Ahead of Monday’s provincial election, The Forum reached out with an interview request to each of the parties and/or candidates running in the local constituency of Moosomin. Responses were received from all Saskatchewan Party and NDP candidates, as well as the lone independent candidate in the area, while inquiries with the Progressive Conservative and Green parties, who are also fielding candidates locally, went unanswered.
Steven Bonk put his name on the Moosomin ballot in 2016 to help Saskatchewan grow and is running for re-election on the Saskatchewan Party ticket in 2020 because he feels there is still more to do.
The 47-year-old who has worked almost his entire career abroad in the agriculture and export management and consulting sector, said he entered politics because he “wanted to tell the Saskatchewan story.”
“I see there is so much Saskatchewan has to offer the world, yet few people know about Saskatchewan,” Bonk said. “So, I want to increase awareness, increase trade, and help tell the Saskatchewan story.”
Bonk said his business experience lent itself well to public service, particularly in Moosomin, a constituency he describes as, “a microcosm of the province” due to its diversified agriculture, mining, oil and gas and industrial sectors.
“It really shows what Saskatchewan has to offer,” Bonk said. “As an MLA, I’ve had the role of being Minister of the Economy and Trade and I was able to represent Saskatchewan on the international stage and increase our trading ties with countries around the world.”
While Bonk is a relative newcomer to public office, the Saskatchewan Party has formed government in the province since 2007, and Bonk feels they still have a lot to offer.
“I think we can be an agent for change,” Bonk said. “With the global pandemic and the uncertain economic position we find ourselves in largely due to the federal government and federal issues imposed on us, I think Saskatchewan is in a good position to do what we have been doing. We have one of the strongest economies in Canada. We have been one of the provinces least affected by the downturn caused by the pandemic. If you look at what the Saskatchewan Party was elected in 2007, almost every economic indicator in the province has improved. I don’t think the people of Saskatchewan want a drastic change.”
Bonk said if re-elected, he wants to continue working to improve access to health care and health care services in rural areas.
“We have quite a few issues with staffing and we’d like to see that stabilized because we do see hospitals on bypass (temporary emergency room closure), and that’s a real issue nationwide,” Bonk said. “I’d also like to work on the economic recovery after the global pandemic. We have fared fairly well here but we do have people who have been impacted by this and I hope we can help them make the transition from pandemic era to recovery a little easier.”
Bonk proposed limiting government intervention in the economy as, “every time the government proposes regulations, there are unintended consequences.” But that doesn’t mean the government has no role in bringing stimulus programs for people, businesses and municipalities who need help.
“You have already seen this through Municipal Economic Enhancement Program (MEEP), where we provided funding to municipalities to increase infrastructure. That was greatly needed,” Bonk said. “That’s probably where you see the biggest contrast between what the Saskatchewan Party is offering and what the NDP is offering in this election. We have a global pandemic and we have an economic situation — I wouldn’t use the word crisis — where it’s a little tougher for some of our citizens to make a go of it. We don’t think now is the time to make blanket spending promises like the NDP are doing. We have a federal government spending money out of control. We don’t think it’s the time for a provincial government to follow suit.”
