Saskatoon Centre MLA Betty Nippi-Albright has left the Saskatchewan NDP to sit as an independent, accusing party leader Carla Beck of a 'performative' response to the province's Compassionate Intervention Act, also known as Bill 48.
Allegations of Suppressed Report
Nippi-Albright claimed Beck instructed her not to table an 'expert analysis report' containing opinions from medical experts that the NDP had commissioned on the bill. The law, passed Tuesday, allows forced treatment for individuals with severe addiction posing serious health risks.
'That is performative, because in the speech before we voted on this, Carla was talking about, 'We're against this. We don't want this.' But in the second breath, she's saying, 'Yeah, we're for forced treatment',' Nippi-Albright stated at a Regina news conference on Wednesday.
NDP Leader's Response
Beck expressed surprise at the allegations, saying trust had been broken. She denied suppressing the report, noting it formed the basis for 17 amendments proposed during committee. 'What Ms. Nippi-Albright was told was that she was not to table the report in its entirety, but there was no muzzling of talk of that report,' Beck explained.
Beck defended her party's approach, stating they worked to improve a flawed bill. 'I am proud of how we have navigated this very difficult and important discussion about the drug crisis,' she said.
Nippi-Albright's Stance
The now-independent MLA, Saskatchewan's only Indigenous female MLA and former NDP critic for mental health and addictions, emphasized her commitment to evidence-based approaches. 'I will continue to advocate for evidence-based approaches that protect people, not approaches that increase harm,' she affirmed.
Nippi-Albright criticized Beck for allegedly supporting forced treatment in press releases while opposing it in legislative speeches, calling the contradiction 'performative.' She stressed her duty to represent overlooked voices with integrity.
