Dear Editor
I read Gregg Sheppard’s critical letter in the Feb. 18 Regional Optimist about Saskatchewan New Democrats. As a Young New Democrat, I feel compelled to respond. In his piece, Mr. Sheppard did not disclose that he was Herb Cox’s campaign manager in the Battlefords in the 2011 election. I respect that Mr. Cox and Mr. Sheppard lost the 2007 election before a 2011 win, and that in 2016 Mr. Cox will try to hold this swing seat – but in my eyes, the Sask Party focus on the past is the wrong approach.
The Sask Party talking point list turns attention backward, to a time before the oil boom – and conveniently omits any memory of Grant Devine. The Sask Party has governed during an unprecedented time of prosperity, but at the end of the day, there is no money in the provincial treasury. With empty coffers, the oil downturn, and the fall of the dollar, we face serious challenges for our economy and our community. We need forward-looking leadership.
After the Sask Party’s decade in power, we see a 2015 provincial deficit approaching $300 million dollars, with a 2016 deficit to come – but how massive is anyone’s guess until after the election. Healthcare was set back by the pricey $33 million dollar LEAN program, which cost taxpayers a staggering $1,500 for every $1 saved. Locally, the Sask Party contracted maintenance at the new Saskatchewan Hospital through the P3 rent-a-hospital scheme to a foreign corporation for $185 million dollars over 30 years – more than we spend on all other PNRHA facilities combined. Heartless funding cuts to our Lighthouse will increase crime and poverty and place further stress on our RCMP, healthcare workers, and businesses in the downtown. Given these issues, maybe the Sask Party has good reason to divert people’s attention away from its record.
Saskatchewan New Democrats and local candidate Rob Feist want a better future for families, working people, and seniors in the Battlefords. With a struggling economy, a massive provincial deficit, and a record number of unemployed in Saskatchewan, our MLA needs to be qualified, energetic, in-touch, and capable on local issues. The Sask Party can keep working to settle old scores between Roy Romanow and Grant Devine. Rob Feist is focussed on the future. I am proud to say I’ll be working on Rob’s campaign, and giving him my vote on April 4.
Avery Beaudin
North Battleford
