As we approach voting for the imminent federal election, we are all hearing the cries for “strategic voting”. Voting Green – i.e., sending a strong message that people in this province want real action on climate change, along with the dynamic socioeconomic fairness laid out in our platform – IS the more strategic vote.

(If you haven't read the GREEN PARTY OF CANADA’S PLAN, you will find it here.)

This is especially so in our home province, where for three elections in a row, not a single federal riding was won by Saskatchewan Conservatives by the number of votes that Green candidates achieved in those ridings. That means that Conservatives would still have won if not one Green vote were counted. All those Green votes did nothing to influence the outcome for the Conservatives. Those Green votes did show that there are voters in Saskatchewan who care for environmental protection and socioeconomic justice; A base to build on into the future.

I would also remind those who say “This election is different from the others because of the Poilievre threat”, of how desperate we were to get rid of Harper in 2015. In 2015, Canadians elected a Liberal majority.

At a time when our entire country has united as never before against the tariff threats from the USA, the Saskatchewan and Alberta premiers, infuriatingly and embarrassingly, have chosen to betray their own country and sign a USA Energy Security deal.  Scott Moe also has publicly announced that all new pipelines in Saskatchewan are now “pre-approved” without Indigenous or public consultation.

Premier Moe’s overreach in claiming pipelines are “pre-approved” ignores the fact that all of Saskatchewan is a treaty community. With that comes the laws designed to protect that treaty. Just because Moe sometimes talks like whatever he says happens, it doesn’t mean that the citizens of this province can’t hold him accountable and call him his bluff.

The Provincial Budget was released on March 19. The most strikingly horrible thing about this budget was a pathetic 2% rise to SAID and SIS payments. This amounts to around $20 per month more for people on these programs. This is particularly galling considering the SaskParty made Affordability one of its main election platform points during the recent (fall 2024) election. Twenty dollars a month does nothing to lift recipients out of the constant cycle of clutching at scarce additional supports just to survive. This pretty much guarantees that the system self-perpetuates and no one ever gets off assistance. How can you apply for a job when being poor itself is a full-time job, going from the food bank to other services just to live at an absolute bare minimum level?

First and foremost, I would like to express to all of you that I appreciate every current and past member of this executive and member of this party. I’m so proud of how much we do with the few resources we have. Being part of a team of such resilience and having your trust as Leader has been the centre of my life since February 29, 2020.

I have considered this decision carefully because I take the leadership of this party and our Green Values very seriously. Although our bylaws (B3.1.2) state that the Leader has the option of a four-year term after winning 3/4 of the votes submitted (i.e., 75% in favour) through a Leadership Review, I would like to reassure everyone that this does not exclude my entering a leadership race within that four-year term should party members request it and likely candidates emerge.

Today, February 2nd, is World Wetlands Day and people around the world celebrate this to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands. This year’s theme, “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future,” reminds us that we must take care of these ecosystems for the benefit of future generations.  Sadly, Saskatchewan continues to be the only province in Canada without a wetland policy, and we have lost an estimated 85% of our wetlands. 

The University Bridge is closed in Saskatoon today (Monday, January 20). A fire got out of control under the bridge and damaged a sewage pipe under the bridge's supports. Raw sewage is now leaking down into the river. Tuesday morning it was -37 in Saskatoon. Closer to -49 with the wind chill. 

There has been a lot of talk about traffic flow and delays. However, there were human beings trying to stay alive out there last night. It's painful to imagine the struggle and suffering these community members must be experiencing. Maybe the Saskatoon University Bridge should stay closed until the homelessness crisis in our province has been attended to?

Dear Fellow Greens,

As the old year draws to an end and a new one begins, so many of us take this as a time of personal reflection. As political, social and environmental activists, those of us in the Green Party also use this time for broader reflection upon our part in creating meaningful change in our society. We can feel determined and hopeful as a community, working in groups in our local areas and across the province, building a greener and kinder future together.

Fellow Greens,

This election has heightened even further the urgent need for Green legislation and Green legislators for Saskatchewan. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986, terrible as it was, could have been much, much worse. Remarkably, despite this event as well as the Fukushima and Three Mile Island accidents, the pro-nuclear SaskParty is following the lead of those who would say that it’s possible to guarantee that these types of accidents (and worse) will never happen again. The truth of the matter is that it’s pretty much guaranteed that worse will come to pass, especially when dealing with waste products that remain toxic for tens of thousands of years, products whose long-term storage problems are far from sorting out.

Dear Saskatchewan Greens,

The day after the 2024 election, first and foremost, thank you to every candidate, without whom this campaign would have been impossible. Thank you to our members and supporters who volunteered and donated. Thank you as well to every single person who voted Green.

I’m reflecting back to when we suddenly needed to fundraise as a focus and raise a significantly higher nomination fee for our candidates. This arbitrary dictate by Elections Saskatchewan immediately impacted our organizing ability. But we made it through. One strength moving forward is that candidates are reaching out today expressing their eagerness to run again – and now they are bringing up the need to fundraise for their own campaigns between elections. 

Dear fellow Greens,

First and foremost, thank you so much to all of you who have stepped up to help this election effort with time and donations. Despite some very difficult new challenges to getting our candidates onto the ballot, we ended up fielding 58 out of a possible 61 candidates for MLA.  Daymion Tyndale for Last Mountain Touchwood, Herb Bellrose for White City-Qu’Appelle and Clayton Cave for Cypress Hills were incredible candidates and their input is still needed in the party. I sincerely hope they will run again. Their courage in stepping up is very much appreciated.

Secondly, so much gratitude to our wonderful group of candidates! We haven’t collected all the debates and interviews they have been featured in, so I’m sure we will be seeing more in the post-election Weaver. Hopefully, some of us will be in the Legislature by then.