Tell us about yourself and why you got involved politically
I've been married to my wife, Tenille, for 23 years. We have three children, aged 17,15 and 12. We moved to Moose Jaw in 2005, and I practiced law with Chow McLeod for 18 years until I began serving in this role.
During that time, I spent two terms on the Prairie South School Board from 2012 to 2020, and I chaired the board for two or three years during that period.
Since becoming elected as the MLA in 2020, I was honored to serve in various capacities within government. I've been on the Intergovernmental Affairs and Justice Committee, the Caucus Management Committee, and the Committee on Government Operations. I've served two terms on the Treasury Board. I was also honored to serve as the provincial secretary and the legislative secretary to the Premier.
Most recently I've served as the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health.
My primary role has always been to serve the people of Moose Jaw North, and that's why I'm asking for an opportunity to continue in this role. I've always enjoyed public service, whether it's helping to coach my children's activities or volunteering at pro bono legal services or serving as an elected representative.
I view all of those roles similarly, I view it as using my skill set to assist others with something that means a lot to them, whether that's their sporting activity, whether it's their legal issue, or whether it's an issue that they bring to me as their government representative.
I believe I have been and will continue to be a strong voice for those that I serve. If I'm given the honor to continue as the MLA for Moose Jaw North.
What do you think are the most pressing issues in this election?
I think in any election, there's always an interest in seeing promises for more investment into things like health, education, public safety and areas that will make life more affordable for citizens generally.
That's why you're seeing all parties make commitments in these areas, but the critical piece that the public should watch very closely is which party has a plan to actually deliver on the promises that they're making in a realistic and a financially responsible way.
No government can make the investments needed to achieve their campaign promises unless they have a strong economy and a healthy plan. That's why this election really does come down to the question of which party can keep our economy strong and our future bright.
How would a Saskatchewan Party Government improve the housing situation in the province?
The Saskatchewan Party continues to take action to increase housing supply and make housing more affordable. We have the Saskatchewan Secondary Suite Incentive Grant Program that provides 35 per cent of the cost to build any new secondary suite up to a maximum grant of $35,000.
We also have renewed PST rebates on the New Home Construction Program that rebates up to 42 per cent of the PST paid on the purchase of a newly constructed home, we have the Saskatchewan First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit that provides a non-refundable income tax credit of up to $1,050 to eligible taxpayers on qualified homes.
All of these measures will help to again increase the housing supply in Saskatchewan, while also making housing more affordable for our citizens.
What is the Saskatchewan Party’s stance when it comes to healthcare?
Our government has invested a record $7.6 billion into healthcare in this fiscal year. That's more than double the amount of healthcare funding that the NDP had in 2007. We can only make these types of investments into healthcare with a strong and growing economy
That's why a reelected Saskatchewan party will continue to hire more doctors, more nurses, more healthcare workers, and deliver on our health human resources action plan.
As a result of that plan, Saskatchewan is adding approximately 550 new post-secondary training seats across 18 different health programs.
Over 1400 nursing grads from Saskatchewan and out of province have been hired since December of 2022. Over 245 of 250 new healthcare positions in rural and remote communities have already been filled.
We've added 27 new nurse practitioner positions across the province, and we've expanded the undergrad seats at the College of Medicine from 60 to 108.
We know that these measures are working, as an example of evidence of that, we've got a record 95,770 surgeries that were performed in Saskatchewan last year alone. That has significantly reduced the waiting lists for surgeries since 2007.
There are more than 1000 additional doctors and 6400 more nurses working in Saskatchewan. That's a stark contrast to the NDP that lost 450 nurses and 173 doctors during their time in government. Not to mention they also closed 52 hospitals.
But this isn't just about adding more human resources, it's also about delivering healthcare in new and innovative ways. For example, the Saskatchewan Party government is building urgent care centers in Regina and Saskatoon to alleviate pressures on our emergency rooms in those cities.
We've also created the Virtual Physician Program that uses technology to bring physician coverage into emergency rooms virtually, and we're expanding the scope of what nurse practitioners and pharmacists can provide.
For example, if your child has strep throat or an ear infection, you no longer need to wait to see your family doctor or go and sit in the ER. You can now attend a local pharmacy, and the pharmacist can give your child the care that they need.
What would an elected Saskatchewan Party government do when it comes to policing and public safety?
When it comes to policing and public safety a reelected Saskatchewan Party government will strengthen the Safer Communities and Neighborhoods Act and related legislation that will give the police and law enforcement additional tools to address nuisance properties and unwanted behaviors.
The Sask Party will fund over 500 more law enforcement officers working to keep our streets and our neighborhoods safe. That's 192 new RCMP officers since 2011.
We're fully funding an additional 180 RCMP officers, 100 new municipal police force officers and of course, we'd have 70 new officers through the Saskatchewan Marshall Service. In addition to all of that, we would have 14 new SCAN or Safer Community and Neighborhood Officers added to the complement of police professionals across the province.
In order to ensure that there are enough officers being trained to fill the new positions and existing vacancies we would also provide additional funding to the Saskatchewan Police College to enhance training and ensure long-term stability of the college.
Once again, we are also using new and innovative solutions in this area, much like the urgent care centers when it comes to health. We know that there are concerns about public safety when it comes to individuals who are battling addiction and may be at risk of harming themselves or others and hat's why the Saskatchewan Party government has created our Complex Needs Emergency Shelters as a place for police to bring those individuals so that they don't end up in emergency rooms or police cells, which often aren't the most appropriate place for them.
So far in the two facilities that we've opened in Saskatoon and Regina, we've seen more than 400 people with complex needs received into the facilities and subsequently connected with the resources and supports that they need that are most appropriate for them.
This offers a much better alternative for the police as opposed to deciding whether to lock up an individual or, or perhaps return them to the street, where they continue to pose a threat to themselves or others.
I would say that the success of these two pilot facilities has been overwhelming and if reelected, the Saskatchewan Party government will certainly look to expand upon that success in other cities across the province.
How would a Saskatchewan Party government continue to improve the economy in this province?
Contrary to what the NDP might like you to believe, here in Saskatchewan, we already have one of the strongest economies in all of Canada. Our economy has grown by more than 27 per cent since we first formed government, we have more people living and working here than ever before.
Since 2007, we have nearly 100,000 more jobs in Saskatchewan. We have more than 1.25 million people that now call this province their home.
Saskatchewan is a great place to live. It is a great place to work and there is no better place to raise your family.
The NDP likes to rundown our economy, saying that we're in last place and that simply is not true.
Here are the facts: We have the lowest unemployment in Canada, we have the second highest percentage of people working per capita in Canada and we are projected to be first in private capital investment growth this year.
We have experts from across the country saying that Saskatchewan is a leader in the nation when it comes to economic stability, investment and projected growth.
Which again is why the question in this election really boils down to who will keep our economy strong and our future bright.