Opposition leader Carla Beck stopped in Prince Albert to talk about 2024, the election and what the plan is next time. (Susan McNeil/paNOW Staff)

By Susan McNeil

YEAR IN REVIEW

Carla Beck wraps up year with plan for next election

Dec 31, 2024 | 5:00 PM

Carla Beck and the Saskatchewan NDP are back in the Legislature with a much stronger presence than before, but Beck said the work is already starting for the next election.

Beck said that she is proud of the party’s stronger presence with 27 seats to the Sask. Party’s 34 and that except for one, they hold all the seats in the province’s two major cities.

“We swept Regina, almost swept Saskatoon and saw growth in every single Saskatchewan Party held seat in the province,” she said. “Even in some of the rural constituencies we saw growth.”

That said, Beck said they need to figure out how to secure needed seats in smaller cities.

“The two obvious places where we need to continue to dig in and figure out what we need to better for the next election would be here in Prince Albert and Moose Jaw,” she said.

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YEAR IN REVIEW

Carla Beck wraps up year with plan for next election

Dec 31, 2024

The two candidates the NDP ran in Prince Albert were both strong contenders, Nicole Rancourt has held the Northcote seat before and Carolyn Brost Strom is a well-known nurse in the Carlton riding.

Those margins were reduced but still didn’t go far enough to turn the city orange.

“I wouldn’t say at this point you know that we are going to be prescriptive about what needs to happen, but we know that we need to make gains. We need to win these seats here in Prince Albert and in Moose Jaw and in a number of rural constituencies and that work has already started,” she said.

The shadow cabinet has been appointed and, according to Beck, said they’ve “hit the ground running.”

Affordability is still the single biggest concern that they hear from people following well over two years of higher-than-normal inflation.

“It’s a huge crunch for families right now, with the lead up to Christmas,” Beck said.

That was the main reason for pushing motions to cut the fuel tax and remove PST on children’s clothing and bringing up food prices in the north.

In a provincial story that garnered national attention, larongeNOW journalist Glynn Brothen was the first to break the story of 27 diagnosed cases of scurvy in the northern community.

Beck said that diseases that have been under control for decades should not be making a return.

“This is an incredibly wealthy province in many ways, abundant national resources, strong communities, hard-working people,” she said.

“The fact that here in a province as wealthy as Saskatchewan, that we have 27 people identified (that’s more than half of the people that were tested) in La Ronge, showing up with scurvy; I think it’s unacceptable.”

Most people associate scurvy with pirates and people in the Navy, not with a province in the heart of Canada’s grain producing region.

“This should not be happening in a province that’s the breadbasket of the world, a place where we have all of these resources; this simply shouldn’t be happening.”

The NDP proposed in this fall’s Legislative session that a committee needs to did into the potential of finding relief for northern food prices. Beck said she has heard that milk in the north is $18 per jug, fresh produce is either not available or it is too expensive for many to afford.

She also wondered what the situation is in even smaller, more remote communities that have the same high food prices and no doctor or nurse for people to ask about the symptoms.

To her, having the sitting government extend programs to help people renovate their kitchens does not help those who can’t afford food. A reduction or elimination in the fuel tax would be even more beneficial for people that have to travel to get their food or other supplies, she said.

She also said that relief needs to happen right away, not in a year and a half when the measures being passed right now finally take effect.

As part of her year-end tour, Beck said she wanted to pass on Christmas greetings to all residents.

“I just want to wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas and look forward to being back here many times in 2025.”

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: @susanmcneil.bsky.social