Broten nominated to Saskatoon-Westview as NDP revs up campaign

As Saskatchewan prepares to head to the polls on April 4, the provincial NDP are gearing up for the campaign.

In a room of party faithful and fellow candidates from across the province, opposition leader Cam Broten was nominated in the new riding of Saskatoon-Westview, Saturday.

“It is such a fantastic feeling to stand here,” Broten began his speech as he thanked candidates for sharing their stories of door-knocking across Saskatchewan.

Taking a page out of the federal Liberal’s book, Broten also took note of his team’s diversity.

“We’re nearly half women, we have 20 per cent aboriginal candidates, 14 per cent visible minorities and an average candidate age of 42 years,” he said.

During the upcoming weeks before the election, Broten said his party will focus on education and health care.

“That our schools are well equipped, that there’s enough educational assistance, the school buildings are fixed. That health care is addressed. That there’s enough care aides in care homes, enough nurses in emergency rooms and that we’re using our buildings properly,” he said.

Rather than raising taxes, Broten said he will fund his platform by reorganizing the province’s tax dollar funds, including getting rid of the controversial Lean cost-cutting experiment in hospitals.

Broten criticized Wall’s promise to run two consecutive deficits as a sign of financial mismanagement.

“Mr. Wall might call that strong, I call it wrong,” Broten said several times in his speech. “(The SaskParty) have spent every penny as fast as it comes in, during a 10 year run of economic boom that we’ve had in the province. They have saved nothing and during the sunniest days they drain the rainy-day fund.”

The NDP will release their official platform in the near future.