WEYBURN - Two candidates are lined up for voting in Souris-Moose Mountain, Steven Bonk and Mike Strachan, for the right to represent the Progressive Conservatives in the next federal election, likely to come in 2025.
Voting will take place on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 9 and 10, in three locations in the riding: Moosomin on Aug. 9, Estevan in the morning of Aug. 10, and finally in Weyburn at the Legion Hall, with the final vote count to be announced on the evening of Aug. 10.
The first candidate to declare he wanted to run as candidate was Bonk, the MLA for Moosomin, and just before the deadline expired, Strachan filed his papers for what may be a controversial candidate selection.
Strachan has been the mayor of Torquay since 2009, and feels the riding should be represented by someone who knows the riding and isn’t parachuted in as a candidate.
Current MP Robert Kitchen had said late last year he would run for another term, but then he announced he would not run again on July 8, just before Bonk declared he would run to represent Souris-Moose Mountain.
In declaring his intentions, Bonk noted he was co-captain of party leader Pierre Poilievre’s Saskatchewan team during the leadership race, and said, “It’s crucial that we have a strong consistent voice advocating for our province at the federal level to ensure our interests are effectively represented in Ottawa.”
In an interview on Monday, Strachan said it’s been a challenge getting his name and message to members who are eligible to vote for who they want to be the candidate for this riding, “but it’s been a good challenge, because if you win, these could the people who vote for you in the next federal election.”
In talking with members, Strachan said some of the big issues people raise with him include the capital gains tax for farmers, the carbon tax, affordability for living expenses, and for those who work in the oil industry, the coming regulations on methane emissions.
He’s also heard concerns from Estevan and Coronach workers in the coal mines about the uncertain future in those communities.
“People are really worried about what’s coming in the next five to 10 years,” he said.
For a huge riding like Souris-Moose Mountain, that covers some 56,000 square kilometres, he said, “If we can’t find somebody who lives in the riding, there’s a problem. I do live in the riding, and I’ve worked in oil and gas and at the coal mine. We need someone who understands this riding and returns phone calls.”
Strachan said his experience in municipal politics showed him the importance of connecting with those you represent, and always returns phone calls, even when he knows it might be a tough conversation to have.
“At other levels of government, you have road blocks and red tape. My phone number is public for anyone to contact me. If I am elected, I still expect to be able to return phone calls,” he said.
As someone who is raising a family here, he also knows what it’s like paying for groceries or sports , noting the costs are “crazy” high right now. He noted one of his sons wants to buy a house in the riding, and doesn’t know if he can afford to do that right now.
The format for each of the three meetings will be the same, starting with speeches from the two candidates, then a period of voting, which has to be done in person.
In Moosomin at the Legion, the speeches will start at 4:30 p.m., with voting from 5 to 7 p.m. In Estevan, the meeting will be at the Wylie Mitchell building, with speeches at 9:30 a.m. and voting from 10 to noon, then the scene shifts to Weyburn at the Legion Hall.
Speeches will be at 3:30 p.m., and voting is from 4 to 6 p.m., with the final results from all of the voting to be announced after that time.
Strachan pointed out that the Assiniboia area is now a part of the riding, so party members in that area will need to take in one of the three meetings. If there are any Assiniboia area residents who wouldn’t be able to make that trip, he said they can contact him and he will try to make arrangements to enable voting to take place.
