Alex Slusar - Liberal Party
Political Consultant
“We now have an opportunity to focus on the rural issues and issues facing rural communities.”
Liberal candidate Alex Slusar likes the new boundaries for his Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek riding. Without a Saskatoon presence, the focus can be on rural issues, he said.
“I’m very concerned about some of the issues facing farmers today; making sure not only that they are getting their product to market but that they are being paid a fair price for it and that we’re finding new and innovative ways of ensuring their livelihood is protected as well,” he says.
With such a large riding, the issues are diverse. Old infrastructure, healthcare, seniors’ care, and pharmacare strategies are just some of the issues that Slusar hears on the doorstep from seniors. He says the Liberals have already worked affordable care for seniors into their policies.
Young families in places like Humboldt, Warman, Martensville, and Wakaw are concerned about that about high cost of living, job security and paying their fair share in taxes. Slusar wants to make sure that all current rural issues are addressed while looking forward to making the future better.
“It all harkens back to a comment Wilfred Laurier made. He said ‘To be a Liberal is to believe that in all things there are abuses to be reformed, new frontiers to explore, new horizons to develop.’...We want to ensure that everyone is progressing and moving forward, that their freedoms are protected, that they have the freedom to pursue a better life, a better livelihood and that we can facilitate and find ways of making that happen,” he says.
The size of the riding also makes it difficult to reach everyone but Slusar says he strives to meet people at forums and town events.
On Issues:
Economy: “In order to grow our economy and ensure we have a thriving middle class and all classes in Canada, we will ask the top 1 per cent to pay a little bit more so that those in the middle class tax bracket have a fair tax break.”
Education: “We’ve committed to investing in pursuing youth education, pursuing youth employment, providing funding and grants to companies that hire youth and also ensuring that federal employees and federal organizations, like Parks Canada, are seeking out young people to employ them and provide them with better work opportunities.”
Environment: “In Saskatchewan, we have such opportunities for investing in clean technology. We have lands for windmill operation...We need to explore and diversify in that area.”
First Nations: “The Liberal party has taken a strong stand on protecting the rights of First Nations and working forward with First Nations in a nation to nation relationship...We’re committed to implementing the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, starting with signing on to the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”
Immigration: “What we need to be doing is ensuring that people are not being denied an opportunity or that things are not too restrictive. We need to be encouraging further growth in immigration.”
Healthcare: “We’re very supportive of ensuring that everyone in Canada has access to a strong healthcare system and that they have access to things that are going to improve their health, not only for the short-term and making sure they get healthcare right away but for the long-term and that we are actually preventing development of further complication down the line.”
Agriculture: “Some of the plans, especially in our infrastructure plan, will benefit agricultural development. We’ll be able to explore opportunities for new terminals, explore opportunities for developing agricultural infrastructure so that everyone can benefit from it.”
