Daily Herald Contributor
Saskatchewan NDP leader Carla Beck encouraged volunteers to keep working hard and blasted Saskatchewan Party leader Scott Moe for comments made in Wednesday’s debate during a campaign stop in Prince Albert Thursday evening.
Beck gathered at the NDP’s campaign headquarters in Prince Albert, where she met with local MLAs and campaign volunteers.
“We are so close. People in this province are looking for change,” she said.
“How we are going to be most effective is the hard work that people have already been doing door to door, talking to people, showing them that this is a party that is focused on the things that matter most to them,” she added.
During an interview afterwards, Beck took aim at Moe for his comments on the NDP’s education policy. During the debate, Moe criticized the NDP’s policy, which calls for a $2 billion increase in funding over the next four years.
Beck said the party would start with an $200 million increase in funding in year one, then increase new funding commitments by $200 million every year for years two, three and four. Beck said that would mean $200 million in year one, $400 million in year two, $600 million in year three, and $800 million in new funding in year four.
“We presented early our fully costed platform because we understand people are cynical about politicians keeping their promises when it comes to costing, especially in recent years where we’ve seen governments wildly miss their budgets,” Beck said.
Beck said the Saskatchewan Party rarely balanced budgets during their time in power. She said the NDP plan to balance the budget would take four years because there needed to be strong investment in areas like education and healthcare.
She also defended the party’s spending commitments from Sask. Party claims the numbers did not add up.
“We engaged one of the, if not the, most respected economists in the province, Mr. Ron Styles, someone who spent five years as the Deputy Minister of Finance, someone who has up until recently has been non-partisan, who has worked for governments of all stirpes, to build this plan with us and to ensure we had a plan for balance in four years,” Beck said.
Beck also defended the party’s plan to suspect the Gas Tax for six months if elected. She said the party would review fuel prices after those six months.
She said the Gas Tax suspension has worked well in other provinces like Alberta and Manitoba, but would have to look at revenues and the pressure Saskatchewan people were facing before deciding on an extension.
“People needed relief and they needed it right away and this was the quickest way that we could provide relief to Saskatchewan people,” Beck said.
Beck said the other commitment of removing the PST off the kids clothing and off groceries would be done by Christmas because residents are feeling a lot of financial pressure.
Beck said the need for more quick relief was a factor in the NDP’s proposal to scrap the Marshal’s service. She said communities across Saskatchewan can’t wait for the service to get up and running. They need officers in their community right now.
She also said money used for the Marshal’s Service could be better spent on addressing the root causes of crime.
“The main drivers right now are an epidemic of drug use and epidemic of mental health concerns and also a lack of availability for counseling and Health Care Services,” she said. “We’re proposing to invest half of that, the $10 million into those things that are going to that we need in order to effectively bring the rate of crime down.”
When asked about Wednesday’s debate, Beck said she was happy with her performance.
“I didn’t have to lie on that stage,” she said. “We spoke the truth about Scott Moe’s record. We spoke about our plan. We spoke about the concerns of people of the province. Most of the time I was speaking to the people of this province because that’s who’s most important that’s who I am running to serve.
“People are tired of divisive politicians yelling at each other, they want to know that someone is there that understands their concerns that has a plan to address them, that doesn’t over promise and is actually willing to hit the floor running.”
Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan Party has announced financial support for communities building recreational facilities in Saskatchewan by doubling the Community Rink Affordability Grant and introducing a new School Playground Equipment Grant.
“We understand how important rinks and playgrounds are to Saskatchewan communities,” Saskatchewan Party leader Scott Moe said in a press release. “We want to make sure our communities remain vibrant and growing, and good recreational facilities are an important part of any community.”
The Saskatchewan Party government created the Community Rink Affordability Grant in 2012, fulfilling a 2011 election promise. The grant provides $2,500 per ice surface to skating and curling rinks across Saskatchewan.
“Beginning next year, the grant will double to $5,000 per ice surface, reflecting the increased cost of operating rinks,” Moe said.
