The two candidates for the Saskatchewan New Democrat leadership were in Nipawin, explaining their vision for the province at an informal debate organized by the local Carrot River Valley NDP.
Ryan Meili, the MLA for Saskatoon Meewasin and former family doctor and Trent Wotherspoon, the MLA for Regina Rosemont and a former teacher focused on at-risk youth, addressed their party’s faithful at the Evergreen Centre Dec. 10.
“People are ready for change, but for us to be the change they choose, we need to put something out there that’s more than just a critique of the Sask. Party,” Meili said. “They know what we’re fighting against. They know that we would stop the cut and save the Crowns, but people want to know what we’re fighting for. They want to know what our vision is for the future. They need to know that we’re ready to lead.”
Meili would focus on enacting a $15 minimum wage, a pharmacare system, an anti-poverty plan and universal child care. In terms of the Northeast, he’d develop a water management strategy to deal with the more frequent wet years, as well as a strategy to help farmers adapt to changes in climate and markets.
“It’s an exciting time for us right now to lay forward a vision that connects with the realities of Saskatchewan people,” Wotherspoon said. “My vision is a province that works for everybody, one that’s filled with hope, opportunity and reconciliation. That’s the Saskatchewan that I want to build.”
Wotherspoon would focus on creating a universal mental health and addiction system, a $15 per day universal childcare system, reversing cuts to education and shrinking class sizes, and requiring a referendum to sell or close crown corporations. In terms of the Northeast, he’d support valued-added agriculture, work to make sure the rail system actually works for producers and give back powers to the North East School Division recently taken away by the Sask. Party government.
Carbon Tax
Both candidates were in support of a carbon tax – but they wanted a made-in-Saskatchewan solution. Wotherspoon said a carbon tax would have to be designed in a way it protects families and businesses that are competing on the world market against other jurisdictions without the tax. Meili agreed, saying the devil is in the details and some of the revenues should go towards renewable energy.
Reviving STC
Both candidates also supported resurrecting the Saskatchewan Transportation Company, while warning that a new version would look different. Meili said the STC should be thought of as infrastructure, something like a city bus system, rather than a profit-making venture. Wotherspoon said the STC was a lifeline for those trying to go to appointments in the cities.
PST increase to six per cent
Wotherspoon said the increase of the PST in the last provincial budget has had a chilling effect on the economy, hurting families and the construction industry. Meili said the increase meant the bottom 10 per cent of earners are paying two per cent more of their income, the middle are paying one per cent more and the top 10 per cent saw no increase, adding that effect was wrong.
Protecting Crown Corporations
Meili said the province’s crown corporations should be able to expand into different businesses and different provinces, and the government should stop draining their coffers. He also saw the potential for new crown corporations, like one that produced generic drugs. Wotherspoon said he would change the province’s constitution, the Saskatchewan Act, to require a referendum to sell or close a crown.
Campaign financing
Both candidates support banning corporate, union and out-of-province donations to political parties. They’d also impose donation limits on how much people can donate. Meili has chosen to not accept union or corporate donations for his leadership campaign – but he would accept them for the NDP if he was leader for the next election.
For more details on the two candidates, check out the Dec. 13 edition of the Tisdale Recorder.
