The two candidates in the NDP leadership race were in action at TCU Place in Saskatoon last Thursday in one of their last chances to show they had the right stuff to lead the party.
It was the final officially-sanctioned debate for both Ryan Meili and Trent Wotherspoon, the two candidates in the running in the NDP race to be decided on March 3 in Regina.
With so little time left until results are announced, and with party members now receiving their mail-in ballots to be sent in, the stakes were high for both individuals seeking the leadership.
It was also a timely occasion, coming soon after the verdict in the Gerald Stanley murder trial the previous Friday.
Stanley was found not guilty of either murder or manslaughter in connection to the shooting death of Colten Boushie, a young Red Pheasant First Nation man, on Aug. 9, 2016.
Two questions, which had been submitted by the media, touched on the verdict’s implications for the province. The first asked if Saskatchewan had a racism problem and, if so, what would the candidates do to address it.
“We’re reeling as a province right now in the wake of the decision,” said Wotherspoon.
“We have been standing shoulder to shoulder in solidarity and care with the Boushie family, a family that’s lost a loved one. You know, it was a few months ago that I had the chance to walk with someone that I just admired the strength of and marveled at, and that would be Debbie Baptiste, Colten Boushie’s mom, in Prince Albert. She was calm in her resolve in her fight for justice, at the same time as we saw horrifying statements that were being put all over the Internet…
“So the answer to the question is most definitely we have a problem with racism, and we need to act on it and need to act on injustice within our province.”
As for solutions, Wotherspoon suggested deploying a team of anti-oppressive and human-rights educators to be deployed in schools and to assist workplaces to build understanding, and to get to the unfinished business of the treaties and build that relationship and “act on reconciliation with real action,” he said.
Meili’s response pointed to the language of reconciliation – such as their acknowledgement at the start of the debate that they were on Treaty 6 territory and traditional homeland of the Métis.
“For a lot of people right now, it’s ringing very hollow,” said Meili of those words.
“Yes, we have racism in this province, it’s a problem. It’s unacceptable.”
One model Meili suggested was from Australia, where each year there is a “closing the gap” report put out to show how far they had come in eliminating the divisions.
“I’d like to do the same as premier – elevate this to the highest priority.”
In response, Wotherspoon scored some points of his own by pointing to inequities in education.
He pointed to the lack of funding to First Nations schools compared to non-First Nations schools, and called for closing the gap on funding.
“This an abhorrent injustice that none of us should tolerate,” said Wotherspoon.
Meili took the opportunity to criticize the province.
“We’ve got a premier who likes to pick fights with Ottawa,” Meili responded. “And yet why doesn’t he pick a fight over making sure that kids on reserve get the same education as everyone else?”
The very next question that followed, also from the media, was about the justice system and whether it is “fair and equitable to all.”
“The answer would be no, it’s not,” said Wotherspoon.
He pointed to numbers of young Indigenous people incarcerated and through the corrections system.
“We need to be reviewing our justice system, we need to be looking at things like jury selection, we need to be reviewing ways to Indigenize our justice system,” said Wotherspoon. He also pointed to the cuts to Indigenous court workers in Saskatchewan as an issue.
“Our system’s not fair, and we need to do all we can to make it so.”
Meili’s response was similar.
“Certainly it’s not, and we see that in the numbers. I certainly saw that all the time in my practice.”
He also decried the approach usually taken by the province to those in poverty or with mental health issues.
“The way we respond to their needs as a province is to lock them up. And when they’re locked up, the way we respond to their needs is to leave them there as long as we can, with very little in the way of rehabilitation, very little in the way of support.”
Meili added a justice system that is unfair is “making us less safe.”
“The more you lock people up, the more likely they are to return to more criminal activity. If we want to be safe, let’s invest in keeping people healthy and well, and let’s work on crime prevention and less of a tough-on-crime reaction.”
While justice issues were a major topic in light of recent news, the debate touched on the wide range of issues facing the party.
In the very first question of the debate, coming from media submissions, candidates were asked about new Premier Scott Moe’s rural roots and his base of rural support, and about how the NDP to win back seats in rural Saskatchewan in the next election.
Meili acknowledged that he had heard from people before that the NDP “lost touch with rural Saskatchewan.”
“But I’m hearing a much different statement and much more encouraging one these days which is that the Sask Party is taking rural Saskatchewan for granted.”
He pointed the elimination of STC, and cuts to all sorts of programs that support people in rural Saskatchewan, for the change in mood.
In order to translate that interest to electoral success, Meili suggested bringing together existing rural supporters and reaching out to new ones.
“Unless we show that we’re confident that our ideas matter to the whole province, not just the cities, then we’ll miss that opportunity. But I don’t think we’ll do that. We’ve got a great chance to grow all across the province.”
“People are feeling taken for granted in rural Saskatchewan,” echoed Wotherspoon. “Many are feeling betrayed.”
As for Premier Moe, “he hasn’t been taking care of the water management issues in his own riding, or files like Quill Lakes in a responsible way as minister.”
Wotherspoon pledged to “reach out and listen and build” in every corner of the province, and to directly engage with rural residents.
Candidates were also asked whether they support a carbon tax, and whether they would support a binding referendum. Both took turns criticizing the Sask Party’s approach to the issue.
Wotherspoon said he supported a “made-in-Saskatchewan solution” to carbon pricing.
“We have an enormous responsibility to reduce emissions and act on the environment, one that we can’t ignore, and also a tremendous opportunity.”
Meili responded climate change was “the most important issue of our generation.”
As for a binding referendum, it “will not actually make a difference. This is coming from the federal government. The way the Sask Party is approaching this puts us at risk of having something imposed on us, instead of doing what we should do, which is come up with a made-in-Saskatchewan plan.”
Candidates were also asked about what they would do to respond to allegations of sexual harassment against any of their MLAs were accused of sexual misconduct – a timely topic given the sexual misconduct allegations that had brought down other provincial and federal politicians across the country.
“I hope that that never occurs,” was Meili’s response, who said he would work with the party to get it investigated, pointing to the party’s anti-harassment program.
“Whatever the case may be, the answer is there is no room for sexual harassment, there is no room for sexual assault, for any of this inappropriate sexual behavior,” said Meili.
“The leadership we show when these cases come forward, are the way that we will be judged, and I would take any complaint or any such concern extremely seriously.”
Wotherspoon said the response would ensure “measures of safety for anyone who may be placed at risk,” and immediately embark on an investigation. “We do have an independent process within our party.”
“It would be treated as the priority that it needs to be.”
The debate format deployed by the NDP during their forums in Regina, Prince Albert and in Saskatoon contrasted with the Sask Party race’s approach of posing questions from party members.
At the Saskatoon debate the NDP had welcomed submissions from media members as well as from Twitter, and even allowed candidates to pose direct questions at one another as part of the format.
In their closing remarks both Wotherspoon and Meili made their closing case for why they should be leader.
“I’m ready to lead, and ready to roll up my sleeves together with you and our incredible caucus team, to reach out and listen and build in every corner of our province,” said Wotherspoon.
“This is our moment, this is our time,” said Meili. “We need to write a new story, together. And I’m ready to get working on it. How about you? Let’s write that new story.”
The candidates are now campaigning actively in the final days before the leadership convention takes place on March 3 at the Delta Hotel in Regina.
The schedule for that convention has been released. Following the close of balloting, the program includes an address from interim leader Nicole Sarauer at 3:15 p,m. That is to be followed by the announcement of results around 3:40 p.m. with the acceptance speech from the new leader happening a few minutes after that.
According to the party, NDP members who purchased a membership by the Jan. 19, 2018, deadline are eligible to vote. Members have the option to vote by mail-in ballot or through online voting.
