ESTEVAN – In alphabetical order, the sixth in our series of leaders’ profiles is an interview with the leader of the Buffalo Party, Phil Zajac.
The Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan is looking to improve on its results from the 2020 provincial election, when it had candidates in 17 ridings, but finished second in four of those ridings, and wound up third in the province for the overall popular vote.
Phil Zajac is in his first election as the party's leader. Zajac ran for the Buffalo Party four years ago in the Estevan constituency (now Estevan Big-Muddy), finished second and received the most votes of any Buffalo candidate.
In March 2022, Zajac became the party's first elected leader, defeating Clint Arnason.
Zajac is no stranger to election races. In 2014, he ran to be the Conservative Party of Canada's candidate in Souris-Moose Mountain, located in southeast Saskatchewan, for the federal election the following year, but was defeated by Robert Kitchen in a six-person race that also included current Estevan-Big Muddy MLA Lori Carr. In 2019, Zajac ran for the People's Party of Canada in Souris-Moose Mountain, finishing third, and the following year ran for the Buffalo Party in Estevan. He will be the party's candidate in Estevan-Big Muddy in this year's provincial election, slated for Oct. 28.
Zajac said he didn't really have an interest in politics until he moved to Estevan in 2009, although he did minor in political science and major in sociology in university, as he says he wanted to be a lawyer at one time.
"You take these classes when you're 18, 19, 20, never knowing that someday you'll be involved in politics," said Zajac.
SaskToday.ca interviewed Zajac about the upcoming election. Here are some of the highlights.
Expectations for the election:
As of the morning of Oct. 4, Zajac said the Buffalo Party had 22 candidates, a number that he's satisfied with for the campaign. Others are being vetted, he said, but the party doesn't know if these people will make the cut, because it takes time to get police records and background checks completed.
"We have a really good team. Our candidates are from all different walks of life. We have cattle ranchers, we have business owners. We have ex-teachers. We have a social worker," said Zajac.
The Buffalo Party will have a few candidates in the larger centres, he said, but most will be in rural ridings.
Four years ago, Zajac said the party had 37 people step forward as candidates, but not all were on the ballot. This time around, people once again became excited about politics after the election writ dropped.
"We're not just going to take anybody. We're going to follow our process, and if they don't make it because they asked too late, it's not our fault. We've been sending out the message for months."
He hopes the party can win six to 10 seats and make a significant impact on the province.
"With the way the polls look today, running tight, we could possibly hold the balance of power, which we would share with the Sask. Party, because we have conservative values, and we would make sure that the Sask. Party aligned with those values, and would make better government for the people of Saskatchewan. The opposition [NDP] has been ineffective in holding them accountable."
A coalition with the Sask. Party would be a whole new level of accountability in provincial politics, he said.
"We would make sure that fiscal responsibility, transparency and accountability are the most important things that come out of the legislature every day," he said.
It would also allow for projects to be built quicker. Zajac cited the new regional nursing home in Estevan and a new hospital in Yorkton as health-care facilities that should have happened earlier.
New ministry; bringing back the STC:
The Buffalo Party would create a new ministry for seniors and veterans, and as part of that, it would bring back the Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC), a publicly-funded bus company that was part of the government's fleet of Crown corporations for years. STC was shuttered by the governing Sask. Party in the 2017 provincial budget.
Zajac said STC would be operated like a business rather than a Saskatchewan agency. It would have a network of vans carrying 16-22 passengers each as opposed to the full-sized buses that were synonymous with STC. The vans would also be used to transport freight.
Zajac said the vans would be ideal for seniors and people who can't drive who need to get to medical appointments and emergency situations, or who want to visit family elsewhere in the province.
"Say you're from Estevan and your vehicle breaks down in Saskatoon, and they tell you it's going to take two weeks to fix, well now you have to try to find a friend to get a ride back to Estevan."
With the return of STC, that person could take a van home and then another to return to Saskatoon to retrieve the vehicle.
Zajac said he has met with seniors in other locations in the province. They are feeling the economic pinch right now, and that's why bringing back the STC makes sense.
As for the ministry itself, Zajac said it would ensure veterans and seniors receive health care equal to all citizens, that they would receive safe and affordable housing within the province, and the government would take care of their needs.
"They are the people who built this province and served this country. There is no reason for them to be living in what I would call third-world conditions. We have to take care of the elderly. We have an aging population in Saskatchewan," he said.
He said he has talked to seniors who can't afford their prescriptions any longer, and that shouldn't happen, either.
An MRI and a CT scanner for every hospital:
The Buffalo Party also wants to have an MRI and a CT scanner in each hospital in the province; Zajac said there are 75, and he includes those in rural communities with the health centre designation, such as Oxbow. He has researched the MRI side of the project, and he says the government can build MRI rooms with "state of the art" 3.0 Titan MRIs that can service patients in every rural hospital, and any other hospital without an MRI, for under $2 million each. The CT scanners are less expensive.
The up-front cost is somewhat significant, he said, but it saves people's lives and would provide quality health care for everybody in a timely fashion.
Zajac said there's no long-term planning from the government in health care and education, but with this idea, the quality of service would improve. It would not only help those who are on the lengthy waitlist for an MRI, but it would benefit the family members and loved ones of those people.
"When you look at the big picture, which again, there is none of that happening right now, the mental health of the people who are involved who are waiting for an MRI is enormous. If they know we can take care of their diagnosis quickly, I think it makes the province a much better place to live," said Zajac.
He believes the money spent on the Lake Diefenbaker irrigation projects could buy a lot of CT scanners and MRIs.
Zajac said it wouldn't take long to have the MRI and CT scanners operational, either.
Changes to the Worker's Compensation Board:
The Buffalo Party has been critical of the Worker's Compensation Board, and even has a page on its website that says the WCB is broken. The party has held meetings criticizing the WCB. He believes more accountability is needed.
Zajac suggests having an advocate or an ombudsman that would deal with WCB issues that arise.
The Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety would have to be more involved as well. Zajac accused the WCB of operating out of its mandate, rules and regulations.
Merger with the Progressive Conservatives:
Before the election was called, there were reports the Buffalo Party and the Progressive Conservative Party would form a coalition that could eventually lead to a merger. Those plans didn't produce an agreement, and the PCs revealed last month that Clint Arnason – whom Zajac defeated in the Buffalo leadership race in 2022 – had defected to the PCs for the Oct. 28 election.
According to the PCs, the two parties' policies did not align, specifically saying the Buffalo Party focused heavily on federal and international agendas.
Zajac said they were "very close" on a partnership. The main issues that conservatives in Saskatchewan agree on are similar among a lot of the province's four right-wing parties – the Buffalos, the PCs, the Saskatchewan United Party and the governing Saskatchewan Party. But they also have their unique perspectives.
"It was close, and there might be future conversations," said Zajac. "The Buffalo Party is always open to conversation, whether it's any of the parties that are interested in talking. We'll always come to the table."
As for losing Arnason, Zajac said, "It's just politics", pointing out Sask. Party members have defected to other parties. Zajac said he wishes Arnason all of the best.
A sovereign Saskatchewan:
When the Buffalo Party was launched in 2020, it was known as Wexit Saskatchewan (short for Western Exit), with its stated goal of having a referendum on Western Canadian separation.
Zajac noted any push for separation would come from the members rather than the party itself. If the Buffalo Party were to form government, and if there were to be a referendum with 70 per cent support to begin the process of removing Saskatchewan from confederation, at that point, the party would notify the federal government that it is Saskatchewan's intent, and it would start negotiating with the feds.
Closing remarks:
Zajac says the Buffalo Party is different because it's running on policies rather than platforms. He believes the other parties don't run on policies.
"The public knows exactly what our plan is to implement when we get into the legislature. When we win seats, we can start implementing our policy and bills the first week of work. We can submit them. They have to get read. They get debated and then they get voted on. Next election we'll have a voting record of all of the excellent policies that our members have put forward, and we win government."
