A LeRoy area organic beef farmer has been selected to represent the New Democrats in the upcoming Melfort byelection.
Lorne Schroeder is a compassionate, patient and stubborn man, said his wife Theresa. She told the audience at the Jan. 29 nomination meeting how they once had a calf that couldn’t stand up at all and had difficultly eating, so the veterinarian advised them to put it down.
“Lorne decided that he would try anyway. Two or three times a day, every day, he would assist this calf to stand up and he’d hold onto it so it could eat and gain a little bit of muscle,” she said. “It took three months, but the calf got stronger and finally started running around and thriving. Everyone was amazed – especially the vet – and the calf grew to be a normal full-grown animal.”
With 29 total votes cast, Schroeder won the nomination over Betty Nippi-Albright.
“I am humbled to the core that you’ve allowed me this honour, to represent you in this next byelection,” he told the audience during his victory speech.
Linsey Thornton, the president of the Melfort New Democrats, said it was exciting to have a contested nomination.
“I think it really speaks to the discontent with the current government and the excitement building within our own party.”
He said both of the candidates would have been excellent choices. Schroeder agreed, saying he hopes Nippi-Albright will run for MLA in the future.
Passion for politics
During an interview with local media, Schroeder said being a provincial election candidate was a new experience for him.
“I’ve always had a passion for politics and just for social justice, to make this province a province where everybody can contribute and everybody can receive and be successful, right from when I was 20 years old,” he said. “This has been the first opportunity I’ve had to step into that arena. We were busy with our family and our business up until now and now I have some time to put some effort into that.”
Schroeder serves on the board of the Farmer Direct Co-op. He has served a term as the RM of LeRoy’s reeve and has been involved in the LeRoy Credit Union board, LeRoy Ball club, curling club and Kinsmen.
Largest issues
For Schroeder, the largest issues facing the Melfort constituency are rural depopulation and the centralization of services.
“We’re losing more and more control at the grassroots where the services are. We’re not having control of the decision-making anymore.”
He said an example was how the province is now collecting education taxes directly and is making most of the spending decisions once made by school boards.
New growth potential
Thornton said the selection of Schroeder will help his party grow in new areas.
“Lorne brings his farming background to the table, which is something I think our party’s been lacking a little bit of recently,” he said.
The president added Schroeder is from the southern part of the constituency, allowing the party to build more support in that area.
Uphill battle
Schroeder said he realizes the upcoming byelection is an uphill battle for the New Democrats and that he doesn’t have rose-coloured glasses or his head in the sand.
In the last two elections, 2016 and 2011, Saskatchewan Party MLA Kevin Phillips received 77 and 73 per cent of the vote, respectively. Now the Sask. Party has selected pastor and school board trustee Todd Goudy as their standard-bearer in the byelection.
“I’m ready for the battle and we’ll see what the mood is.”
Schroeder said he’ll have to see if there’s a mood for change in the Melfort constituency, but added that he didn’t want to win for the sake of winning, but win because people support the NDP’s plan and vision for the province.
