REGINA - In alphabetical order, the second in our series of leaders’ profiles is an interview with the leader of the Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative Party, Rose Buscholl.
Buscholl is running in Humboldt-Watrous where she has lived for 20 years, and she says the PCs are hoping to field upwards of 20 candidates in the provincial election. The following are some highlights from our interview, which you can find in its entirety at the bottom of our page.
Why she is involved in the PC party:
"I got into politics and especially with the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan because I have lost faith in government and government officials in general. I've seen over the years education systems decline, the health care system decline, just the general overall feeling of trust within the current government. It became so great that you couldn't just sit by and watch anymore. So I had to do something."
About the party:
"So what we believe with the PC party is we believe in equality for everybody. We believe in a strong health care system, education system and general rights for everybody across the board. While we are fiscally conservative, we're quite progressive socially.
"Best way to describe it is we are conservatives with a heart - it’s one way that was put to me, so I like that one."
What success would mean for the party:
"Success would mean two, three seats in the legislature. I think that strong voice that we have would really help hold the government accountable and really highlight some of the problems within government themselves because the opposition has been sitting too quiet for too long.
"We're not hearing that. I believe that having those seats on the ledge will be a very good start to start holding the government accountable, whoever comes into power. According to the polls, we could see a big change."
Priorities for the PCs:
"Health care, education, accountability, and transparency within the government. And one that nobody else is talking about, the only one that we seem to be talking about is foreign farmland ownership.
"This is a huge topic with majority of farmers in the province. They're worried that our farmland is being sold off piece by piece to foreign entities and it's making it impossible for them to compete or their children to take over that family farm and compete because things are just getting too expensive because of land prices being driven up. We're not just looking at this as protecting farmland, we're protecting a way of life for many people in this province."
Where the PCs stand on taxes:
"So first I'll address the tax issue. The whole thing of we're going to cut the taxes and it's really funny that the SUP has adopted the federal Conservative “axe the tax” slogan. I kind of laughed at that personally but it's really great to talk about that during election time.
"In fact, I can't remember an election where one party somewhere down the line hasn’t said we're going to cut taxes. We're going to make things more affordable. We need to cut taxes and then what happens when they get into power is nothing happens.
"….We can't just go and say we're going to cut taxes across the board.
"It doesn't work that way. Because at the end of the day, the province still has to function. We still need to fund education.
"We still need to fund health care which both areas are highly underfunded already. So what we're looking at is a more targeted approach when it comes to taxes. We want to reverse a lot of the things that the SAS party put in years ago when it came to taxation of children's clothing, ready-made foods in grocery stores.
"We want to make sure that we take off the taxes for school supplies for grade K to 12. Taxes on your home insurance if it's your primary dwelling. This is all stuff that will help families right now.
"I've heard two parties now saying how they're going to cut the gas tax. They're going to give a relief on the gas tax. The reality is that doesn't help everybody in the province.
"Does it help your single mother of three kids who is now widowed who doesn't have a vehicle and can't afford one because of the current state of our economy who's loading the kids up on the buses to take them to school and to go get groceries? It doesn't help her because she's not paying gas tax. Does it help the senior citizen who no longer drives because they don't feel comfortable on the road? No, this doesn't help them because they no longer drive. The gas tax and getting rid of the gas tax is only going to help those people, especially your daily commuters.
"That's the only place where money is going to go back into the pockets. It does not help everybody in the province."
The carbon tax and relations with the federal government:
"Well, the carbon tax is a tax that was put into place to keep people in power that probably shouldn't have been put into power in the first place. The whole thing with carbon tax, it is nothing but fear mongering.
"Do we have to worry about climate change? Climate has changed throughout history. It's been found on geological records. We can't deny that climate patterns shift. This happens.
Is putting a tax on carbon going to make a difference? Absolutely not. All you're doing is already overburdening people with an extra amount of money that they're paying that they're not getting back nearly what the federal government says that they're getting back.
"And it's making it harder for people to live. In the 80s, we heard about the ozone layer. ‘Don't use aerosol hairspray.’ And then it went to acid rain. From there, it's caused global warming. And now it's climate change.
"It's still the same fear-mongering technique that they have used for how many years. And they just found a way to put a price on it now. But it doesn't help.
"It does not help Canadians. It does not help the climate. There's other initiatives that we can take to make sure that we are working within a framework that helps keep the water clean, the earth clean, better recycling programs, that we don't need to worry about a price on carbon.
"Because it doesn't work. It hasn't reduced any carbon emissions."
Education:
"We are not spending near enough on education. In 2017, the Sask Party had a huge clawback of, I think it was $58 million on the education system.
"The little increases they've offered here and there, especially if you're trying to keep up with current cost of living, hasn't come near to what they actually clawed back in 2017. When they did those clawbacks, there was a lot of people, educational assistants, psychologists, counsellors — these are all people that have now lost their jobs.
"And we need to start bringing these people back. It's very important to realize that it's not just teachers that keep the school running. It's all the support system for the teachers as well.
"And if you don't have that support, the teachers are on their own. Teaching, in my opinion, has become almost one of the most dangerous professions out there. And it shouldn't be that way.
"They are supposed to be educating our children, our next generation that are going to be future leaders, whether it be business, politics, medicine, going into trade. And they're having to run defense all the time. And it's totally taking away what their job is supposed to be, which, in my opinion, at one time was one of the most noble professions out there.
"And it's very unfortunate to become like that. We've seen earlier on this year, second day of the school year, what happens when issues like classroom size and complexity are not addressed or the proper measures aren't put in place or the proper staff not in place. You know, we look at what happened at Evan Hardy this year, and I think it was actually outrageous that our education minister came out with the comment of, well, it could have been worse.
"How much worse does he need it to get to realize there is a problem and this is a problem that they created before they start addressing it and fixing it properly? And if this isn't something that they're prepared to do, then it's time to step aside and let people in there that will actually address and solve the problem."
Health care:
"So we put through, we put forward quite a comprehensive and detailed health care plan. It's not only are we looking at recruiting and retaining health care professionals, and this isn't just doctors, this is nurses, paramedics, any of that support staff needed in the health care environment.
"But we're also looking at utilizing existing resources and keeping them in the province before they move out elsewhere. You've got people that are, you know, individuals that are going through and they get their paramedics. Well, now they go to different provinces to find work because they can't find it here.
"Well, I've worked for an ambulance service and been a first responder for many years. And I've seen these paramedics, you know, they come on scene and I've worked alongside some really great people, too. And they're there, they will bring somebody back from the brink and stabilize them so they can get to the hospital.
"If they can do that out in minus-40 weather on the side of a road, could you imagine what they could do in a hospital setting in the event of an emergency? Why not make a space for them there where they can really help assist when it comes to trauma situations, which now will help close some of the wait times when it comes to people who are coming in with less emergent problems that they can see doctors. And that's one thing that we're looking at.
"Another thing that we're looking at is adding more seats to training doctors and nurses.
"But we want a certain percentage of those seats reserved to people who grew up in Saskatchewan. And the reason why we want to do that is because studies have shown that if you go elsewhere to get your medical degree or your nursing degree, you will probably get a job in where the country or province in which you got that degree. We want to keep our children home.
"We as a parent, I want to keep my children as close to me as possible. You know, the same province would be nice, not I'm living here and then I have my son living with B.C. and a daughter living out on the East Coast and another one down in the States. I want to see that I want my family close to me.
"And this is what every parent I think wants. So if we can start educating our youth here when keeping them here, I think it's going to bring that stronger community when it comes to families as well."
To listen to the full interview with Rose Buscholl click play below.
