Emokhare Paul Anthony
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Daily Herald
Saskatchewan NDP leader Carla Beck pledged to improve economic prospects for families in Prince Albert, should an NDP government win the next election.
Beck made the comments during a stop in Prince Albert on Aug. 7. NDP Caucus members spent the day in Prince Albert meeting with local leaders about the community’s needs.
Beck said economic development and crime were issues that came up “time and time and time again.” She said the NDP is focused on the future in Prince Albert.
“Prince Albert is a city on the verge of incredible opportunity,” Beck told reporters. “There are people working hard in this city who see such potential in this city as the gateway to the north, as a hub for the whole north of this province.”
Beck said her team met with City Council during her stop in Prince Albert, as well as with leaders in the city’s Sikh and Muslim communities. Beck said it will be vital for provincial representatives to work with local leaders to address issues of crime and poverty.
“The people here are full of hope, determination and creative ideas,” Beck said in a press release. “They need a government that will harness that energy and deliver on real promises for change.”
Beck told reporters it was even more critical to address economic challenges given the “threats from our neighbours to the south.” She said residents need to “take charge of their own future” in Saskatchewan, and that means building more infrastructure.
Beck said the province needs more rail lines, pipelines, and power lines, which would benefit mining and forestry industries in Prince Albert and the surrounding area.
She said the NDP MLAs will work hard to build a better future.
“Going back to November when we first started to hear some of these threats (from the U.S.) we proposed what we think is the most effective strategy—a team Saskatchewan approach,” Beck said during the press conference. “When we’re talking about how we respond, how we expand market access … you have to, of course, have communities, have the province, have the feds at the table, but you also need Indigenous leadership at the table.
“These discussions are obviously difficult and complex,” Beck added, “but you pick your hard. Either you have those conversations now, or you risk those deals being slowed up in legal action later. What we’ve been advocating for is to have all of the voices, including Indigenous leadership, including leadership in labour, at the table from the very start to build out a plan that is going to see all people in this province and in this country benefit.”
Beck added that the infrastructure investment would mean more “boots on the ground, not more bureaucracy.”
The NDP leader also criticized Premier Scott Moe for not taking a harder stance against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy. Beck said Trump is acting like a bully, and Moe has been too passive in dealing with him.
“That’s not going to work,” Beck said. “We need to fight back against these job-killing tariffs, and we need bold action to build a future that we control.”
In August, the Premier took to social media announcing that trade minister Warren Keading has written to the federal government asking what they are doing to have the tariffs removed. The letter came after the U.S. expanded its steel and aluminum tariffs to good that include Canadian steel and aluminum on Aug. 22.
Even with the U.S. tariff policy in place, Moe wrote that Saskatchewan’s financial and economic status was solid.
“Our government remains focused on keeping Saskatchewan the most affordable place to live in Canada—with the largest income tax cut since 2008, over $2 billion in affordability measures, and record investments in health, education, and infrastructure,” Moe wrote on social media. “With the second-lowest net-debt-to-GDP ratio in Canada and GDP growth more than double the national average, Saskatchewan is moving forward with strength and confidence.”
