Period, Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill responded that contributions have no bearing in their procurement decisions and adds, “As I have said in regards to this contract and other contracts that we have in our health care system, we will absolutely review procurement options, but what we are not going to do is to risk continuity of access for patients to important services in this province.”
