Candidates from the four political parties running in the Battlefords were at the Western Development Museum for the Chamber of Commerce's all-candidates election forum Oct. 26.
The four candidates - NDP incumbent MLA Len Taylor and his opponents, Liberal leader Ryan Bater, Herb Cox of the Saskatchewan Party and Owen Swiderski of the Green Party- made their pitch for election to approximately 120 people.
The event did not feature a lot of rancor, as the candidates staked out the issues and themes of their campaigns.
Taylor focused on familiar NDP policies and made the case that he was the one who could provide experienced and effective representation for the Battlefords.
" My experience helps to make this community stronger," said Taylor. "You can count on me to represent your interests in Regina, in Ottawa, or wherever else I am sent to carry our message."
He adds people can count on him to play an important role regardless of whether he is in government or in opposition.
Cox talked about successful Saskatchewan Party initiatives of the previous term and made the case that only he could get things done in Regina.
"This province is a very different place than it was four years ago," said Cox, pointing to the growing population and the retention of young people.
He put the question to the audience directly in his closing: do the Battlefords want to be represented by a member of the opposition, or by a member of the government?
Bater put forward his case that only the Battlefords had the opportunity to change the two-party political dynamic in Regina by sending the leader of a third party to the legislature. He talked about his credentials as Liberal leader, and a platform he says is rooted in the Battlefords.
"A vote for Ryan Bater is a vote for the Battlefords," Bater said during his closing remarks.
Swiderski admitted that he never expected to get involved in politics or run for MLA, but held his own during the night against the more experienced debaters by focusing on Green Party environmental themes, while at the same time opposing corporate policies that put "profit over people" and saying no to all things nuclear.
The forum covered a number of topics including tax reform, revenue sharing with First Nations, attracting teachers, government spending, attracting culture and young people to the Battlefords, treaty rights, natural resources, mental health and the Saskatchewan Hospital and raising the minimum wage.
One of the questions posed concerned the closure of the Maple Leaf Foods plant in North Battleford. The prevailing reaction from the candidates was one of disappointment over the news and expressions of support for the workers affected.
Cox pledged the provincial government would work with the city and private sector to find a new tenant for the building "to keep the jobs that are here," and expressed confidence a new tenant would be found.
Swiderski called it a perfect example of "what the Occupy protests were about," calling the move putting "profits over people."
Taylor said the plant represents "value-added agriculture," and said value-added agriculture "is what we need to attract to Saskatchewan." He said the government has allowed value-added agriculture production to leave Saskatchewan.
Bater also called the announcement "heartbreaking" and pointed to an individual from Madagascar who had moved to North Battleford to work at the Maple Leaf plant and was trying to bring his family to Canada. He now has to figure out what to do.
The biggest hot-button question, to no one's surprise, was on the topic of building a nuclear reactor in Saskatchewan. That produced the liveliest discussion of the night.
Taylor went on the attack against the Saskatchewan Party for "leading us down the garden path" on nuclear reactors, pointing to the Bruce Power project that had been proposed for the region. Taylor added no business case has been made for generating nuclear power.
Bater slammed the government's "preoccupation with large-scale projects," pointing to the domed stadium in Regina as another example, and agreed the Bruce Power project "did not make any economic sense for Saskatchewan."
Cox stood by the government's decision to say no to the nuclear power plant, saying in the end the government "did the right thing, they did their due diligence." He added they took the same stance with BHP Billiton, referring to their failed bid to take over PotashCorp, a stance the Brad Wall government opposed along with the NDP.
Swiderski, not surprisingly, had the strongest reaction against nuclear reactors and against storing nuclear waste in the province.
"It's going to pollute our water supply, pollute our land," said Swiderski of the nuclear waste. "I don't want it here."
Swiderski also said the nuclear issue should have been more prominent during the campaign.
"This should have been the issue of the election, and it got buried," said Swiderski, who added, "this is my issue of the election."
Overall, all the candidates showed well on the night in what was a civilized debate free from personal attacks or mudslinging from candidates or members of the audience. There also didn't appear to be any obvious verbal gaffes from any of the candidates, unlike what happened at a forum in Yorkton.
Saskatchewan Party candidate Greg Ottenbreit ultimately had to apologize over his response to a question on resource revenue sharing with First Nations, where he made comments about the money possibly being spent on drugs and alcohol.
The forum was held just one day after the televised leaders debate was held in Regina and broadcast across the province. That debate, though, was limited to the Saskatchewan Party and the NDP.
Liberal leader Bater - who told reporters he didn't bother to watch the televised leaders' debate and campaigned instead - seemed to make the most of his appearance at the forum after being denied the invitation by the broadcasters' consortium to debate Brad Wall and Dwain Lingenfelter.
He appeared the most animated of the four candidates, particularly when it came to his response to the final question of the night. When candidates were asked what they would do to support small farmers, Bater used the opportunity to denounce what he called an attack by the Saskatchewan and federal governments "against the Canadian Wheat Board."
"We need to have the clout as a country to market our wheat effectively," said Bater in declaring his support for the single desk. Legislation that would end the Wheat Board's monopoly is now before parliament.
