SHELLBROOK - In alphabetical order, the fifth in our series of leaders’ profiles is an interview with the leader of the Saskatchewan Party, Scott Moe.
A responsible platform that builds on their record is what you can expect from Moe and the Saskatchewan Party in the 2024 provincial election campaign.
Moe spoke to SaskToday in his longtime home community of Shellbrook just prior to the election call. The venue was the hockey rink at the Richardson Pioneer Recreational Centre.
A graduate of the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture, Moe has represented the riding of Rosthern-Shellbrook since being first elected to the legislature in 2011.
Since that time, Moe has served in cabinet as Minister of Environment, Minister of Advanced Education, Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Water Corporation, and Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Water Security Agency.
He is now seeking his second full term as premier after winning the party leadership early in 2018 and the provincial election in 2020.
Here are a few highlights from our conversation with Moe, starting with comments about the Shellbrook arena venue where the interview took place.
On the Shellbrook rink, and the need for recreation facilities around the province:
"We're in the Shellbrook Hockey Rink or the Richardson Pioneer Recreational Centre… a place where I think many, many, many memories have been made and not only by myself but by so many other people —- whether it be minor hockey, senior hockey.
"It's really a place where the community comes together —- first of all, to build it. Second of all, to have all the fun that we do in it, which isn't unlike every other community across the province.
"... And I think it speaks to the importance of, you know, whether it be a recreation or, you know, some of the facilities that we have, community halls that support the arts in our communities. These are gathering places for where we come together and where we form our relationships with one another, and where we plan, you know, the future betterment of our communities.
"And so, you know, this one was built in the early 70s by a bunch of guys from town that went out into the bush and cut some trees down and ran them through a sawmill, and built the rafters and ultimately built the rink. And that isn't that different than many other rinks in many other communities .—- how we've, you know, improved our communities over the last number of decades. It's since gone through, you know, a number of fundraising campaigns and upgrades, and most recently just about four or five years ago with a significant upgrade to the ice surface.
"And again, that isn't that different from, you know, so many communities across the province. And I think the reason there's a need to replace places — not this one, but places like this —- is the importance of the recreational infrastructure, the importance of our community halls, the importance of the gathering places, whatever they might look like in our towns, villages, and cities. They're everything to each of us."
On the importance of infrastructure:
"Infrastructure is incredibly important. And it's been, you know, I think a significant commitment by our government, when you look at our record, to continue to invest really record amounts in all of those fronts.
"You know, Jim Pattison Children's Hospital, a new hospital in Prince Albert, Weyburn, Moose Jaw, we see, you know, investment in urgent care centres. And I think that's why you have to ensure that, in particular in election campaigns, that the value proposition that you're putting forward as a party is a responsible one.
"Because if it's an irresponsible one, and we're seeing that in the NDP already with over $4 billion so far promised with no plan on how to pay for it, it gets paid for in one of three ways: You raise taxes down the way, you increase the debt, or you start cancelling those infrastructure projects so there is no Victoria Hospital, there is no Jim Pattison Children's Hospital, there is no Urgent Care Centre. That is ultimately what happens, and it's what happened last time. It's their record, and unfortunately it's also their plan."
Issues that are priorities in this campaign:
"I think you'll see a number of things discussed throughout this campaign, but on Oct. 28th, when people go into the ballot box, they're going to ask themselves the question of who is best to continue to grow and strengthen our economy so that we can build a brighter future for all, and in particular for our children and grandchildren. The answer to that question is quite clear when you look at the record of the Saskatchewan Party, and when you look at the campaign platform that we're going to put forward in the next number of weeks. It's going to be a responsible campaign platform.
"It's going to be a platform that addresses the cost-of-living pressures that, yes, we're feeling in Saskatchewan like other Canadians. We are, yes, the most affordable place in Canada. We have the lowest inflation rate, but we are still feeling those cost-of-living pressures like other Canadians are, and you're going to see that addressed in our campaign.
"You're going to see the continued investment in people and community services, as well as, I think, significant investment in public safety, community safety, and making our communities and our neighbourhoods safer than maybe they have been. That's going to be a two-pronged approach. The first is going to be to focus on recovery because the challenges that we have around mental health and all too often subsequent addictions in our community is real...
"Second is going to be enforcement. We need to get the drugs out of the hands of the drug dealers, and we need to get the drug dealers out of our communities, and we're committed to doing that with 180 additional RCMP officers committed to, 100 additional municipal police officers, 70 marshals - provincial police force, which will support our RCMP and support our municipal officers and make for safer communities and neighbourhoods, and that's the goal."
On what differentiates his platform from the other parties:
"It's a responsible platform that isn't going to saddle debt and difficult decisions for future generations. And it's a platform that is expanding on a record, a record of growing a strong economy so that we can build that brighter future for Saskatchewan residents. That's very different than what you'll see from the other party that, as the polling indicates, could potentially form government, and that's the NDP, who have an irresponsible platform with no plan on how they are going to pay for the promises that they make. And their record is one of decline, loss, and closures on every front, whether it be schools, whether it be hospitals, whether it be community services, whether it be the number of teachers and healthcare workers in our communities.
"Decline, loss, and closure is their record. Building a strong economy and a brighter future is our record, and it's our commitment throughout this election campaign is to continue on just that path into the future."
On proposals of other parties to suspend the gas tax and reduce the PST:
"Well, I would say a couple of things. One, they're temporary. Two, they have no plan on how they're going to pay for it. And three, which means they're going to cut the highways budget in the case of the NDP or anyone else that is making commitments around the temporary gas tax reduction.
"Three is it might not actually impact those that are struggling with cost-of-living pressures, as a gas tax is applied to everyone. So it's applied to a trucking company from Vancouver that's passing through the province of Saskatchewan. And I would encourage Saskatchewan residents, as we find our way through the election campaign, to look at the platforms of what the Saskatchewan Party will be putting forward in the space of family affordability and who it impacts, and is it truly having an impact on those that need it.
"Because just cutting the gas tax may not precisely be targeting the folks that actually are struggling with the cost-of-living pressures that we're seeing in our communities and in our families and with those that need it."
On the NDP’s position in support of getting rid of the federal carbon tax:
"Well, cats don't change their stripes quite that quick.
"Listen, at the end of the day, what we've seen is, you know, an NDP party nationally and provincially that have supported Justin Trudeau and his carbon tax for years. At any point in time over the course of the last four years, the NDP party had the ability to stop this nonsense about taxing citizens when they're taking children to school, to a rink like this, to their arts and recreation opportunities that they have, and they chose not to.
"And now in the dying days before an election, they say, no, we've changed our mind. We actually don't support Justin Trudeau and his carbon tax.
"Well, it's hogwash, and Saskatchewan people are going to see through that."
On issues in education:
"Unprecedented investment by this government. Our record is one of unprecedented investment in education.
"Twenty-eight schools are being built, planned, or been announced today. Over 100 have been built since we had the opportunity to form government. Contrast that with, again, the NDP closed a school every month they were in power. 176 schools closed.
"We have taken a very different path in building schools in communities across this province, and I've had the honour to visit a number of them in the last couple of weeks. Nine percent increase to our operational funding in education. Really an unprecedented increase this past year, recognizing there's more students in our classrooms, recognizing we're building more classrooms, so we need to hire more teachers.
"And so as we look into the future, there is going to be an evolving discussion when it comes to education, classroom complexity, the number of students in our classrooms, how many classrooms we're building, and we want to be part of that conversation in a productive, collaborative way. And we agree that there is going to be increases in our education funding into the future because for all of those reasons, we need to build more classrooms, we need to hire more teachers because we have more students, and different challenges, admittedly, in those classrooms that need to be addressed.
"And we need to look at it differently, and we have a couple of pilot programs, projects, classroom projects that are going on now, which I think are going to hold some significant merit in how we're going to be able to work together to provide that opportunity for our students to access a quality education, but more importantly, to attain and aspire to all that they can be."
On addressing challenges in health care:
"First and foremost, I would say in a post-pandemic world, the challenges that we see in Saskatchewan are not unique to Saskatchewan.
"They're across Canada, and in many cases, more challenging in even other areas of Canada than they are in Saskatchewan. By no means does that mean that we have a pass or cannot continue to work on and work collaboratively with communities, our health care organizations, our collective bargaining representatives as well to ensure that we are offering the services as consistently as possible in as many communities as possible so Saskatchewan people have what they expect, which is access to a physician or a nurse practitioner, access to a surgery and access to the health care that they require.
"That's why you've seen Saskatchewan not only put forward a plan and the most ambitious health human resource plan in the nation of Canada, but have put forward over $300 million in funding that recruitment and retention effort of all health care staff in all communities across the province.
"It's seeing results. It's seeing results in starting to stabilize some of the care and lessen any disruptions that we have in this province. But we also need that plan, that ambitious health human resource recruitment and retention plan, because we're not just building for the status quo.
"We're building to staff new urgent care centres, which take over 100 staff in each of them, one operating in Regina, one coming in the partnership with the Ahtahkakoop Cree Developments in Saskatoon. We're staffing up to fill the not only 40 per cent additional beds at the PA Victoria Hospital, but the addition of services that are coming into that community that are servicing not only Prince Albert and surrounding area, but the entirety of the northern portion of the province of Saskatchewan.
"It is important that we have and fund that health human resource plan, because we're not just trying to fill some of the challenges that have arisen across Canada and in our province in a post-pandemic world, but we're actually building for more people and building for more services being offered to Saskatchewan people.
So this is an ongoing discussion, because we need more people, not less, working in health care and offering those services tomorrow than we even have today."
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To hear the complete interview with the Saskatchewan Party’s Scott Moe, press play below.
