She admits to having been more than a little nervous entering the provincial legislative building and the general assembly chambers for the first days at work, but Estevan MLA Lori Carr, it turned out, was a quick study and managed to find her political posting as a pretty awesome experience.
Now that the legislature body is assembling for a fall session, Carr feels much more comfortable insofar as she now knows her way around the building and has met most of the players.
“The clerks and trainers showed so much friendliness, and the colleagues on both sides of the floor are approachable, so I’m feeling much better about this session. Those first few days I felt a little overwhelmed, but it’s all good now,” she said with a smile.
The relatively new MLA, elected in the April general provincial election to replace Doreen Eagles as the Sask. Party representative in the assembly, said she is tending to her homework and realizes that items such as the upcoming federally imposed carbon tax, will probably be one big item on the agenda. Since that topic has direct bearing on her constituency, Carr said she is firmly entrenched with Premier Brad Wall in terms of the need to find a better solution, preferably in a partnership model, not a federal imposition model.
“I believe in the product that is at Boundary Dam. It is far exceeding federal government standards that they want to target, so I’m on board for the next generation of carbon capture technology. It is cost effective and the world needs this technology because there are a lot of carbon emitting countries, much worse than us, who could benefit from it. I am also aware of the economic impact of the industry in this constituency. There are mining jobs and spinoff factors like suppliers and equipment manufacturers who rely on this business. So BD3 has been a ‘good news’ story and it should continue with Units 4, 5 and 6.”
Carr said that her statement did not preclude the need to continue on a clear path toward developing renewable energy sources. “We are not turning our back on renewables at all. The goal is 50 per cent electrical power generation by 2030, and we’re at around 30 per cent now.”
The fact she was appointed the legislative secretary to the minister responsible for SaskPower, Gord Wyant, means she will have ample opportunity to raise her voice when it comes to carbon capture, renewable and sustainable energy supply.
“It’s in my wheelhouse and with sequestration working, and emissions being captured at a better than reasonable rate, we can work for the future.”
Obtaining a new regional nursing home in Estevan is another major item on her “to do” list, she said. A meeting with Health Minister Jim Reiter has been requested by local committee members and Carr plans on being involved in those discussions and lobbying efforts. She said the previous health minister Dustin Duncan and Rural and Remote Health Minister Greg Ottenbreit had received the message, and now it was Reiter’s turn to hear the story from the determined local committee.
“They are determined, but not adversarial. I know these people and we have mutual respect for one another. I promised them I’ll bring it forward and keep it there and they understand we’re in this fight together not on opposite sides. And, I’m realizing that by using the word ‘fight’ it is probably not the proper, operative word to use, but the understanding is there and the importance of the project is well-known.”
Working in a new era of fiscal belt-tightening though, is not going to be easy, she admitted.
“With commodity pricing the way its been, it’s been a struggle because the government was building the province without raising taxes. So it seems some capital projects are the victims right now. I don’t have a feeling that a tax increase is in the wind either, personal or corporate and I don’t expect the royalty regime to change either.”
On the topic of upcoming transformational change in health care and as a way to do business in Saskatchewan in the latter part of 2016 and into 2017, Carr said there were still some clarifications needed.
“Will it mean doing more with less, with more efficiencies, without affecting lifestyles? How to do that is the question,” she said. She noted a three-person panel has already been struck to seek some of those avenues on the health-care front. She said their findings and recommendations will most likely strike some interesting chords.
“Health care is important for areas like ours and the far north, for example. We are different with different needs than what they have in the larger cities. I hope our needs are recognized and met in a bigger plan. I mean change just for the sake of change, doesn’t cut it. There needs to be a rationale, a positive factor coming out of it.”
Carr said she was the second MLA in the assembly to be offered the opportunity to make her maiden speech and she took full advantage of the 15 minutes allotted to her by introducing and educating her fellow MLAs and the general public to the local constituency and what it offers the province.
On a personal front, Carr said at first she found the continual heckling by MLAs a negative issue and a major distraction that she just couldn’t engage in at this stage in the process. She was thankful to learn that when it gets too disruptive the Speaker does get in there to calm things down. “Let’s say, it’s an interesting process in there,” she said with a laugh. “I’m getting used to it I suppose.”
