SASKATOON — Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe came out swinging on Saturday, Oct. 26, in what could be his final campaign stop before the election on Monday. He did not waste time criticizing the local NDP for its record of closures and when they were in government for almost two decades.
Speaking to their supporters at Hall C of Prairieland Park, Moe proudly enumerated the gains made by the Saskatchewan Party in growing the province’s economy since he took over as premier from Brad Wall in 2018. This will be Moe’s second time trying to keep the Saskatchewan Party in power.
“In just a few short days, everyone in Saskatchewan will have the opportunity to make a choice. It’s a very, very important choice. We’re seeing that many people in Saskatchewan are already making that choice today and have made that choice throughout the past week. Well, over 200,000 people have made that choice, and the reports that we have at our head office are that many, many, many Saskatchewan Party supporters have been out and have voted for the Saskatchewan Party and have voted for a brighter future for not only Saskatoon but for the entirety of the province. That is partly due to the hard work and effort of every campaign team that has joined us here today and across the province. So, thank you for your efforts,” said Moe, the Saskatchewan Party candidate for Rosthern-Shellbrook.
“The choice we each have, and each Saskatchewan person has, has never been clearer than it is today. You can choose between the NDP, their record, and their decline, loss, and closure plan. Or you can choose a strong economy and a bright future with your party, with the Saskatchewan Party. There are more jobs, people, and opportunities today than ever before. There were 17,000 additional jobs this past year compared to the previous year. That is one new job created every 30 minutes throughout 365 days. On Oct. 28, we have the opportunity to keep that record going. Or we can go back to what it was like under the NDP, where I would say a new job was also being created for a Saskatchewan person every 30 minutes. The problem was the jobs were being created in Alberta, and our children had to leave and move there to get them.”
Moe said the Saskatchewan Party is running to remain in government with a record of job creation and opportunity, compared to the Saskatchewan NDP, which is running away from a record of decline, loss, and closure.
“They [Saskatchewan NDP] want you to forget that they closed hospitals and then fired the doctors and nurses that were offering services in our communities. They want you to forget that they closed 176 schools. The NDP closed a school for every month that they had the opportunity and the honour to serve as our government. And then they fired the teachers from those very schools. They want you to forget the tooth-jarring experience in this province when we attempted to navigate the roads that we called provincial highways. (3:15) They wanted you to forget they had a nine per cent PST. They had the nation’s highest income tax rates and the very threat of property tax revolts year in and year out,” said Moe.
“But we remember, and Saskatchewan voters remember, and we don’t ever want to go back to what it was like under the NDP in this province. If you want your community, our province, and our Saskatchewan economy to continue to grow, and if you’re going to have the opportunity for our children and grandchildren to stay here, well, you need to choose. It would be best if you chose the Saskatchewan Party. You need to choose one of the strong teams of candidates that the Saskatchewan Party has run for us across this province.”
He then introduced their candidates for Saskatoon and several ridings outside the city: Lisa Lambert (Churchill Wildwood), Ghislaine McLeod (University-Sutherland), Ken Cheveldayoff (Saskatoon Willowgrove), David Buckingham (Saskatoon Westview), Bronwyn Eyre (Saskatoon Stonebridge), Olugbenga Fakoyejo (Riversdale), Dale Hrynuik (Centre), Francis Kreiser (Eastview), Paul Merriman (Silverspring), Mumtaz Naseeb (Nutana), John Owojori (Southeast), Parminder Singh (Chief Mistawasis), Maureen Torr (Meewasin), and Zahid Sandhu (Fairview), and Kim Gartner (Kinderssley-Biggar), Racquel Hilbert (Humboldt-Watrous), Terry Jensen (Warman), Barret Kropf (Dakota-Arm River), Jamie Martens (Martensville-Blairmore), James Thorsteinson (Cur Knife-Turtleford), Sean Wilson (Canora-Pelly), Colleen Young (Lloydminster), Jim Reiter (Rosetown-Delisle).
Moe said that the difference between the Saskatchewan Party and the NDP is that three-quarters of their commitment to the province is tax reductions and tax credits, compared to the opposition’s increasing government spending.
“This means that you will have more money left in your pocket. Contrast that with the NDP’s multi-billion dollar promises, increasing government spending. They want more of your money because they think they know how better to spend it. They think they know how to spend it better than you. That’s the choice before Saskatchewan voters this week, and that’s the choice before Saskatchewan voters on Monday,” said Moe.
“The Saskatchewan party wants to leave more money in your pocket for you to spend, versus the NDP who want to take more money out of your pocket so they can spend it. We all have a choice, and you have a choice, between the Saskatchewan party that has stood against the Trudeau carbon tax since day one, and the NDP who have supported that same tax since day one and still do today.”