Skip to content

Sask. election: Here’s what the parties are promising during the 2020 campaign

Here is the third week of candidate announcements and campaign promises from provincial parties leading up to the election
election ballot box shutterstock
(Shutterstock)

With the 2020 provincial election underway, Moose Jaw Today will be keeping track of all of the promises made along the campaign trail from each of the political parties running this year and compiling them together to help voters hit the polls feeling informed.

There are six registered political parties in this year’s election: Premier Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party, opposition leader Ryan Meili and the New Democrat Party, interim leader Wade Sira and the Buffalo Party, Naomi Hunter and the Saskatchewan Green Party, interim leader Robert Rudachyk and the Saskatchewan Liberal Association, and Ken Grey and the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan.

All party platforms can be found on respective websites.

These are the local candidates currently running for the Moose Jaw-North constituency:

These are the local candidates currently running for the Moose Jaw-Wakamow constituency:

Check back weekly for a summary of all announcements made by party leaders as the campaign continues, leading up to the provincial election on Oct. 26.


Saskatchewan Party:

Sept. 30: The Sask. Party promised to introduce a new Saskatchewan Home Renovation Tax Credit, for homeowners to claim 10.5 per cent on up to $20,000 of eligible renovations. The program would run from Oct. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2022 and would cost an estimated $124 million over two years.

Oct. 1: The Sask. Party said it would reduce all customers’ SaskPower bills by 10 per cent for one year beginning in December. Residential customers would see an average return of $215 and farm customers would see an average return of $845. The rebate will cost $87.2 million in 2020-21 and $174.4 million in 2021-22 and the cost to SaskPower will be covered by the General Revenue Fund.

Oct. 2: The Sask Party has said it will increase the Saskatchewan Advantage Scholarship by 50 per cent beginning next year, from $500 to $700 for a total increase of $1,000 over four years, to help eligible Saskatchewan students. This increase would cost an estimated $2 million per year, or $8 million over four years, and benefit approximately 8,000 students.

Oct. 3: The Sask Party will reduce the small business tax rate for the next three years from two per cent to zero beginning Oct. 1, 2020, then to one per cent by July 1, 2022 and then back to two per cent by July 1, 2023. The amount that small businesses can earn at the small business tax rate will remain at $600,000.

Oct. 5: Scott Moe and the Sask Party will restart the Active Families Benefit in the 2020-21 budget, to support access to children’s sports, arts and cultural activities in the province. The benefit would provide $150 per year for each child in a family with an annual income of under $600,000, with an additional $50 for families of children with a disability. This would affect 20,500 families at a cost of $5.7 million a year.

The Sask Party has also pledged to increase the number of childcare spaces by 90 per cent, including 230 spaces in new schools being built over the next four years. 

The party has also pledged the 2022-23 budget will include a $500 increase for the start-up grant for new home-based child care spaces, and a monthly increase of $20 for the nutrition grant and a $150 increase of the annual equipment grant for licensed home-based child care spaces.

The expected cost of these childcare supports is $9.7 million over four years.

Oct. 6: A re-elected Sask Party government said it will expand the eligibility for individualized autism funding, increasing the age limit from under six year old to under 12 years old beginning in 2021. Children under six will be granted $8,000 per year in funding, and children aged six to 11 will be granted $6,000 per year. This funding will benefit an estimated 1,500 children in the province and cost $6 million per year.

Oct. 7: The Sask Party said it will eliminate the age restriction for the Insulin Pump Program, which covers the cost of insulin pumps and supplies for people with Type 1 diabetes, and begin covering the cost of continuous glucose monitoring systems for children under 18. The program expansion is estimated to cost about $4.6 million per year and will benefit about 400 individuals.

Oct. 8: Scott Moe said a re-elected government will eliminate the charges for inter-hospital ambulance calls for seniors and reduce the maximum cost of other ambulance calls by 50 per cent, from $275 to $135 per call. The change would come into effect beginning in December this year and cost $8.4 million a year.

The Sask Party would also increase the maximum benefit amount of the Seniors Income Plan from $270 to $360 per month, affecting 14,000 low income seniors who receive the benefit currently. The increase will be phased in over three years beginning in 2021 and cost $9 million a year once fully implemented.

Additionally, the Sask Party has pledged to hire 300 more continuing care aides in the province, 180 new care aides for long-term care facilities and 120 care aides to provide home care services. This would cost $18.4 million per year, included following the 2021-22 budget.

Oct. 10: The Sask Party would improve deafblind services by funding a deafblind intervenor, an American Sign Language interpreter, two sigh support professionals, and a 24-hour interpreter line for access to services. The cost of implementation would be $1 million per year, included in the 2020-21 budget.

Oct. 15: The day following the broadcasted leader’s debate, Scott Moe announced that a re-elected Sask Party government would restart the Community Rink Affordability Grant for rural facilities. The grant would offer $2,500 per ice surface each year, and support an estimated 635 ice surfaces in 375 communities, at a cost of $1.7 million per year.

Moe also said the Sask Party will increase funding to the Saskatchewan Veteran Service Club Support Program from $100,000 to $1.5 million per year. The program supports facility upgrades for service clubs like Royal Canadian Legions, ANAVETS clubs and Lynx Wing. 


Saskatchewan NDP:

Sept. 4: The NDP’s first pre-election promise is to bring in $25 a day child care, 2,200 new childcare spaces every year and a panel of experts to review the early learning and child care system. The party did not specify what this program would cost.

Sept. 10: The NDP promised to lower SGI insurance premiums for Saskatchewan drivers by 7 per cent or about $85 a year, and provide all drivers with a $100 rebate. Funds for this would be provided by SGI’s $1 billion reserve fund. The party also promised that SGI would not be sold and would remain a public insurance company.

Sept. 16: Ryan Meili said that the NDP would introduce legislation to stop the privatization of health care and reverse the steps already taken towards a two-tiered health care system. The new Saskatchewan Medicare Protection Act would stop the offering of patient pay services and double-billing.

Sept. 17: The NDP announced it is committed to reaching 50 per cent renewable electricity by 2030, as well as a legislated target of 100 per cent emissions-free electricity by 2050. They have also committed to working with SaskPower to explore a major expansion of baseload geothermal power capacity.

Sept. 21: The party announced that an NDP government would invest $5 million to hire 50 mental health nurses for schools in the province, and provide another $5 million to help school divisions in reversing cuts and hiring child educational psychologists, counsellors, speech-language pathologists and other mental health supports.

Sept. 23: Ryan Meili has said he will stop allowing corporate and union donations to political parties and implement a cap on contributions that will bring Saskatchewan in line with other policies in Canada. He will also ensure that only Saskatchewan residents can donate to political campaigns in the province.

Sept. 25: The NDP has committed to reopening rural emergency rooms closed by the Sask Party and keeping all existing rural acute care centres open. The party has also said it will invest $10 million to address chronic short staffing and recruitment challenges in rural healthcare and also invest in infrastructure to fix crumbling rural health care facilities.

The NDP are also promising to consult with rural municipal, healthcare, First Nations and Métis leaders to advise on improving access to healthcare in rural areas. The party will also develop an aggressive rural training program to recruit and retain young people from rural Saskatchewan in health-care careers.

Sept. 30: The day after Scott Moe announced the election, Ryan Meili announced a proposed wealth tax of one per cent on anyone in the province with a net worth of over $15 million, which the party said would bring in an additional $120 million annually to be used for health care, education and long-term senior care spending.

Oct. 1: The NDP promised to cut classroom sizes by providing $125 million to address overcrowding in classrooms, which could provide funding to support 1,000 teachers, 750 educational assistants and 400 caretakers.

Oct. 2: Ryan Meili and the NDP have pledged to increase government transparency and accountability, including a promise to call a public inquiry into the Global Transportation Hub and Regina Bypass. 

He also said he would implement stronger conflict of interest rules for MLAs and require lobbying to be made public.

Also on this date, Meili announced an additional $3 million in educational funding investments for rural education, above the $125 million previously announced to address overcrowding in classrooms. 

Oct. 3: An NDP government has promised to enact pay equality legislation to close the wage gap between women and men in the workforce and ban dress codes that make women less safe at work, such as mandatory high heel policies.

Oct. 5: The NDP have said it will provide $100 million to the primary, acute and long term care systems, to hire an additional 100 doctors, 150 registered nurses, 300 licensed practical nurses and 500 continuing care nurses.

Oct. 6: Ryan Meili promised $50 million to hire an additional 700 home care staff, including 200 certified care aides, 100 licensed practical nurses, 70 registered nurses, 100 caretakers, 40 carpenters, 50 cooks, 80 groundskeepers and 60 occupational therapists.

Oct. 7: Ryan Meili committed to building a new surgery and outpatient centre in Regina, estimated to cost $60 million. 

He also announced that an NDP government would implement a Sask First job procurement policy for future infrastructure projects.

Oct. 8: The NDP pledged to invest over $10 million to improve mental health care access and combat the crystal meth and opioid crisis, including a $7.8 million to create dedicated mental health emergency rooms in Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw and $2 million for an evidence-based strategy to address the crystal meth and opioid crisis.

Ryan Meili also said the NDP would introduce a legislated suicide prevention strategy.

Oct. 10: The NDP said it will provide more supports to northern communities, including hiring staff for northern healthcare facilities, restoring funding to the Northern Teacher Education Program, reforming the child welfare system, and increasing SaskTel’s high-speed and wireless infrastructure in rural communities.

They also pledged to invest $10 million to act on the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and reintroduce an independent Ministry of Northern Affairs.

Oct. 11: The NDP plans to increase the minimum wage to $15/hour. 

Oct. 13: The NDP said it will require long-term care facilities to have minimum standards for direct care hours with residents, supported by the NDP’s previous pledge to increase health care staff.

Oct. 15: The day following the broadcasted leader’s debate, Ryan Meili restated the NDP’s plan to hire more staff to address overcrowded classrooms and promised an NDP government would provide funding increases relative to enrolment in future years.

Oct. 16: Ryan Meili announced the NDP would remove the provincial sales tax on construction labour to support a Sask-First job policy and aid in COVID-19 recovery.

Oct. 17: The NDP say they intend to build a mental health emergency room in the city of Prince Albert.

Oct. 18: Ryan Meili says the NDP is committed to having gender parity in the Cabinet and to closing the gender pay gap.


Buffalo Party:

Oct. 6: The Buffalo Party said it will discontinue the National Transfer Payment Program, and keep the power plants in Estevan and Coronach in operations, continuing with carbon capture storage technology.

Oct. 7: The Buffalo Party said it will push for the completion of national pipelines by implementing trade restrictions on imported goods with Quebec if the province continues to block construction. 

The party also said it would introduce legislation to remove PST on all municipal construction projects, provincially used vehicles and restaurant bills as well as legislation to remove the carbon tax and make it illegal in the province.

Oct. 8: The Buffalo Party would stimulate growth in the economy by reducing the size of government and policies, to reduce “red tape.” They have also pledged to give preference to Saskatchewan companies for provincial projects by exiting the New West Partnership.

The Buffalo Party said it will introduce legislation to manage tax structure, including federal tax.

The party has also pledged to remove the RCMP and implement a provincial police force, while working with municipalities to create a municipal policing policy to address rural crime.

Oct. 9: The Buffalo Party released it's platform today, promoting a focus on more autonomy from the provincial government including changes to the PST and GST tax structure, the federal pension plan and the use of the RCMP.


Saskatchewan Green Party:

Sept. 14: The Green Party says it will establish a guaranteed provincial income.

Sept. 28: Naomi Hunter said a Sask Green Party government would expand provincial health care coverage to include all health services like dental, optical, mental health support, as well as complementary and alternative healing practices. She did not provide a cost for this plan.

Oct. 13: The Green Party released it's platform today, with leader Naomi Hunter emphasizing the party’s focus on climate change initiatives. Hunter said the goal would be for the province to move to 60 per cent renewable energies within four years and to fully renewable energy within a decade.

Other promises include reinstating solar net metering systems, working towards tuition-free post-secondary education, looking into provincial pharmacare coverage, and providing a guaranteed income to residents. The Green Party would also seek to reform the government system by moving to proportional representation and lowering the voting age to 16.

No costs for proposed initiatives have been provided.


Saskatchewan Liberal Party:

The Liberals have identified several issues in their platform, including eliminating PST on insurance, reducing the interest rate on government student loans, reinstating the film tax credit, and reducing the number of MLAs in the legislature. Their full platform is available online.


PC Party of Saskatchewan:

Sept. 18: Party leader Ken Grey has said that a PC government would motion to cancel the provincial state of emergency enacted on March 18 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oct. 3: The PC Party pledged to create 1,500 long-term care beds over the next five years and allocate an additional $50 million in support for mental health and addictions services. They also promised to build a new hospital in both Regina and Prince Albert. They did not indicate a cost for these projects.

Oct. 4: The PC Party would advocate for a second bridge to be built in Prince Albert and increase the pace of upgrades for northern and rural transportation routes. They did not indicate a cost for this project.

The party also pledged to implement a northern business tax credit for new businesses and expansion into northern communities, and also provide mental health services by building two hubs for northern First Nations and Metis communities.

Oct. 5: Ken Grey said that a PC Party government would remove the PST on construction and pull Saskatchewan out of the New West Trade Partnership Agreement, sourcing provincial projects to Saskatchewan companies first.

Oct. 6: The PC Party will introduce legislation for a property owner’s right to access and protect, and provide peace officer training for hospitals and other institutions to relieve police officers of duty in securing incarcerated patients.

Additionally, the party said it will propose anti-gang legislation and a community strategy to address gang activity, tougher sentences and a one-strike law for child sex and child abuse crimes. 

The PC Party also supports firearm ownership for legal, law-abiding citizens.

Oct. 8: The PC Party said it will reinstate the Potash Production Credit, the Film Tax Credit and introduce a Manufacturer’s Tax Credit to encourage more locally-produced goods and jobs.

Oct. 10: The PC Party said it will increase government accountability in a number of ways, including reducing the legislative assembly to 58 seats, placing a ban on using caucus communications funds for party advertising, and eliminating corporate, union and out-of province donations to parties. 

The party would also introduce citizen-initiated legislation to allow residents to make decisions through referendum and begin holding specified days during legislative sitting for the public to directly address the cabinet.

Oct. 13: A PC Party government would work for more autonomy from the federal government by developing a provincial police force to replace the RCMP and allowing communities to set up their own local volunteer peace forces.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks