ASK THE CANDIDATES BUDGET
On March 3, the Saskatchewan NDP will select a new leader members hope will challenge new Premier Scott Moe in the next provincial election. Our Murray Mandryk asked the two men vying for the job — Saskatoon Meewasin MLA Ryan Meili and Regina Rosemont MLA Trent Wotherspoon — for their take on some provincial issues. Do you support the current Saskatchewan Party government plan to produce a balanced budget by 2020? What time frame would you implement for a balanced budget?
RM: Fiscal responsibility means finding the balance between smart social investments and living within our means. Any time frame has to respond to current conditions and avoid prolonging the current downturn through unproductive cuts to social spending.
TW: Balanced budgets are ideal, but only as long as we’re able to deliver the services and supports people need. Former NDP premier Lorne Calvert implemented 0-1-1 per cent civil service wage increases and former Sask. Party premier Brad Wall called for a 3.5-per-cent rollback in remuneration. Would you advocate similar tough measures to rebalance the budget?
RM: I oppose rollbacks and believe we should honour the collective bargaining process. There are better ways to balance the budget than harming public workers.
TW: I won’t be cutting wages for civil servants, I’ll honour collec- tive agreements and bargain in good faith with workers. Would you further increase the six-per-cent provincial sales tax or income tax to balance the budget?
RM: I would not increase the PST, but would reverse the income tax changes from the last budget and increase personal income tax by one per cent for those who earn over $250,000 per year.
TW: I wouldn’t increase the PST. I would introduce an increase of two per cent for incomes over $250,000. Would you consider ending PST exemptions on farm machinery and repair parts, fertilizers, pesticides and seed or on basic services like electricity and natural gas?
RM: No. These are not charged in neighbouring provinces so this would put Saskatchewan businesses at a disadvantage.
TW: I don’t have plans on this front. Do you have a plan to reduce the current $20.9-billion public debt that is to increase to $24.6 billion by 2021?
RM: Yes, by avoiding unnecessary large projects, reviewing royalty rates and corporate income tax to ensure we get a fair share for our resources, and investing wisely in measures that will grow the economy and reduce social costs.
TW: By establishing an accountability commission to review the current government’s mismanagement, we can maximize value with our public dollars and restore fiscal sustainability. Would you institute a heritage/ sovereign wealth fund for future natural resource windfalls?
RM: Yes — this should have been done long ago, and should be done as soon as commodity prices and competition with other key investments allow.
TW: Yes.
CROWNS
Would you consider the sale of any existing Crown corporations or Crown corporation asset if the money were used to reduce either public debt or general revenue operating debt?
RM: Selling off Crown corporations — losing revenue and the ability to ensure affordable essential services — is no way to reduce debt.
TW: No. I’ll lock down our Crowns by putting the requirement for a referendum before their sale into the constitution. Would you re-establish a publicly owned bus company in the province?
RM: I would work to design a new STC that is more efficient and cost-effective, recognizing that the full benefit of such essential infrastructure far outweighs the cost.
TW: I will rebuild a publicly owned provincewide transportation system.
ELECTIONS
Should Saskatchewan’s next electoral boundaries commission reduce the number of seats from the current 61?
RM: Having fairly drawn and impartial boundaries that don’t disenfranchise people through gerrymandering is more important to democracy than the exact number of MLAs.
TW: Yes. The Sask. Party should not have increased the number of seats in the last round of boundary changes. Should the distribution of seats reflect more equitable representation by population, even if that means fewer rural or northern seats?
RM: Equity requires that we balance representation by population with geographical size of con- stituencies. Local realities require local leadership on key issues.
TW: These decisions should be made at arms-length by an independent commission, but there should be two northern seats.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Would you institute a policy of required rural municipality amalgamation in a conceptually similar way to reducing governance for schools and hospitals?
RM: No. I would work with rural municipalities to build on existing examples of increased collaboration and decreased duplication of services.
TW: No. Would you reinstate local health boards rather than the current provincewide board?
RM: Amalgamation created chaos and uncertainty; undoing it would create more. What matters is providing a structure that responds to local voices, treats employees fairly and delivers quality care.
TW: Possibly. I would look at all options to ensure local voices and local control within the health system.
Do you support the current formula to fund municipalities through a percentage point of the PST?
RM: Yes. Our growing cities, towns and villages need a reliable source of funds to provide key services.
TW: Yes. One point of the PST should go to funding municipalities. Revenue sharing should not be frozen. Do you support zero tolerance for candidates, MLAs and government/opposition staff when it comes bullying and sexist behaviour that would include past social media postings?
RM: Such behaviour should not be tolerated. The consequences should be proportional to the actions in question, ranging from required sensitivity training to immediate dismissal.
TW: This includes a wide range of behaviour. I support a very high standard for MLAs and staff, but penalties should be proportional.
JUSTICE
What do you believe is the correct age for legal marijuana possession in Saskatchewan?
RM: Nineteen, as for alcohol, with public information campaigns discouraging use before 25 due to the impact on growing brains.
TW: Nineteen – the same as alcohol. Should Saskatchewan move to zero tolerance for any blood-alcohol content while driving, temporarily seizing vehicles of any driver caught with alcohol in their blood system?
RM: The resources required to enforce that level of prohibition would be more productively allocated to addictions treatment and public education.
TW: No. I would support greater enforcement of impaired driving laws for drugs and alcohol.
With the legalization of marijuana, do you support greater field production of it as crop?
RM: Yes. Saskatchewan is wellsuited to marijuana and hemp production and local producers should have access to this new market.
TW: Yes. Saskatchewan farmers are the best in the world and we should seize the economic and employment opportunities this offers.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Given the budgetary constraint and larger, more dispersed farms, do you favour reducing funding for rural municipalities that would lead to decisions like closing underused grid roads in Saskatchewan?
RM: I wouldn’t pursue any such measures outside of meaningful consultation with rural municipalities on use patterns and local needs.
TW: No. Should Saskatchewan change its farm ownership law allowing for more pension fund or foreign investment?
RM: Foreign ownership and land speculation drive up already-high prices. We should enforce current laws, ensuring Saskatchewan farmland stays in local hands.
TW: No. Only Canadian residents should be able to own farmland, and I would investigate and act on illegal foreign ownership.
ENVIRONMENT
Do you support the currently proposed federal carbon levies described by the current government as the carbon tax?
RM: Climate change is real. We need a made-in- Saskatchewan approach to carbon pricing that decreases emissions, creates new jobs, supports families and protects key industries.
TW: No. We should develop a made-in- Saskatchewan solution to carbon pricing that protects families, producers, and jobs while decreasing emissions. Would you phase out coalfired electrical generation in Saskatchewan?
RM: The health impact and emissions from coal necessitate a transition. That transition must be implemented with input from local communities and workers, with a focus on creating new employment opportunities.
TW: Yes, by 2030. Would you end funding of the carbon capture and storage project at Boundary Dam 3 or extend CCS initiatives to Boundary Dam 4 and 5?
RM: I would maintain the existing unit and focus future investment on less expensive and more effective ways of providing power while reducing emissions.
TW: I would not extend CCS technology to Boundary Dam 4 or 5. Renewable power is much more cost effective. Is the Sask. Party government’s current goal of 50 per cent renewables by 2030 ambitious enough? If not, what is your goal?
RM: The goal is reasonable. The lack of action is not. We need to expand renewals through a new mandate for our Crowns and distributed production in communities throughout Saskatchewan.
TW: I support our election promise to aim for 60 per cent renewables by 2030. Do you support the direction of the federal NDP Leap Manifesto?
RM: We need to show leadership in designing our own response to climate change, not import a document from outside the province.
TW: No. There are some positive elements on equality and public services, but it is ill-informed and naive on the economy.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Would you reinstate a Saskatchewan film employment tax credit? RM: The economic case for a credit is very strong. I would work with leaders in film to rebuild that once-thriving industry. TW: Yes. Would you continue with the policy of offering subsidies to companies to move to or maintain head office jobs to Saskatchewan?
RM: No. This has not been particularly successful, and there are more effective ways of increasing economic activity and jobs than direct subsidies to large companies.
TW: Yes. Would you increase oil, natural gas or potash royalty rates in order to preserve non-renewable resources and help balance the budget?
RM: Yes. An enormous amount of wealth is leaving Saskatchewan and we need to end unproductive subsidies such as multi-year royalty holidays for horizontal drilling.
TW: I would review royalties to ensure we get the best possible return on resources – especially during periods of windfall prices.
LABOUR
Do you support an immediate $15 minimum wage with further future increases?
RM: It’s wrong that people work full time and still live in poverty. I would phase in a $15 minimum wage within the first term of an NDP government, working toward a minimum wage that is a living wage.
TW: I would phase in a $15 minimum wage in the first term as a new government.
INDIGENOUS
Will you apologize for the government’s role in the Sixties Scoop and offer financial compensation to individual survivors?
RM: As premier I would apologize for the government’s role in the Sixties Scoop and work with First Nations and Métis leaders on the best way to address past wrongs and close the gap in health, educational and economic outcomes.
TW: I will apologize for the government’s role in the Sixties Scoop and would engage in an open conversation to do so. Would you reinstate a program similar to NORTEP that provides grants and bursaries for northern teacher training?
RM: Cutting NORTEP was a solution in search of a problem. The TEP programs have been remarkable vehicles for training people who went on to be teachers and role models in underserved communities.
TW: Yes. I am committed to rebuilding a northern teacher education program with northern control.
HEALTH
Should the portion of mental health spending be increased to seven per cent of the health budget, as is the national average?
RM: Yes, with expanded coverage of psychological counselling, emergency mental health services and a provincial suicide prevention strategy.
TW: Yes, and I will deliver universal coverage for mental health and addictions services. Would you end current government initiatives that allow private CT and MRI suppliers, providing they provide an additional CT/MRI that will reduce the wait times?
RM: Yes. There’s no evidence that user-pay imaging reduces wait times in the public system, and it introduces queue-jumping for publicly funded surgeries.
TW: I would put a moratorium on new suppliers and review the policy to ensure fairness for all Saskatchewan people.