SASKATOON — Saskatchewan-NDP Leader Carla Beck continued with her Building to Win Tour, making the city her latest stop where she hopes to drum up support for their party in time for the 2022 by-election.
The seat is for Saskatoon-Meewasin, which was left vacant on July 1 after the resignation of former Sask-NDP Leader Ryan Meili leaving the opposition with only 11 members in the legislature.
Beck, the MLA for Regina Lakeview, was recently elected to replace Meili and has been visiting cities and towns as part of her three-week-long tour in a campaign to retake the legislature in 2024.
Before Saturday’s event at Kinsmen Park, Beck had already made stops in Swift Current on July 4 and Moose Jaw on Friday. Her next stop will be at the Kamsack Seniors Centre in Kamsack.
On Saturday, she joined Sask-NDP president Sheila Whelan, Regina Douglas Park MLA and Deputy Leader Nicole Sarauer, Saskatoon MLAs Matt Love (Eastview) and Erika Richie (Nutana), Canadian Union of Public Employees-Saskatchewan president Judy Henley, CUPE presidents Dene Nicholson (Local 8443) and Teresa Hitchings (Local 2268).
Beck said the event at Kinsmen Park is a reminder to all NDP and CUPE members in Saskatoon to push back and to do the greater good of asking the provincial government to stop the cuts they are making to education.
“We have a government that is not listening to the people of Saskatchewan and has taken their needs and their votes for granted. Well friends it’s time that that change. After three years of disruption to our classrooms and after more than a decade of underfunding, we have a government that was sitting on record resource royalties but chose to deliver a budget that will continue to see cuts to our classrooms,” said Beck.
“When I think of the education workers — some we have here with us — the people that comforted kids, making sure they get to school, make sure the schools were clean and safe, after all that they’ve done over the last three years, we see a budget that we’ll see more cuts, fewer services for our kids and I don’t know anything more that could demonstrate how far this government is down the wrong path.”
She added that she’s been on the road almost two weeks now and she had heard the same concerns as the people in Roche Percée, Swift Current, Prince Albert and the other communities in the northern part of the province.
That’s why, Beck said, it is important for their party to start doing the work to make the people’s lives in the province better.
“There’s a lot of work to do. Important work that I, the team, the party and all of you are up for it. Because there’s a better version of who we should be and who we could be in the province. A province that takes care of and respects each other. We should be a province that delivers the best education that we can for our children,” said Beck.
“If we don’t invest in education at a time when we’ve seen these kids, some for the first time this year had gone to a field trip, had an undisrupted few months of school and the same kids who are our very future, then I don’t know why the Sask Party fights so hard to stay in the government if we cannot deliver for the next generation.”
She added that Moe’s government has failed the province by failing to deliver basic services like education, health care and the welfare of the seniors. She said the only way to change all that is to show the people the Sask-NDP is ready to lead.
“The only way that I know to deliver on that is to build on the work that is already going on in the party today. To get out, to build, to connect with people. To show them that the Saskatchewan NDP is ready to take their concerns and their hopes forward. Ready to build and deliver an exciting alternative to this tied and out-of-touch Sask Party government in 2024.” Said Beck.
