Local lawyer Talon Regent announced that he will once again be seeking nomination as the New Democratic Party candidate for Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan in the next federal election.
“I’m proud to be seeking nomination again this year and this time around,” said Regent. “I want to do this again because I feel so passionately about representing people in our community effectively.”
Regent previously ran in the 2019 election race as the NDP candidate, where he was defeated by Conservative Party of Canada candidate Tom Lukiwski.
Lukiwski has held this seat consecutively since 2004 but recently announced he will not be seeking another re-election and the Conservatives will be nominating a new candidate for the next election.
“It sounds like it will be contested, which is a positive signal that there’s a great deal of interest in the NDP representing Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan,” said Regent. “In the event [I am nominated], I look forward to running against somebody who is respectful, honourable and has integrity.”
Through his previous election campaign in 2019, Regent said he was able to make connections with the community that he intends to build on further if nominated.
Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan has been a Conservative riding for several election cycles, but Regent said he feels optimistic that the NDP may have a chance to flip the seat.
“It wasn’t so long ago, back when Moose Jaw was part of Palliser, that it was held by an NDP representative and so there is interest in our constituents to see that again,” said Regent.
“But more importantly, they’re looking for somebody, regardless of the party, that’s going to look after their best interests and Conservatives, especially during the pandemic, have been voting against minimum care standards in long-term care homes, voting against paid sick leave, voting in favour of massive corporate approval,” he continued. “And people in Saskatchewan and people in rural communities are looking at this and saying, ‘this is crazy, this isn’t what we need.’”
Regent said his particular experience offers a skillset that he feels will be beneficial for this constituency on a federal level, even when the NDP is in the position of a minority government.
“I’m an internationally recognized negotiator, a tech entrepreneur, an acclaimed lawyer and I have substantial experience in consensus building,” said Regent. “Those are the types of skills we need in Parliament, and those are the skills that will see the people of Saskatchewan well-represented.”
Some of the key issues he would focus on during his campaign as the NDP candidate include a focus on addressing Canada’s accumulated debt by closing tax loopholes for large international corporations and millionaires.
He will also work to advocate for the implementation of paid sick leave for workers and an expansion of Medicare coverage to include dental, optical and mental health services.
“We can’t have a robust economy without a healthy community, and that’s my other focus. If we want small mom-and-pop businesses to survive, they need healthy workers,” said Regent. “I want to make sure we protect the Medicare we have and expand it.”
Regent is the first to announce candidacy intentions for the NDP, and he said he is looking forward to the nomination campaign should another potential name step forward.
“Last time around was a building block. We helped fundraise more [and] we had more volunteers out than we had seen in past elections, so I’d like to see that momentum continue to grow. I’m very optimistic,” said Regent.
A federal election has not yet been called but must occur on or before Oct. 16, 2023.
