Moe and Meili go head to head in only leaders’ debate

Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe and NDP Leader Ryan Meili took turns trying to score points off each other in an exceedingly civil — though at times heated — debate Wednesday.

Both Meili and Moe mostly kept to their campaign talking points through their answers: Moe talking about the province’s economic recovery and listing off government spending on things like schools and mental health and addictions initiatives.

Meili talked about health-care wait times, minimum wage, and a plan to put more teachers and educational assistants in schools.

Both leaders had attacks ready through the open debate portions.

Moe brought up school closures by previous NDP governments and accused Meili’s NDP of reckless spending, saying the party hadn’t costed out $4 billion in extra spending in its plan.

Meili later said he didn’t know, specifically, what Moe was talking about but called it an old tactic.

“They’re going to make up numbers to try to scare people because they don’t want people looking at their own record,” Meili said after the debate.

Meili was a little more wide-ranging in his attacks, moving from accusations that big projects like the Regina Bypass didn’t use enough Saskatchewan workers to a comment that Moe wanted Tristen Durocher and his protest over suicide rates “to get off his lawn.”

Several times, Meili pointed to what he believes will be deep cuts by a re-elected Sask. Party government to balance the budget.

Later, Moe said there will be no cuts.

“Let me be clear: The only cuts the Saskatchewan people are going to experience will be that to their power bill. They will experience cuts to their taxes,” Moe said after the debate.

The debate was particularly civil compared to recent presidential and vice-presidential debates in the U.S., and even compared with previous Saskatchewan leaders’ debates. There was relatively little talking over and interrupting one another.

Moe said there wasn’t a specific plan for things to be more civil, but he was hoping for it to be.

Meili said he had a goal for the two leaders to not be talking over and interrupting each other so each could be heard. He pointed to other recent debates that haven’t been so civil.

“And it’s a big turnoff for voters. They tune in to hear what people’s plans are, not to hear us shouting over top of each other,” said Meili.

The party leaders agreed on at least two things: Both declined to give a rating of their performance, saying that’s for the Saskatchewan people to decide. And both said in their closing remarks that things are now “clear.”

“The choice before us couldn’t be any more clear — a tired, old Sask. Party offering nothing but more cuts and privatization, or a new direction, a new vision that invests in people, gets our economy moving and helps each other out in this difficult time,” said Meili.

“Tonight you heard some very clear differences between the two main parties in this election, and a clear answer to the question: Who do you trust to lead Saskatchewan’s economic recovery?” Moe said.

The debate was a first for Moe and Meili, who both won their party leadership contests two years ago.

Moe, who moved into the premier’s office when Brad Wall retired from politics in 2018, has recently faced tough questions on the campaign trail about his past.

He apologized to the family of a woman killed in a car crash that he caused in 1997, and he disclosed an impaired driving charge from 1994 that was stayed.

Meili told reporters he chose not to drag Moe’s past into the debate. He said his goal was to focus on communicating the NDP’s vision to voters as they face uncertainty during the pandemic.

“That’s what I think is on the minds of Saskatchewan people right now.”

— With files from The Canadian Press