Tell us a little bit about yourself
I grew up on a mixed farm in the Spring Valley area south of Moose Jaw. My sister and I rode the school bus and attended school in Moose Jaw. I later worked in sales and management living in Regina for about ten years, before moving back to Moose Jaw. I currently have a small ranch southwest of town where I board and train horses. I spent six years on the Board of Directors for the Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce (2016-2022), and three on the City of Moose Jaw's Heritage Advisory Committee (2019-2022). I also was an amateur boxer in my younger days, competing across western Canada.
What do you feel are some of the pressing issues for your constituency in this election?
Affordability is a top concern for many people across the province, including my constituency. The carbon tax, which is added on at many levels from production to processing to shipping has added inflationary pressures to our pocketbooks, as it's the end consumer that pays the full amount at point of purchase. Rural health care and education are also big concerns, as is agriculture and protecting the viability of the family farm.
How would the Sask United Party improve housing in the province?
I feel that much of the housing problems in Saskatchewan are felt right across this country, with federal Liberal policies contributing to much of it. But to help ease the burden, provincially our party is proposing a 65% discount on property taxes for senior homeowners 65 and older. We are also looking at reducing immigration into the province which we feel is placing a huge demand that is outpacing the supply when it comes to affordable housing.
What is the Sask United Party's plan for healthcare?
For many of the large ministries, including healthcare, we're going to subject them to full top-to-bottom financial audits. For many years now, the current governments' way of simply throwing more and more money at them without seeking out the root cases of the problems they face has accomplished nothing. Nothing has been fixed. Closed emergency rooms, long surgical wait times, and the inability for many to find a family doctor tells the tale. We will find, through our audits, where money is being misspent and wasted and reapportion those funds to where they are so desperately required-the front line workforce (doctors, nurses, lab techs, etc.)
What is the Sask United Party's plan for policing and public safety?
We will ensure that law enforcement has the proper tools they need to do their job effectively. Increase funding for departments as needed, enhance recruitment efforts, build specialized task forces and set clear targets going forward. We will put in place a plan to crack down on drugs and violent offenders, and institute a zero tolerance policy for repeat offenders.
How would the Sask United Party grow the economy?
We believe in far smaller government than what we have today. We will reduce red tape & strict regulations. We will foster value added processing facilities and infrastructure so that our raw commodities are refined here at home, rather than be sent out of province. Our platform also includes dropping the PST from its current 6% to 3%, eliminating the 15 cent per litre gas tax, and creation of the Saskatchewan First Bank. By focusing on merit-based support and access to capital, SFB will foster local economic development, empower entrepreneurs, create jobs, and strengthen Saskatchewan's economy as a whole.
Our party likes to state that Saskatchewan doesn't have a revenue problem, but it does have a management problem. The spending habits of the Sask Party has ballooned our provincial debt to an unmanageable level. Many of us candidates are business owners, ranchers and farmers. We know what a balance sheet looks like. We believe that government should be run like how we run our affairs: Not spending outside your means. So we want to bring a high degree of fiscal management and responsibility back into the Legislature. Because doing so is going to improve everyone's pocket book who calls Saskatchewan home.