Four candidates in the runningFour candidates in the runningBy GREG NIKKEL of the Weyburn Review
Health-care issues and the problems facing agriculture are
the top issues for the four candidates running in the Indian Head-Milestone
constituency in the provincial election.
Voters in the riding, which includes Lang, Yellow Grass, Francis
and Fillmore, will choose between Saskatchewan Party candidate
Don McMorris, NDP candidate and incumbent Lorne Scott, Liberal
candidate Larry Schultz and Green Alliance candidate Garth Herman.
The top issues for Saskatchewan Party candidate Don McMorris
is summed up in the acronym of HAT: health, agriculture and taxation.
McMorris is a farmer in the Lewvan
area who has worked with the Prairie View School Division on their
driver-education program and with the Saskatchewan Safety Council
on a contract basis.
Of the three top issues, agriculture is the biggest one he
has come across in his campaigning, and addressed it in a stop
at a farm crisis meeting held in Creelman on Wednesday night.
Noting the leadership being provided by the Bengough Rally
Group on the crisis, McMorris questioned where the NDP government's
leadership is, saying the delegation to Ottawa should be by a
government representative.
If his party is elected, he said, "first we would lead
a strong delegation to Ottawa, but we would be leading, not paying
people to go for us. Secondly, we would provide strong leadership
in the development of a long-term farm safety-net program."
The downloading of education dollars onto farm property taxes
would also be stopped, he said, and this would also make a huge
difference in what farmers have to pay out, especially at a time
of low incomes.
"That's a real burden. For $2 a bushel for grain, we can't
sustain it," said McMorris, adding the federal government
would also be pressured into allowing more flexibility to allow
farmers to take part in projects like Prairie Pasta's new generation
co-operative.
Taxation is also a big part of the party's platform, he said,
which has been backed up by WEFA Canada, a consulting firm that
has been used by the NDP government. This platform has been out
for about a year and a half, unlike the platforms from the NDP
and Liberals, and no holes in its feasibility has been found,
he said.
Regarding health care, McMorris said area residents are still
mentioning the closure of the Plains Hospital as a major issue,
especially for those in the southeast, and they won't let the
NDP forget about this decision.
The party proposes to do an audit on the department's $1.95
billion budget and find out where all the money is going to, and
then redirect the funds to front-line patient care.
"I don't think throwing more money at the problem is a
solution. It's window dressing. Before we go and equip every hospital
like Jim Melenchuk was suggesting, do we know what's there now?,"
he said, adding they would keep up with inflation and not freeze
health spending as the NDP have accused them of proposing.
Health and agriculture are also
the top two issues for the incumbent MLA Lorne Scott, who said
the NDP platform is pledging to address both areas.
"We are responding to the concerns by committing to hiring
500 more positions, and also we're committing to reducing waiting
lists," said Scott.
In agriculture, he acknowledged low commodity prices are making
it hard for farmers even when they get a good crop in.
"I farm myself and am well aware of the costs of inputs.
When the election is over, and I assume we'll be forming the government
again, we will continue to work with farmers and move this protest
to Ottawa," said Scott.
Roads and highways are another concern being raised by a lot
of the people he is meeting on the campaign trail, and the NDP
candidate said their platform is addressing this concern by committing
to spend over $1 billion on highways.
The reaction by the public to the campaign has been mixed,
but Scott is confident of a good result on voting day.
"It's a mixed bag. Some people are supportive and others
are not supportive. Other people are tuned out because they're
still in the last week of vacation. I visualize a very tight race,
it could go any way. In light of that we're going to be working
as hard as we can to get the voters out on election day,"
he said.
This election will be Larry Schultz's
first try at provincial politics, deciding to run after serving
for a time as president of Fort Qu'Appelle's chamber of commerce.
After about a week into the campaign, the Liberal candidate
said health care and agriculture are the top two priorities for
voters in this riding.
The Liberal health platform includes creating 10 to 12 regional
hospitals in bigger centres, including Weyburn, and putting four
portable MRI units into service, which would be made possible
by eliminating the health boards as they currently exist.
"We need health boards, but we don't need 32 of them.
There's millions of dollars wasted in health care and at every
level of government," said Schultz.
In agriculture, the top priority is to create a long-term safety
net to help farmers out when they get into a severe cash crunch
as they have this year, he said.
"Where's the $140 million the NDP promised the farmers
in Saskatchewan? All they're doing is pointing to the federal
Liberals. AIDA is a joke and I agree with that, and the $140 million
is still sitting in a bank account. It's something that has to
be looked at," said Schultz.
A suggestion he's heard that would also help is to allow farmers
to have two per cent taken off their gross grain payments and
put into an income stabilization program. Currently, said Schultz,
most farmers have nothing left after taxes to put into a NISA
account.
"It's just an idea and it's a simple little thing. We
have to do away with these 40-page documents. I believe in the
KISS system, keeping it simple," he said.
Offering an environmentally-friendly
perspective on the issues is Garth Herman of the Green Alliance
Party, a new party fielding around 15 candidates in this election.
Formerly a federal government employee specializing in computer
services, Herman is trying to get the word out through informal
campaigning and the Internet about the direction his party is
headed in, namely keeping more of the money and decision-making
powers at the local level rather than with a centralized government.
"It's the community that should decide what level of health
care they want, what amount of money to put into roads, into sewer
and water. Instead of having more money for a highway and not
enough to put a new roof on a school, you decide how much taxes
you need," he said.
This approach cares more about what people need rather than
a multinational corporate approach where profits are the only
bottom line, he added.
"A lot of people like that thinking, because a lot of
people feel the government isn't listening to what their concerns
are, and the health districts or school boards aren't making decisions
that are in the best interests of the community," said Herman.
One thought he had in regards to the farm crisis arose from
a study he read about that determined farmers can make more money
through organic farming than through traditional methods.
"If that is the case, if we could move to organic farming,
we could make more money. That isn't information that's being
promoted by chemical and pesticide companies, because they're
not interested in farmers making more money It's not a total solution
to the farm crisis, but it's a way to alleviate it somewhat,"
he said.
Herman acknowledged he may not win this election, but said he hopes their points can influence whoever does win toward more environmentally-friendly policies. He said a list of the party's platform and candidates can be viewed on the Internet at <http://members.home.net/msailor>
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