MOOSOMIN — Cathay Wagantall has represented the riding of Yorkton-Melville as the Conservative MP for a decade, and is throwing her hat into the ring for the federal election once more.
“It’s an honour to have been the Member of Parliament first of all, and to have won three opportunities to represent the riding, and I’m just very passionate about it,” she said when asked about her decision to run again. “For 10 years, I’ve been in the official opposition and doing my best to represent the concerns, and I believe we make headway here and there, but to be able to be more engaged in actually seeing results for Canadians is really exciting for me.”
With tariff talk dominating the election race, Wagantall was quick to point out that it wasn’t her party that put Canadians in the current situation.
“First of all, Trump didn’t put us in this circumstance,” she said. “Our weaknesses have been developed over the last decade, and so we have to continue to press the outgoing government with the responsibilities that they’ve had in the situations that we’re facing right now.”
She says a positive note regarding the trade situation with the U.S. has been the unifying factor seen across the country.
“I think the one silver lining in this is that you’re seeing Canadian pride, you are seeing hope. Enthusiasm for cross-provincial trade lines is enormous, and it’s something that should have been done a long time ago, and now there’s that willingness to work together. I do see Trump as I believe, the way all Canadians do, as a real thorn in our flesh, but I’m very excited about Pierre’s (Poilievre) approach to this. It’s not to live in fear, it’s to do what we can do to ensure that we come out of this stronger and more capable to function within ourselves and with other trade partners as well.”
Situated in prime canola-growing country, producers in Yorkton-Melville are watching closely what happens with prices on that product, given the 100 per cent tariffs from the Chinese—a response to the Liberal government’s 100 per cent tariff on electric vehicles.
“I’ve had a number of talks with our farming community, and it’s quite interesting to hear them talk about that, because they don’t understand why he did that,” Wagantall said. “Because they said, ‘let them bring them (EVs) here. Nobody’s going to buy them.’ Our farmers have certainly taken a hit in several different ways throughout this decade, and believe me, they are looking forward to a government that truly appreciates rural Canada, our agriculture industry and the food security and lower prices that we need.”
Another strong priority is cutting taxes, particularly when it comes to building a home.
“Conservatives are the ones that have the very best plans for dealing with the housing crisis,” Wagantall said.
After the Liberal leadership race that saw Mark Carney become Prime Minister, recent polls are showing the Liberals pulling ahead of the Conservatives.
“There’s a number of factors there with Trudeau stepping down, Carney being new, and people parsing through what they can trust and what they can’t,” Wagantall said. “When I look at Pierre’s activities, it is amazing that a lot of people are saying this does not reflect what we’re being told in the polls. I’m not terribly concerned about those polls, and quite honestly, we truly have never put our weight in the polls— even when they showed us doing extremely well—because you know that there are going to be changes, and you know that it’s going to be a challenge, and we haven’t changed because of what those polls say we are. We are carrying on with what we need to do, what is best for Canada. Canada first for a change, and we are very excited about what we’re seeing and hearing as Pierre goes across the country.”
