Candidates for the Cypress Hills-Grasslands riding gathered at the Kindersley and District Museum for an open forum aimed at discussing small business in the west central region.

The forum which was organized by the Kindersley Chamber of Commerce, brought out a crowd of approximately 50 attendees, including Kindersley’s Mayor, Rod Perkins.

The candidates included:
• Jeremy Patzer – Conservative
• Bill Caton – Liberal
• Trevor Peterson – NDP
• Lee Harding – PPC
• Bill Clary – Green Party

The forum got underway as the candidates each had up to five minutes to introduce themselves and speak to what they felt, were the most important points of their campaign platform.

Bill Clary, Green Party, spoke about our country being at a pivotal point and outlined the his party’s desire to start making the shift away from fossil fuels and move towards renewable resources. He stated the transition would include training for those who currently work in the fossil fuel industry, to re-train them to work in the renewable resources industry and therefore, would have a minimal impact on the current workforce. He stated scientists have concluded we are currently destroying the environment we depend on and stated the technology already exists to elicit the change and what is now needed is the political will.

Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, addressed to what he believed the concerns are of current small business owners. He stated the carbon tax along with EI and CPP premiums are too high and are having a crippling effect on small business owners. He said it would be his party that would get rid of carbon tax that was recently put into play from the liberal government. Patzer stated his desire to support the local agriculture and oil industries and it is his hope that trade agreements will be restored in Italy, India and China. He also went into brief detail, outlining the conservatives plan for the energy corridor project to be sustainable by 2030 and reiterated the importance of the pipeline and getting all of our resources to market at a fair market price.

Bill Caton, Liberal, opened by sharing some of his background in Saskatchewan and went on to acknowledge the trade wars that are affecting the region, stating a liberal government would negotiate better export agreements, safety programs and address global warming. Caton cited that carbon tax does work, pointing to the success it has seen in BC. The liberal candidate also stated that the Trans Mountain Pipeline is something that needs to happen and the liberal government has plans to do so, using supplies out of Regina. He did add that after the 150 environmental considerations and proper consultations with Indigenous people, the project can move forward in a sustainable and ethical manor.

Trevor Peterson, NDP, brought light to his experiences of being in small, primarily oil towns, that were struggling to stay afloat, mentioning Carlyle and Kindersley and the hurdles they have faced. He shared the new deal to invest in people, which would include universal pharmacare, 0 per cent interest rates which would eventually get converted to non-repayable grants. Additionally he shared his desire for childcare programs and post-secondary education that would be worked into the public school system. Peterson also addressed the topic of climate change and pointed to the big polluters who would be responsible for paying taxes on the emissions. He concluded by stating it would be the multimillionaires and corporations who would be taxed and that money would be how the aforementioned would be funded.

Lee Harding, PPC, started his five minutes with candid yet poignant humour, for the most part – aimed at the liberal party and local candidate. Harding got into his speech by stating the PPC is the end of an argument, stating ideas that have stemmed from the PPC have been picked up by both the conservatives and liberals in separate instances. He shared his desire to change the current equalization model, stating currently, it is crippling both provinces involved in the transaction. He outlined his distaste for the recent spending from the federal liberal government as well and finished his preliminary speech by stating the PPC would turn to the constitution, section 92, to get the pipelines built and oil to market.

The floor was then open for questions from the attendees, and Mayor Rod Perkins got discussions started when he stood to address the candidates. Mayor Perkins shared his thoughts on some of what the candidates put forth, stating electric cars are not the answer and those types of solutions do not work for the people in rural Saskatchewan. He also stated his opinion on Canada’s contribution to carbon emissions and pointed towards China and India as both having a much larger and more significant role in the problem. He reflected on his 40 plus years of working with government as well, pointing out that he has not experienced an instance where the government repays citizens the tax that was taken in the first place, as the carbon tax states it will.

Other questions came from business owners and local producers who posed questions regarding lowering payroll taxes and also the questioned the intent on corporate tax as many agriculture producers are now incorporated.

Miller said he felt the forum was much needed and gave residents an opportunity to have their questions answered.

“For some people, we saw questions being asked to two or three of the candidates and I think a forum like this allows people to get clarity on some of the political platforms and will help them make a better, well informed decision when it comes time to cast their vote.”

Miller also stated the Chamber is streamlining their efforts to be hyper-focused on local small businesses and are making changes to their mandate in order to support their vision.