Daily Herald Contributor
The Saskatchewan Party Leader, Scott Moe said his party will deliver for local residents if re-elected as he continued his campaign in Prince Albert on Tuesday.
Moe appeared with local Sask. Party candidates Alana Ross (Prince Albert Northcote), Kevin Kasun (Prince Albert Carlton), and Eric Schmalz (Saskatchewan Rivers) outside the Alfred Jenkins Field House Tuesday morning and touted his party’s plans to make life more affordable for Saskatchewan residents. It was Moe’s second campaign stop in Prince Albert over the past four days.
“The good news for seniors, homeowners and for everyone that resides in this province, by reducing taxes, the Saskatchewan Party is making every effort to leave more money in your pocket for you and your family to spend in contrast with the choice which NDP is offering by taking more money out of your pocket,” Moe said.
Moe said the NDP’s multi-billion dollar uncosted promises are all about increasing government spending. The Saskatchewan Party, he argued, has a plan to grow the economy.
“You have a choice to make between the Saskatchewan party with a platform that is affordable, fully costed, and is reasonable and achievable, or the NDP who have a $3 billion hole in their platform and they’re not going to say how they’re going to pay for it because they do not intend on it. They’re going to ask Saskatchewan people to pay for it,” Moe said.
Moe said the NDP would have to raise taxes or cancel infrastructure projects to meet their spending promises. He pointed to the new Victoria Hospital Acute Care Tower and said if Prince Albert residents supported such infrastructure projects, they needed to return the Saskatchewan Party to office.
“If you’re going to vote and you live here in the community of Prince Albert, take a look at the cranes here behind me that are building a new and expanded Victoria hospital,” Moe said. “You have a choice to make. You can keep those cranes up and continue to have the opportunity to access a new and improved Victoria Hospital in this community or you see those cranes come down and projects just like that canceled across this province under the NDP.”
Moe said the NDP has a record of closing hospitals, not building them, citing the old Holy Family Hospital as an example. The hospital transferred all patients to either Victoria Hospital or the Mont St. Joseph Home in 1997 before closing its doors.
In response, the Saskatchewan NDP said healthcare would be a priority if they formed government. The party has promised an additional $1.1 billion in healthcare spending over four years.
“There’s only one party closing ERs and that’s Scott Moe and the Sask. Party,” reads a Saskatchewan NDP statement emailed to the Herald. “Our healthcare system is in crisis and Scott Moe put us here. He’s can’t be trusted to fix it. Scott Moe is desperate to cling to power and can’t run on his record so he’s resorting to lying.
“The Saskatchewan NDP will not cancel ongoing capital healthcare projects in Prince Albert and has committed to investing an additional $1.1 billion dollars into fixing healthcare.”
Moe also took time during the press conference to promote the local Sask. Party candidates in attendance. He said Ross has been a strong MLA for Prince Albert, and was confident Kasun and Schmalz would do the same.
All three MLAs said they have been focused on grassroots campaigning that prioritizes door-knocking and taking to people in their homes and communities to understand issues on the ground instead of press conferences and other media events.
“Especially for me, being a new candidate and a new face in Prince Albert for the Sask. Party… I have to hit the doors. I have to let people know who I am,” said Kasun. “News conferences are great, obviously. That’s why we’re here, but for me, it’s the personal connection with everybody in my constituency, and that takes way more work than even I thought when I started, but it’s been enjoyable.”
Early voting began across Saskatchewan on Tuesday. Election Day is scheduled for Oct. 28.
