The Moose Jaw area has been solidly Conservative blue for nearly two decades, but that isn’t stopping Katelyn Zimmer from working to turn the constituency Liberal red.
Zimmer is the Liberal Party candidate for the Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan riding. She is a second-generation veterinarian who lives with her husband and two kids on an acreage near Craven. She is the vice-president of the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association and works at the Victoria Veterinary Clinic in Regina.
The Craven-area resident explained she is running for politics since she has a strong passion for female representation in elected positions. However, she is worried that politics is becoming unattractive for women due to how “nasty” public discourse is.
“That made me worried about the quality of candidates (and) the type of people that were going to run,” said Zimmer. “That’s why I decided to step forward.”
Some examples of nastiness that Zimmer has seen include violent threats and protests, defacing of election signs, graffiti slurs on candidates’ offices, and negative online comments.
Meanwhile, her decision to run for politics prompted her husband to question their safety and their home.
“… if I can’t stand up for what I believe in, I may as well not live in Canada,” she said. “Women are also in a more unique situation than men because there is a fine line between strong … and weak that we have to walk.”
Most people with whom Zimmer has spoken have been kind and respectful, while many have been willing to listen and evaluate her as an individual and her merits.
She pointed out that the local candidate has the greatest effect on the constituency since that person is the voice for the riding and advocates for residents. That is why it’s important to have someone in that position who is relatable and trustworthy.
Zimmer is running for the Liberal Party since her values align most closely with that party, she explained. She has voted for different parties over the years, but she found herself agreeing more with the Liberals’ platform as she has grown older.
“Although it’s not the popular party in this province, that was not a good enough reason for me not to do it,” she added.
The three main issues on which Zimmer is focusing include families and accessible child care, farming and small communities, and the future of the environment and climate change.
Child care is important to Zimmer since she is a working mom with two children. She noted that in Lumsden, that community needs at least 10 more daycares to look after children in the area.
To address this issue, the Liberals have promised $10 per day daycare for communities of all sizes.
Farming is important to Zimmer since she married into a farm family. Her husband’s parents are farmers and she sometimes helps them out. Meanwhile, as a veterinarian, she is working with her provincial association to recruit and retain more animal doctors in rural Saskatchewan. She wants to expand this program to other professions to ensure small communities remain viable.
As for the environment, Zimmer supports a carbon tax. She pointed out that “no one can deny climate change” this year based on all the wild weather Canada has experienced.
Zimmer acknowledged that her in-laws are concerned about the Liberals’ carbon tax and joked that they haven’t disowned her — yet. However, she believes when changes are being applied, planners need to start with an “imperfect plan” and fine-tune it along the way.
“Ultimately, I don’t believe farmers should be the ones bearing the brunt of the tax,” she added. “And I think that farmers can also contribute the environmental issues like carbon capture programs and having incentives for the things they do contribute positively to the environment.”
Zimmer was in Moose Jaw recently and planned to return before the Sept. 20 election.
