Sask Party - Delbert Kirsch
Saskatchewan Party candidate, Delbert Kirsch, always had a passion for Saskatchewan politics. He was still a teenager when he began door knocking and he’s been at it ever since.
Kirsch says he was the vice president of the Batoche constituency when the former MLA stepped down and after running for the nomination, has been the MLA for Batoche ever since.
The biggest thing Kirsch wants to do is keep Saskatchewan strong.
“When you see how things have change in the last 8 years, from being a have not province to a have province…it’s a challenge, yes.
Money is a little tighter but Saskatchewan is moving forward.”
And by moving forward, Kirsch mentions Saskatchewan’s shortest wait times in Canada, and looking at the number of schools and hospital being built in the province.
The Battleford Hospital was on a wait list for a while but that is finally coming to fruition. The St. Louis Bridge is another that has been dreamed/wanted/needed and now the Saskatchewan government has finally built, says Kirsch.
STARS is another reality that has come to fruition under Brad Wall, says Kirsch.
“I spent four years in opposition and STARS was always talked about but said we couldn’t do. Well, we’ve done it.”
Along with more daycare spaces, and income for seniors, the party has done a lot, says Kirsch, but there is a lot more to do.
There has been a lot of negative in the last couple of years, especially with oil and gas prices dropping and problems in the energy industry.
But Saskatchewan is still going strong with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Canada, says Kirsch.
“We’re not just tied to oil. The numbers say approximately 47 per cent of Canada’s cropland is here in Saskatchewan.”
The Saskatchewan government has worked to improve markets for agriculture in Saskatchewan, says Kirsch, especially with Brad Wall leading trade missions to India.
These led to Saskatchewan having 40 per cent of the national trade with India, including Saskatchewan uranium.
Saskatchewan’s diversity is keeping that “drive alive,” especially with Brad Wall at the helm, says Kirsch.
NDP Saskatchewan - Clay DeBray
Social Democrats is a family thing for NDP candidate, Clay DeBray.
“I grew up in an orange house and growing up now that we have change, for myself becoming a father, it’s time that I’d like to be an advocate for people struggling a bit.”
DeBray was asked to run by people who feel they can be better represented.
The NDP platform talks about today and tomorrow, says DeBray.
“When we’re looking at the mismanagement of funds that our current government is misplacing, we’re going to be putting that into the priorities of families and people.”
By being both an educator and a father, DeBray is concerned about the future of children in Saskatchewan.
DeBray says the NDP wants to put it into people, children and adult education, and seniors care.
The Lean Project is one of the areas in which the NDP says is wasting Saskatchewan dollars. Instead, the NDP wants to start putting money into getting more nurses, healthcare providers, and frontline workers in our healthcare system, says DeBray.
Crown corporations is something that DeBray wants to keep for the people and keep them from being privatized.
We want to keep them as the people’s crowns, says DeBray.
At 37-years-old, DeBray says his youth, hard work, and ambition would bring different viewpoints and ideas into the provincial governments.
“When it comes decision base on election day, hopefully people will look at the name on the ballot and think who best will represent them.”
With the incumbent being in for 12 years, DeBray says that it may be time for a change.
“I’ve pretty well knocked on every door in the constituency, and what it comes down to and the biggest thing that I’ve been hearing is the lack of representation.”
DeBray has been hearing from some constituents that the government has become stagnant.
What it comes down to, says DeBray, is who best is going to represent the constituents and he believes he is the one to represent Batoche.
“That’s my promise is to continue to work hard to prove to people that I will be a strong voice for those in the Batoche constituency.”
Saskatchewan Liberals - Graham Tweten
Liberal candidate, Graham Tweten, has always enjoyed working with people. He’s been working in the customer service industry since before he was out of high school.
“I enjoy being around people and hearing their thoughts and concerns, that’s what brought me into wanting to engage and help people and just hearing ideas and concerns and bring it forward.”
He was approached by the Liberal Party of Saskatchewan after being involved with both federal and provincial parties, including the last two years with the Saskatchewan branch.
Tweten was hesitant since he has never done anything like being a candidate before but thought it would be a fun and interesting experience.
Tweten says he is a common sense candidate, not a career politician, and wants to bring the concerns of the people to the forefront of the discuss.
“I’m not bringing my own agenda, I’m not bringing a party’s agenda, I’m bringing the people of Batoche’s agenda forward. I want their voice heard.”
The Saskatchewan Liberals have a five point plan, says Tweten, including, “a diversified economy, supporting sustainable communities, building leadership to the healthcare field, making education work for everybody, and improving government, making it far and efficient.”
There is lots to be done in terms of the environmental and resource side and generating more revenue.
The creation of the Saskatchewan Party did unite a left and right party, but Tweten says over the years, the left has lost its voice.
The Saskatchewan Liberals wants to give the left a voice again.
“This way we’re just bringing another voice, another opinion, just another option to the table.”
To Tweten, there are only two voices in government; either big business or big labour and no one is working together. We need to work together as a community.
There is no reason why opposites cannot work together, says Tweten, like the environmental and energy sectors.
“There is no reason to fight each other when you could be making money for the province, money for yourself, and money for your employees.”
Tweten says that if anyone has any ideas or concerns, they should contact Tweten.
Green Party of Saskatchewan, B. Garneau I.
The Green Party of Saskatchewan really spoke to B. Garneau I. when the party was represented at the Pride Parade in Saskatoon during I.’s high school years.
They even asked them to speak at a constituency meeting about transgender rights.
“I really liked the party’s ideas and talked to them for a bit and they suggested I run. Since I’ve always had an interest in politics, I thought hey, that sounded interesting.”
That was a couple of years ago, and I. has been running ever since, starting out in the Wascana Plains and then running in Batoche.
One way that I. is changing the face of politics is by bringing new ways of looking at governing.
One issue that the Green Party wants to solve is homelessness but an important factor that is included in that issue is poverty. The government is taking on a militarized way of looking at poverty and a ‘war on homelessness’ or ‘fighting poverty’.
“That mindset just hasn’t been working,” says I., “we have a couple of ideas.”
Criminalizing that way of existing, whether it is uncomfortable conditions in shelters so they rejoin society or asking evasive questions just so someone can eat, that is not working, says I.
“One way we want to look at it is instead of helping out an individual and asking a lot of person issue questions...instead trying to get resources to a group of people and have them govern themselves.”
Asking people who use the homeless shelters on how they can be improved is another way of changing how the government can look at the issue, says I.
This approach can be used to many different issues, including mental health concerns, first nations people, human rights concerns, and people moving into poverty.
This is the reason I. wants to run is because they know they can bring this new way of thinking into government and start that dialogue that can lead to solutions that could be, in the end, very simple solutions.
“Historically, and still happening today, decisions are made without consulting people that will be impacted by the decisions.”
