Nov. 15 disclosures key for Sask. Party hopefuls
In this weekly series, Leader-Post reporter D.C. Fraser and StarPhoenix reporter Alex MacPherson round up everything happening on the campaign trail as candidates compete to be the next leader of the Saskatchewan Party and the Saskatchewan NDP.
The race to replace Brad Wall as leader of the Saskatchewan Party is expected to launch into a new phase next week, when mandatory campaign finance disclosures reveal which of the five candidates is the front-runner.
That is important because the Dec. 8 deadline to sign up new party members — critical in a one member, one vote contest — is looming, and the Nov. 15 disclosures will likely kick off two weeks of frantic activity as the trailing candidates rush to shore up support.
In the week following the party’s convention, however, there were few surprise movements from Tina Beaudry-Mellor, Ken Cheveldayoff, Alanna Koch, Scott Moe and Gord Wyant. Everyone, it seems, is waiting to see what next week brings.
But that doesn’t mean there weren’t developments.
Wyant on Sunday became the first of the five to respond publicly to comments made earlier this month by Education Minister Bronwyn Eyre, whose proposal that the province develop an Indigenous history course rather than “infuse” it into the broader curriculum came under fire from several groups.
“I can’t speak for her or to why she made those comments. I will say this — I unequivocally support treaty education in our curriculum,” Wyant said in a post on social media, adding in a subsequent post that he hopes any curriculum changes are made “in consultation with all stakeholders.”
Wyant, who has the most comprehensive and detailed policy platform, also pledged to introduce prompt payment legislation aimed at ensuring construction companies and contractors weren’t left stranded for weeks or months after issuing an invoice.
The government has said previously that it’s monitoring the progress of similar legislation in Ontario, prompt payment has long been a matter of concern for the Saskatchewan Construction Association, and Wyant’s proposal is likely to be seen as a positive by the entire sector.
Wyant and Cheveldayoff, meanwhile, were the only two Sask. Party leadership candidates to appear at a debate organized by the Saskatoon Teachers Association, an affiliate of the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation (STF), as part of its annual convention last week.
Curiously, an idea Cheveldayoff floated at last weekend’s convention was this week echoed by another candidate — though perhaps not one he expected. Ryan Meili also proposed a “Ministry of the Child” this week as part of his broader education platform.
Meili, who has a sizable fundraising lead over his sole competitor to lead the Saskatchewan NDP, proposed establishing the ministry to “(unite) the public sector in service of families and children with the goal of making Saskatchewan the best place in the world to be a child.”
Meili — who also appeared at the STA convention to debate Trent Wotherspoon — also said he’d ensure “cultural competency” in the curriculum by including instruction on Indigenous history, languages and customs, and identify the right number of teachers and educational assistants for modern classrooms.
The next Sask. Party debate is scheduled for Nov. 16 in North Battleford. The party chooses its next leader on Jan. 27. The NDP, meanwhile, will elect its next leader on March 3.