When I talk to Greens across the country and they reminisce about “the good old days” and what they miss, they always list off things we still do as Greens in Saskatchewan. Things you might take for granted. We are a living culture of grassroots democracy. We get to know one another and check on each other’s well-being, and enjoy a non-status camaraderie among candidates and volunteers. Being “ordinary people” is what makes us so relatable to voters on our doorsteps. We, as Greens, revive people’s faith in democracy and their confidence to try something different when it comes time to cast their ballot.

Saskatchewan must avoid becoming a province of fear and hate, and be a community of mutual trust and caring instead. The disadvantaged must feel they are able to participate in our democracy with the same level of confidence possessed by those of higher means. Who here remembers when consulting the people by referendum was a more common feature of our public life – in both federal and provincial politics? We must strive to achieve a democracy where citizens can be involved with important decisions that affect them in between elections. That is what the people of Saskatchewan would have with a Green Party Premier and government. 

Saskatchewan Green Party MLAs will expect to serve their constituents first. They will always seek to put more power in the hands of citizens and communities to help solve the challenges that we face. This should be done through citizens’ assemblies and town hall meetings as well as the Legislative committee hearings taking up the citizens’ recommendations. We will bring in democratic practices such as councils, the duty to consult and referendums to get citizens involved in decision-making.

The real enemies that all citizens in Saskatchewan face and must come together to defeat are poverty, disease, and climate change. These are our real enemies, not any of our fellow citizens who may not conform to our ideals. We can prioritize ending poverty and homelessness, solving the climate crisis and fixing our precarious healthcare system together. 

Watch your emails, as we will be sending out our SGP Platform to all members – as well as a complete list of our candidates. Some of them are still completing their bios and getting their headshot photos done as we go to print with this Weaver.

I hope many of you are taking the opportunity to reach out and get to know your local candidate. I feel such hope and energy for the future with these MLA candidates. I believe in them and I am so proud to stand alongside our changemakers this election. Together we are advocates for equality, an ecologically sustainable economy, and a strengthened democracy serving us all.

I encourage voters in Saskatchewan to vote for the Green Party and send a message -- that we want real action on the climate crisis, a fortified social safety net, and a sustainable economy.  Without strong Green voices in the Legislature in Regina, the other parties will continue to fail us on these vital issues. This is the year for real change and for us to celebrate new, Green Party MLAs in the legislature after October 28, 2024.

Yours in friendship and solidarity,

Naomi Hunter

Saskatchewan Green Party Leader 

1-306-561-8880