Eighteen months after being nominated as the Sask. Party candidate for Moose Jaw North, Tim McLeod is excited to finally be campaigning and working to earn voters’ trust.
McLeod and his wife Tenielle had many lengthy conversations about running for politics, especially since he had built up his law firm and had spent nearly a decade as a trustee with the Prairie South School Division, he explained. When Moose Jaw North incumbent Warren Michelson announced he wasn’t going to run in 2020, those conversations crystallized and they thought now was the time to give politics a shot.
“And I think it’s a good fit given my legal back in representing people and my understanding of how the political process works, particularly having eight years on the school board now,” McLeod said after the recent visit by Premier Scott Moe. “So, I think it felt like a good fit and the right time.”
The community lawyer resigned as a trustee from the PSSD board on Sept. 30, as he thought it was appropriate to do while campaigning.
Besides McLeod, other candidates running in Moose Jaw North include the NDP’s Kyle Lichtenwald and the Green Party’s North Hunter.
McLeod’s experiences of helping, listening and advocating for others in the legal and education fields are strengths that he believes will help him if he is elected on Oct. 26. His entire professional life has been devoted to public service, so politics would likely be a natural fit, he stated. He indicated that he also has the necessary skillset and hopes voters also agree.
McLeod and his team have received plenty of positive feedback while on the doorstep, he said. Residents have said they are pleased with how the Sask. Party government has managed the economic storms of the past year.
“When you find yourself in rough waters, but you find yourself on a steady ship, that’s a credit to the captain,” he continued. “I think Premier Moe has done a phenomenal job of navigating the pandemic for this province and I’m excited to be a part of his team.”
The Sask. Party has a better plan to govern Saskatchewan because it’s well-thought-out and costed, while the party doesn’t make promises it can’t afford, said McLeod. He thought that reckless spending and promises that resulted in tax increases and job losses were not something the province needed; those differences highlighted why the Sask. Party platform was better than the NDP platform.
This is McLeod’s first time running for provincial politics. Since everything is so new, he admitted that he didn’t know what to expect while campaigning.
“It’s been fun, though. The process of going out and meeting people and listening to them on their doorsteps — it’s been a bit of a whirlwind, but it’s fun,” he said, “and I don’t know that I anticipated it as much as I have.”
With a chuckle, McLeod said he has already worn out the soles of a couple of pairs of shoes. However, that’s a cost he’s willing to incur as part of the election process.
“I honestly believe that I am the best person for the job. I wouldn’t be putting my name forward if I didn’t think I could do it and do it well,” he added. “I hope that people will look at the skillset that I’m bringing and my history of representing people … . I hope that they’ll agree with me.”
