As results from rural areas begin to come in early in the evening, it became evident that in the Humboldt-Watrous constituency, electors had chosen the Sask Party and welcomed a new MLA, Racquel Hilbert.
Hilbert captured the nomination this summer when long serving MLA, Finance Minister and Deputy Premier Donna Harpauer chose to step down. Before the campaign was official, Hilbert stepped into the candidacy with seeming ease, guided by one of the strongest political mentors one could wish for in Harpauer.
“It’s undeniable, when you think of Humboldt-Watrous, you think of Donna Harpauer, and that has been that way for a long time. So, I think I have some very big boots to fill, but I’ve been told she has very tiny feet,” Hilbert joked.
Hilbert is Humboldt homegrown, a graduate of Humboldt Collegiate with a farming background.
She has a strong lock on education needs with a 20-year background as a teacher and special needs educator. She’s also a principal in a local drilling company with a keen sense of the province’s business landscape.
In her candidate profile published on Discover Humboldt, Hilbert cited the $2.2 billion dollars of spending in education, over $350 million of which is destined for working toward alleviating classroom overcrowding and complexity issues.
She also supported the Sask Party’s initiative on training health care students in rural areas where they will hopefully elect to practice.
The mood was upbeat at the headquarters on Highway 5 in Humboldt as Hilbert delivered her address. She thanked friends, family, campaign workers and acknowledged her opposition in the campaign for their conduct and concern for the wellbeing of the constituents.
“Now, as we celebrate this victory and want to reaffirm my commitment to the promises I made during this campaign,” Hilbert stated. “This victory is just the beginning, and a dedicated worker to tirelessly work to fulfill our shared vision and address issues that really matter in our community.”
Listen to Hilbert’s full address below.