MOOSE JAW — Melissa Patterson is representing the Sask. NDP for Moose Jaw Wakamow in the upcoming provincial election set to begin Tuesday, Oct. 22 and concluding on Monday, Oct. 28. To help inform voters, the Moose Jaw Express reached out to candidates with a few questions.
Q: “What motivated you to enter public service and why did you decide to run?”
A: “I was motivated to get involved years ago because of my union work,” Patterson said. “I was the chief shop steward with Casino Moose Jaw with… Local 455, and I didn’t like the way things were going in the bargaining process with the government. I thought to myself, ‘How can I be more involved?’”
Patterson then researched how to be an MLA and started the process back in 2019. After meeting with Ryan Meili and Carla Beck and winning a nomination race, she’s been involved ever since.
“I know that we can have better in this province. I know that it’s going to take a lot of hard work, but I want to be a part of that work, and I want to give back as much as I can.”
Q: “Why are you the best person to represent your constituency?”
A: “I was born and raised right here in this community,” Patterson said. “I’ve watched this community go from good to bad, and I believe that my community connection makes me an excellent candidate. I can relate with folks across all stripes, and I can be a voice for the young and the old alike.”
Q: “What does good leadership look like to you?”
A: “Collaborating, listening, and working with and for people,” Patterson replied.
Q: “What steps will you take to ensure accountability and transparency in your role?”
A: “Carla and our team have been very focused on transparency and accountability,” Patterson said. “We’ve seen our past MLAs raise issues a number of times, and I will work very hard to make sure folks know where I am and what I’m doing at all times.”
Q: “How will you ensure that the voices and concerns of your constituents are heard?”
A: “I’ve always had an open door. I will actively listen and engage with these folks, and I will be sure to take their concerns forward.
“Listen — I have never been accused of being quiet,” Patterson continued. “That certainly won’t change once I’m elected. In fact, that will only grow. Having a bigger space to use my voice for the folks of this community will help me be the best MLA that I can.
Q: “What is your vision for both Moose Jaw and the province?”
A: “Our long-term vision is to get Saskatchewan out of last place, and I have a role to play in that,” said Patterson. “Here in Moose Jaw we’ve seen multiple folks in the health care industry leaving. We’ve seen the important hyperbaric chamber be open, closed, open, closed. That has to be a priority here in Moose Jaw and across the province.
“That will be a priority for me — just making sure that Moose Jaw is no longer on the back bench in the Legislative Assembly.”
Q: “What are the top three issues you are looking to address if elected?”
A: Patterson said the top three issues she sees include affordability, health care, and education.
“I’m hearing it repeatedly, door after door: folks can’t afford to fill the tank and the fridge in the same month,” said Patterson. “Folks can’t get doctors; they can’t get tests. They’re being sent home with serious ailments because there are no beds and no doctors available. At what point do we say, ‘Enough is enough?’”
Q: “Where will you look for solutions to these issues?”
A: Patterson said Carla Beck’s plan provides a roadmap for solutions.
“We are going to make heavy investments into education. We’re going to make sure kids aren’t hungry at school,” Patterson said. This includes investing heavily in health care to ensure medical specialists are hired on a full-time basis rather than part-time or casual.
“We’re going to start saving you folks money on day one when Carla Beck forms government… we’re going to cut the gas tax at midnight and, by Christmas, we’ll have PST off kids clothes and groceries. That’s going to put a little extra money in folks’ pockets right before Christmas when they can certainly use it.
“And we’ll keep taxes low. We’re not going to raise taxes period. We’re going to keep that small business tax rate at one per cent for our entire term, and at the end of our first four-year term in government, we will have a balanced budget.”
Q: “What feedback have you received from constituents so far?”
A: Patterson referred to a meeting one day before the interview. “Somebody opened the door and said, ‘I didn’t expect to meet a candidate.’ Well, every single door I’ve knocked at my constituency has met the candidate. We’ve been out day after day making sure that we are the voice for ourselves.
Patterson said many folks she’s spoken with indicated that, although they may have been historically conservative, they’re “fed up and they’re ready for something different.”
Patterson said both the SaskParty and Sask. NDP are currently neck and neck.
“I encourage anybody who’s sitting on the fence, anybody who is thinking to themselves, ‘Who should I vote for?’ to maybe ask yourself this question: ‘Who do you think is going to work the hardest for you?’
“I can certainly attest to the fact that I’ve been out there day after day. I am working incredibly hard. I will only continue to work this hard and harder, and I know that Carla Beck and our Sask. NDP will (too) so please vote for your future,” Patterson said. “Vote to fix education, vote to fix health care. Let’s get affordability under control in this province.”
To learn more about the Sask. NDP and its platform, visit SaskNDP.ca/Plan.
