SASKATOON — Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck is ramping up their campaign and will continue visiting the province’s rural areas n the final days before the election on Monday, Oct. 28.
Beck, speaking to reporters after addressing members of the 2024 Saskatchewan Federation of Labour Convention on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at TCU Place, said campaigning in rural communities is like going home for her.
“That's home for me, right? The people in rural Saskatchewan want the same things that we see across this province. They need a break on the cost of living,” said Beck, who grew up in Lang, a village south of Saskatoon.
“We have made inroads in rural Saskatchewan by listening to people and presenting a platform to address the concerns they brought to us. I'm not even surprised when I go into small towns, where people say: ‘Hey, you know, we're voting for you this time.’”
She added that rural communities across the province have received their message of change, especially in healthcare and education issues, and their plan to suspend the 15 cents per litre fuel tax if given the chance to form a government.
“Health care is an issue right across the province, but it's often people in rural areas who are driving up to their local ER only to find a piece of paper telling them that they've got to, in an emergency, get in their vehicle and drive down the highway to get the care that they need. We've lost 21 per cent of our nurses in rural Saskatchewan,” said Beck.
“In fact, in rural areas, in remote areas of the province where people tend to drive bigger vehicles and have a longer commute, that gas tax commitment resonates very well. Education support isn't available anywhere in this province. Rural people must drive further to get their kids the help they need. Crime, addictions, and mental health are also issues right across the province.”
She also downplayed that an NDP-led Saskatchewan government would be an extension of MP and national NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Justin Trudeau’s federal government, assuring they would be independent and work for what is best for the province.
“I've been very clear about how I would deal with any premier, regardless of political stripe. I would be focused on the interests of the Saskatchewan people. And when we had differences, regardless of who was in power, I would be at the table making sure I was making those differences clear and working to get the best deal for the Saskatchewan people,” said Beck.
“And when there are projects at the federal level, decisions at the federal level, where Saskatchewan people stand to benefit, whether that's diabetes medication or $10 a day daycare, I will be at those tables making sure that we are building the best deal for Saskatchewan people.”
