The Estevan community is just starting to make sense of what the newest federal election will mean for the southeast, with businesses and community leaders looking towards the future. The policies that the federal government will focus on could determine the future for Estevan and its surrounding communities.
For RM of Estevan Reeve Jason LeBlanc, the re-election of the Liberal Party of Canada wasn't great, but they still managed to send a message.
“Well, the election didn't go as well as we all had hoped. But I think there was a very strong message sent. The message was that there's the vote was almost an even split of the number of people that voted."
With western provinces overwhelmingly voting for the Conservative Party of Canada, LeBlanc says he's hoping for more unity from the federal government and recognition of western Canada.
"But as far as the message that was sent out, I think they got it loud and clear that the West feels alienated. The West is the powerhouse that runs Canada. The West has everything to run independently, and if you want to keep a country together, you'd better reach out and make things right."
LeBlanc says that the youth vote especially supported the message, saying they've felt a lot of hardships under the previous Liberal government.
"If you were 10 years old when the Liberal government got into power, you are now approaching 20 years of age, and you've never had any other option, and you realize you can't afford anything. That's why people are still living with their parents and can't move on."
"Think back to the way it was 10 years previous to that, and everybody could get out, make a living and have a little money left over and and start your life now. It's just hard."
With the Parliament headed back to work on May 26th, LeBlanc wants to see action which would keep Western Canada's economy rolling.
"When they try to shut down the industry and still want their fair share of the money, it just doesn't work anymore. We are very strong. And when we get in, even into our local area, we're known for coal, oil, agriculture. We have it all right here in our immediate area. And if you go just a little bit north, we have potash. So Saskatchewan is a very, very strong province and can provide many things for the whole country so that all the social programs can survive."
LeBlanc says that shutting down industries like coal, oil, and others would weaken the whole country. Instead, he'd like to see some effort put in on interprovincial trade and expanding that across the country.
"You've obviously got rail. We've got the two best rail lines in North America in the C.N. and the C.P., and they run coast to coast. So that's a start. You also you can also get ships in through northern Manitoba if you need to be that way. But wouldn't it just make more sense to have a pipeline? The pipeline would easily transfer oil. And you could be very self-sufficient within this country."
In order to weather the current economic conditions, LeBlanc says we'll ultimately need to work with the US, with some local help, hopefully able to make our connections stretch even further.
That comes in the form of recently elected Souris Moose Mountain MP Stephen Bonk, who's expressed his past experience and desire to expand international trade.
"We need to have those trade working partners with us all the time. And I think Stephen Bonk is the right man for this area on the simple fact that he has worked in different countries around the world and he has ran trade offices. And he's also been involved in embryo transplanting and doing things with the cattle and ag sectors. And he's lived in different countries. So he gets it. He understands it."
LeBlanc says that Bonk is a good man with a real ag background who proved he's right for the area by earning a considerable amount of votes in the election.
After Carney released his acceptance speech, saying he has the backs of all Canadians, LeBlanc says he hopes that extends to the resource sector.
"I'm a Saskatchewan farmer and I'm the reeve in the RM. If you have my back, and you will support Saskatchewan, then let us bring to the table all the commodities and all the things that we have to market so that Canada can benefit from it and build us a strong, united nation. You cannot keep taking and not giving back to this province."
He is hoping for a federal government that would do more than just point to the U.S. for every inconvenience and would be willing to work on the problems affecting Western Canada.
"We have a bigger tariff in the ag sector with China. China slapped us with a tariff on canola. But we don't have one representative in the federal government that has even attacked that or tried to."
LeBlanc called for a continued reversal of carbon tax policies from the federal government, which would help to boost Western Canada's economy.
"If you want to break down interprovincial…barriers, get rid of the carbon taxes — number one. That allows us to have a market and allows us to hire people and create businesses. If you're going to keep taxing us, that's what drives companies out of Canada and into the United States or into any other country."
He also suggested that the federal government dedicate 2% of Canada’s GDP on defence, the minimum spending target set for countries within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance, to alleviate trade tensions with the United States.
“If you want to keep us in a good movement, and if you want to go and combat these kinds of things with Trump…pay your 2%. Pay your bill. That’s what was required and the tariffs will go away.”
For Steven Bonk, LeBlanc has a piece of advice before he heads to Ottawa to represent his home riding.
“So, Mr. Bonk, you have a big riding. You were elected in with a landslide victory. You've got 84 percent of the vote, which is almost unheard of numbers. I know that your intentions are to look after each one of us. Sometimes that can be hard. But if you can represent the industries that are in your riding, I think you've got a very good you've got a very good backing here."
"If you can take that down and hammer that every day that we have what's required, Saskatchewan is a big player. It's one of the key components to make Canada united. So we have everything that's required right here in Saskatchewan. And your specific riding almost represents everything that we have in Saskatchewan."
LeBlanc says that he's happy with the recent announcements for the coal industry that the province has made, and hopes that the industry can continue to support the Estevan area for the future.