Carla Beck, the newly elected leader of the Saskatchewan NDP, faces an uphill struggle in the province after the disappointing February byelection loss of the Athabasca seat, an NDP stronghold for over 20 years.
The loss of the Athabasca seat reduced the number of NDP MLAs to 12 out of 61.
Saskatchewan is the birthplace of the New Democratic Party. In 1944, Premier Tommy Douglas formed the first socialist government in Canada or the US, and the Sask NDP still hold the record for the longest period in control of the province.
Evoking memories of those glory days is a priority for Beck.
“We’ve planned an outreach tour that will take us to all corners of the province,” Beck told the Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com over the phone. “The next three weeks, we will be out on the road, meeting with Saskatchewan people, with leaders and community members right around the province.”
Beck said that during her leadership campaign, it became clear to her that in much of the province, the Sask Party’s messaging is dominant.
“In a lot of places, the only thing that people know about the Saskatchewan NDP is what they’ve heard from the Sask Party,” she said. “We will continue to get out and meet people where they’re at … to show them that we are the alternative to the Sask Party, (which is) something that a lot of people are looking for right now.”
Beck said that her concern as leader is to listen in a way that the current provincial government isn’t doing.
“We have a government right now that, too often, people are telling us isn’t listening. They’re not returning phone calls or not getting out and listening. … The solutions are there to be found, but they have to be found listening to community leaders, listening to industry, listening to people. … That’s the work that we’re going to do.”
On June 14, Beck’s co-candidate Kaitlyn Harvey gave an interview in which she accused the NDP establishment of deliberately undermining former leader Ryan Meili.
“I’ve been a target since Day 1,” Harvey said. “They want Carla; and they wanted Ryan gone.”
Beck countered that accusation, saying that “I think Ryan’s been really clear about the reason why he left and his choice to leave.”
She said that party unity has been a focus of her leadership campaign, and she believes that’s been demonstrated in how her team have conducted themselves.
“You saw an MLA team (on June 26) on the steps of the Legislature that is very much united, and very much committed to doing the work that we need to do.”
A central issue in the leadership race was what Harvey characterized as a compromise on progressive climate change action. She called the attendance of Beck and fellow MLAs Aleana Young and Trent Wotherspoon at the Saskatchewan Oil and Gas Show a slap in the face “to anybody who has a disproportionate risk of negative impact from climate change.”
Beck confirmed that the Sask NDP are committed to working with all sectors to find common sense solutions to current challenges.
“Our approach to the economy … is an all-of-the-above approach that includes the resource sector, mining, and traditional sectors in the province and also expanding in renewables,” she said. “It’s very clear that climate change is real, and those solutions need to be sought, but … oil and gas and those traditional industries are going to be here for the foreseeable future.
“I think we need to be in those rooms, listening to people, understanding the importance of those jobs to families and to communities.”
People are tired of division and polarization, Beck acknowledged. She said her members know that the spring session of the legislature was “very divisive and very raucous,” but laid most the blame on Sask Party policies that deserve criticism.
“We’re going to be no less hard on the government for decisions … that are not delivering for the people of Saskatchewan.”
The NDP plan to continue their strategy of bringing community members to the legislature to voice concerns directly.
In a media scrum on June 28, Premier Scott Moe said that he respects Beck and “many of the members across the way, as well.”
However, he said that politically he still regards the Sask NDP as a mere arm of the Trudeau government, which he called one of the most divisive governments in recent history.
“Congratulations to (Carla Beck) on a successful run. With respect from the political perspective, it really changes nothing. We still have a provincial NDP that is tied at the hip, beholden to the federal NDP that are merged, essentially, with Justin Trudeau and the federal Liberals.”
