Ryan Meili Calls On NDP Caucus To Vote 'NO' To Sask Party Motion

NEWS RELEASE
March 31, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nuclear Power: Not a Viable Solution
Ryan Meili calls of NDP MLAs to oppose SaskParty nuclear resolution

On Thursday, the Saskatchewan Legislature will debate a motion by Meadow Lake MLA Jeremy Harrison supporting the development of nuclear generation in Saskatchewan. NDP leadership candidate Ryan Meili has issued the following statement.

The Wall government’s uranium resolution falsely frames the debate on nuclear energy and uranium development.

Nuclear power is not a viable solution to Saskatchewan’s energy needs. It is too expensive. It is too risky. It is too slow.

I am calling on all 20 New Democratic Party MLAs to vote “no” on this misleading motion.

Nuclear power is being sold to us as a means to provide cheap energy, as a means of addressing immediate energy needs, even as a means of protecting our environment.
But none of these sales pitches are based on the facts.

• Nuclear power isn’t cheap. A nuclear reactor is a very expensive undertaking and the people of Saskatchewan will pay for it on their electricity bills for a long time to come, if it is allowed to be built. We pay 10 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity now. Whether its Bruce Power or SaskPower, no one will build a nuclear reactor in Saskatchewan for less than 20 cents per kilowatt hour – double the current price of electricity. That simple fact is why most private sector utilities in the United States have been avoiding nuclear power – they know there are too many hidden costs and that most nuclear power construction projects have huge cost over-runs. Add to that expensive repair bills, the high cost of disposing of radioactive nuclear fuel waste and the very high cost of decommissioning a radioactive reactor core. When compared to wind power at 11 cents per kilowatt hour and electricity conservation at less than 6 cents per kilowatt hour, nuclear power’s economics make no sense.

• Nuclear power puts our environment at risk. Yes, nuclear power can reduce the carbon footprint. But that assumed you ignore the massive carbon emissions involved in building the reactor – particularly if it is built in a remote area. A nuclear reactor will also produce intensely radioactive waste materials which no country on earth has successfully disposed of. Why should the next generation of Saskatchewan residents bear the burden of disposing of this radioactive waste material, with the worry that it must be kept out of ground water supplies for tens of thousands of years into the future.

• Nuclear power doesn’t address our immediate energy needs. Nuclear reactors are not designed and built quickly. Sites are not chosen quickly. Even if the process started today, it would be nearly 20 years before a proposed nuclear facility contributed a single watt to the energy grid.
• Nuclear power doesn’t address our long-term energy needs either. It is simply another non-renewable resource which, by current projections, will have exhausted itself well within a century and possibly within a generation.

The Wall government has appointed a committee to investigate the possibilities of nuclear power in Saskatchewan. As the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran bishops in Saskatchewan recently pointed out, this committee is not a balanced group of open-minded citizens. It is a committee hand-picked to give Premier Wall the answer he wants.

Many of us will remember countless expert panels on this issue over the years. My fellow leadership candidate Dwain Lingenfelter has proposed a panel of his own to study this issue. Many progressive activists have become quite cynical about these “studies / panels / commissions.” Too often, their final recommendations have appeared to be predetermined. That is certainly so in this case. It is likely to be the case regardless of who appoints the panel.

Nuclear power, on the evidence, is too expensive, too risky and which meets neither our short term nor our long term energy needs.

A far better approach – both more principled and more pragmatic – is to pursue real alternative and renewable energy sources: solar, wind, biomass, geothermal. Pursuing these in concert with well considered and effectively supported energy conservation initiatives will be far more effective in meeting our immediate and long term energy needs at less expense and with less risk.

We need to consider our energy future. Limiting that consideration to an either-or discussion of nuclear power narrows the debate and ignores our best options.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Malcolm French
(306) 550-2277

The text of Mr. Harrison’s motion is as follows:
That the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan supports the consideration of further value-added development of Saskatchewan’s uranium industry including nuclear power generation and recognizes the potential benefits to the growth and prosperity of the people of our province.

"Do We Need Nuclear"? - Yens Pedersen

We are confronted now with Sask Party/Bruce Power deal cooked up behind closed doors to build a nuclear reactor in the northwest part of Saskatchewan’s grain belt. They want to develop “Saskatchewan based opportunities for value added development of our uranium industry.”

Why do we need nuclear power?

Why would we go with the most dangerous, most complex and one of the most expensive options, when we have safer, simpler and cheaper options available? I am not opposed to new technology, but I do insist that there be clear benefits to embracing new technology which outweigh the costs. In all the research that I have done over the last year (which is a lot), it is clear to me that the costs associated with proven nuclear technology outweigh the benefits. The benefits are:
-a tremendous ability to produce energy from a relatively small amount of material (but the real issue is not the quantity of material, rather the energy return on energy expended),
-economic development, and
-a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The costs and risks are significant, including:

-the low (but still significant) risk of an enormous incident,
-the health costs of exposing a population to ongoing low level radiation (which we are just beginning to understand),
-the economic costs of building the reactor (no reactor has ever been built without taxpayer money),
-the economic costs of ’spinning reserves’ (backup power) equal to the size of the reactor required for NERC standards,
-the economic costs of building transmission lines (at $1.5 million/km),
-the economic costs of the costs of decommissioning (which are huge and will fall to the taxpayer),
-the risk of building a reactor which may not work (eg. Gentilly 1, the Maples) or which fails before the capital investment is recovered, and
-the economic costs of permanent waste storage (which hasn’t been proven or developed yet anywhere in the world).

You also have to compare the options that we have available - in which case you find that there is better economic development with renewable energy (wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass), more grid reliability with renewable energy, better greenhouse gas reductions with renewables, and less concern about the availability of water with renewables. Despite the protestations of dinosaurs stuck in old paradigms, other places in the world are showing that renewables like wind and solar can be integrated into the power grid in much greater proportions than we are currently doing. The best dollar spent is on conservation and efficiency which could reduce our electricity demand by at least 10%. We could easily expand our wind power production 9 fold.

There are always experimental projects and proposals for new nuclear technology, and while there may eventually be nuclear technology developed that overcomes these obstacles, given the health, safety and economic record of the nuclear industry I am not prepared to take a leap of faith and commit massive amounts of other people’s money to expanding the nuclear industry. I believe strongly that we can no longer develop technologies or resources without a sustainable solution for dealing with waste products. It is irresponsible for our generation and unconscionable to leave such waste products for the next generation — our children — to deal with.

Let me quote from a 1985 book titled “Forevermore: Nuclear Waste in America” by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, at page 20:

No one knows how much there is. No one knows all the places where it is. And no one–despite all claims to the contrary–knows what to do with it. Not the government that encourages its production, not the industries that churn it out, not the scientists who created the processes that breed it. That is why radioactive waste in 1985 is held in “temporary” facilities, just as it was in 1945, just as it will be in 2005. Science, government, and industry have yet to devise the safe and permanent storage system they have promised for 30 years, one guaranteed to seal off the waste from people and the environment for as long as it will remain hazardous–forevermore.

You cannot see the radiation, or smell it, or taste it. But it is spreading across the American landscape. In 1950, waste from commercial use of the atom was counted in ounces, today, it is counted in tons.

Of far greater significance than weight is the curie content. The curie is used to measure radioactivity. In 1950, the curie level of this garbage was counted in the hundreds. Today, it is counted in the billions. At the end of 1984, waste kept in interim collection centers stood at 14.7 billion curies–enough to kill everyone in the United States.

The worst is yet to come. During the 1980s, businesses and institutions, but mostly electric utilities, will turn out twice as much waste–measured in terms of radioactivity– as they did in the three preceding decades combined.

Pedersen's Blog ....

Lingenfelter Response To SNDW

March 11 2009

Response to Saskatchewan New Democratic Women

I'm pleased to provide the following responses to your two important questions about the future role of women in our movement:

-What steps will you take to ensure that women have greater participation in leadership positions at all levels within the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party?

While this job is a team effort, the example begins with the Leader. My own campaign team has women in key leadership positions, including Allison Nystrom serving as my Campaign Co-Chair, and Angie Fergusson serving as my Assistant Campaign Manager. Across the province, I have encouraged women to become involved in leadership roles on our constituency association executives, and to consider standing for election to Provincial Executive. My own goal is to have gender parity on the Provincial Executive as soon as the June Convention and gender parity on all major Party Committees as soon as possible thereafter.

I have also encouraged a number of women to consider running for our Party in the 2011 Provincial Election. This work cannot begin too early, as all potential candidates need time to consider this important step, arrange their lives so they can run for a nomination and, if successful, spend the time needed to campaign in their ridings to win.

It is the job of the Leader to set a tone, which encourages Party members to search for and support strong women in their campaigns for leadership roles within our movement. That's why everywhere I've gone in this campaign, I've talked about the need for our Party to present a candidate team that is much more representative of our population than was the case in either the 2003 or 2007 Provincial Elections. This means more women, First Nations and Métis, visible minority, farmer, and trade unionist candidates.

-What specific actions will you take to ensure the NDP meets its goal of having women make up 50 per cent of candidates in the 2011 election?

In both 2003 and 2007, Saskatchewan New Democrats offered a smaller percentage of women candidates for election than either of the other two main parties -- slightly more than 20%. In the 21st century that is unacceptable and we simply must do better to have any hope of winning in 2011.

I have already encouraged a number of women to consider running for our Party in the next election. These women include leaders in the business community and the trade union movement. They include key people in a variety of community organizations and the co-operative sector, as well as professionals such as doctors, lawyers, and accountants.

As Leader, I would propose to establish a Women's Commission responsible for helping me to recruit, train and mentor women interested in seeking leadership positions within our Party, whether on constituency association executives, the Provincial Executive or as candidates for nomination. I would propose to ask current and former female MLAs to join with representatives of the SNDW amongst others, to serve on this new body.

The Women's Commission could also be responsible for planning an annual conference that would bring together women from across the province to network, share knowledge and experience, team build, and develop new expertise with respect to leadership and campaigning skills.

In the year following the leadership convention, I would propose to launch a special fundraising effort for the Party to help finance the creation of the Women's Commission and help fund its work at a high level.

Thank you for your efforts. I look forward to working with the SNDW in the months ahead.


Dwain Lingenfelter
Candidate for Leadership

Yens Pedersen Response: 'Encouraging Women'

Encouraging women
March 23rd, 2009 by Yens

The SNDW posed 2 questions to all the leadership candidates:

1. What steps will you take to ensure that women have greater participation in leadership positions at all levels within the Saskatchewan NDP?
2. What specific actions will you take to ensure the NDP meets its goal of having women make up 50 per cent of candidates in the 2011 election?

My combined response follows: I am committed to 50% of our candidates in the 2011 election being women. I publicly stated my commitment to this target when I declared my candidacy and I continue to state the importance of an inclusive, welcoming and representative party. By continually referring to the importance of the issue, I hope to build member support for choosing more women and minority candidates and leaders. Increasing the number of women who hold leadership positions at all levels of the party increases the visibility and acceptance of women as political leaders, and also increases the pool of women to run as potential candidates.

While campaigning for president, I encouraged a number of women who were also interested in party renewal to run for executive positions. As president, I suggested to a few women (including an aboriginal woman), that they should consider running for leadership positions.

The importance of having people in leadership positions actively encouraging individual women (or for that matter anyone) to run cannot be stressed enough.

I will continue to encourage women to seek leadership positions. I will be supportive and encouraging to parents who bring children to meetings. Children are vital to the continual renewal of our party. The party should provide the option of care for children (or other dependents) at all functions, and I believe that the party should budget an amount every year to ensure there are funds available for this purpose. In doing so, we demonstrate our commitment to establishing universal childcare and supporting families. The Bessie Ellis Fund which provides a small amount of financial assistance for women seeking nominations is a good idea, but needs to be better publicized. Nominations should be advertised well in advance, so that it is not up to a few insiders to find potential candidates and so that more than just a few insiders know of openings. I believe this will result in more qualified candidates, both women and men. I will advocate these actions with the provincial executive.

We also need to elect more women - not just nominate them. If we are to achieve this goal, an obvious place to begin is in our strongest seats. As leader, one of my first actions will be to privately discuss with our MLAs their plans for the next election. If any MLA is overdue for retirement, I will not hesitate to pointedly (but respectfully) encourage him/her to move on. All organizations need to continually renew their leadership.

We should not expect women to have to act like men to become part of the government – instead we should expect that government may change by having more women involved. As leader I will not tolerate disrespectful behaviour in the legislature which diminishes the public’s regard for the institution of government. I do not know if it is a disincentive for women, but regardless, I believe that if we want the public to take politicians seriously and with respect, the politicians must conduct themselves accordingly.

SNDW Poses Two Questions To Leadership Candidates

The Saskatchewan New Democratic Women have posed two questions to each of the four leadership candidates:

1. What steps will you take to ensure that women have greater participation in leadership positions at all levels within the Saskatchewan NDP?

2. What specific actions will you take to ensure the NDP meets its goal of having women make up 50 per cent of candidates in the 2011 election?

I will publish their responses as they are made public.

'ActUpInSask' Leadership Poll

The ActUpInSask Website is conducting an informal poll on the current NDP Leadership race.

To date, 6049 people have cast a vote for their favourite candidate. This is NOT a scientific poll by any means, but the results are interesting none the less:

Dwain Lingenfelter 3653 (60.4%)
Yens Pederson 1824 (30.2%)
Ryan Meili 532 (8.8%)
Deb Higgins 22 (0.4%)
Don't care 17 (0.3%)

Andrew Thomson Wades In ....

Former NDP Finance Minister, Andrew Thomson now lives and works in Ontario. He has thrown his support to Deb Higgins, his former caucus colleague. At one time it was thought that Thomson would seek the leadership himself.

-Regina Leader Post

-NewsTalkRadio .... (sorry about that folks .... NewsTalk is not a real news broadcaster, they are a right wing mouth piece for the Saskatchewan Party AND for Stephen Harper's Conservatives)

Lingenfelter Wants Northern Saskatchewan To Have Leadership Forum

"NDP Leadership Candidate, Dwain Lingenfelter, today expressed concern that the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party has decided to ignore the Far North in its series of Leadership Candidate Public Forums next month, and says he has decided to organize his own public forum in the region and invite the other leadership candidates to take part.

“There are more than 15-thousand eligible voters in the two Far Northern constituencies of Athabasca and Cumberland, and these people have traditionally been strong supporters of the New Democratic Party. The Party should not be ignoring the needs of this important region. The issue is not only how many people might attend such a forum in person, but how many people across the Far North will be able to hear these debates through their northern broadcasters,” Lingenfelter added."
Lingenfelter News Release

Candidates Speak Out On Sask Party Budget

My friend, The Jurist, who blogs at Accidental Deliberations has a timely post on the Saskatchewan Provincial Budget:

"Yesterday's provincial budget would seem to have provided an ideal opportunity for the NDP's leadership contestants to stake out their territory. So it's interesting to note that only two of them seem to have made statements that got picked up by the media in the budget's aftermath." ... MORE ...

Candidates Regional Forums Announced

Regional Leadership Forums will be held around Saskatchewan with the four declared candidates.

Yens Pedersen Takes On John Conway's Historical Revisionism

John Conway's article, “It’s Just Too Late”, published in the Februarty 26th issue of Regina's Prairie Dog would be funny if it was't so completely out to lunch! Lamenting the fact that the CCF / NDP "died with the 1952 election" Conway bemoans the fact that Tommy Douglas, Woodrow Lloyd, Allan Blakeney, Row Romanow and Lorne Calvert basically did nothing to improve the collective social well being of Saskatchewan citizens.

New Democratic Party governments of Saskatchewan have faced immense odds since 1952, advancing both social and economic reforms and initiatives. While Conway whines his way through his exceedingly long and wordy article, he finally bemoans the fact that Pat Atkinson is not seeking the leadership. (Unfortunately, because the 'Prairie Dog' is not online, I can't provide a link to Conway's article).

From the current ranks of the candidates for leadership, Yens Pedersen has a blog entry on his site that takes John Conway's nonsensical arguments to task.

In his response, Pedersen writes, "So the real question is not whether the NDP can be ‘prettified’ (Conway’s word) – the real question is whether the people who want social and economic justice will actually get off their moral high ground and dirty their hands in the political process. I concede it is easier to throw up your hands in despair and walk away. It is much harder to work with people, to find common ground and to reach compromises. That requires being reasonable. Conway might call that being moderate, but I take it as a compliment.

The NDP is the only party in Saskatchewan at this time with the desire and ability to accomplish the goals I have identified. So this spring, rather than just complaining from the sidelines I’ll be more than voting – I’m in the race. And my heart and hope are in it."

Words of advice that John Conway should heed! Rather than sniping from the sidelines, wallowing in his imagined pre-1952 'good old days' .. maybe he should get off his couch ... and actually DO something for the people of Saskatchewan!

Lingenfelter Releases Nuclear Power Policy Proposal

Failing the People — The Wall Government and Nuclear Power
A Policy Proposal by Dwain Lingenfelter

"For nearly fifty years, the policy of the Saskatchewan Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the New Democratic Party has been to support the mining of Saskatchewan uranium and the export of that uranium to other jurisdictions around the world to be used for nuclear power generation. I support that policy. A few years ago the Calvert government decided that it would pursue opportunities for value-added refining of uranium within our province, and I support that decision as well.

Today thirty one countries around the world use nuclear energy to generate electricity, many using uranium mined in Saskatchewan. Many highly developed countries such as France (75%), Finland (27%), The United Kingdom (20%), and Japan (27.5%) rely heavily on nuclear energy to generate power.

I make these points to emphasize that neither I nor the New Democratic Party enter the debate about our energy future with a closed mind toward nuclear power or any other potential energy source. It is clear to me that Saskatchewan will need a renewed commitment to energy conservation and a mix of both renewable and conventional energy sources to meet our energy needs in the immediate future. Even the European Union, whose member countries are global leaders in the area of renewable energy, envision producing only 20% of their energy from renewable sources by 2020. Therefore, while renewable energy options such as solar, wind, geo-thermal, and biomass are an important part of Saskatchewan’s future energy plans, some conventional generation of electricity will remain necessary for the foreseeable future.

However, I do not support the construction of a nuclear reactor to generate power within Saskatchewan’s borders unless a public, transparent study has been conducted by a blue ribbon panel of independent experts, showing the people of Saskatchewan that such a project could be sustainable, from both the financial and environmental perspective. This blue ribbon panel would hold public hearings around the province so that every citizen could have their say on the future of electrical generation in Saskatchewan. The panel would explore the costs and benefits of nuclear power compared to both renewable energy options and conventional electrical generation sources such as coal, natural gas and hydro. The energy options we choose for the next twenty years will impact everything from our provincial finances to our economic growth, from our population’s health to our quality of life. These decisions cannot be made without full, public input and understanding.

The Wall government has refused to let the people of Saskatchewan help plan their own energy future. It has stumbled and bumbled into a flawed process that clearly favours a single new energy source, provided by a single, private sector player, while freezing out the people of Saskatchewan.

Much of the Wall government’s information about the nuclear power option has been based on a feasibility study commissioned by the very company that proposes to build the nuclear power plant. This is a little like commissioning General Motors to ask if you really need to buy a new car.

The Wall government’s special committee reviewing the nuclear option, the $3 Million Uranium Development Partnership, has conducted its work behind closed doors, is dominated by nuclear proponents and has a limited mandate by the government’s own admission to “make recommendations on Saskatchewan-based value-added opportunities in the uranium industry”. Where is the comprehensive, even-handed, public review of all the energy options available to the people of Saskatchewan?

Meanwhile, the Wall government is negotiating in private with a single private sector company (Bruce Power) about the potential for a Saskatchewan-based nuclear reactor. How can we trust the Wall government to negotiate such a complex agreement on our behalf, when this same government mishandled the annual purchase of natural gas supplies for SaskEnergy customers this winter, requiring us all to pay $55 Million more than necessary for natural gas?

Even worse, the power company owned by the people of the province, SaskPower, has been reduced to an observer’s role in these closed-door discussions. Meanwhile, Bruce Power has been running extensive advertising in favour of nuclear power throughout Northwestern Saskatchewan, where they say they would like to locate a nuclear power reactor. In the Lloydminster area, local farmers have been visited by Land Agents working on behalf of Bruce Power. These agents are attempting to take out options on land in the area, while trying to swear local landowners to secrecy. Why would this type of activity be underway if the Wall government truly intended to have a public, comprehensive review of all the energy options open to Saskatchewan people?

As the Bishops of the Anglican, Evangelical Lutheran, Roman Catholic and Ukrainian Catholic Churches in Saskatchewan said in a joint statement recently: “It is critical that any recommendations be made only after full and open consultation with the people of this province.”

This is just one more reason why Saskatchewan people want public hearings, full transparency and widespread public involvement, before any deals or Letters of Understanding are signed with any potential supplier of new power generation.

I see much more support across the province for additional conservation measures before any new power generation is decided upon. While we have made strides in this area in recent years, there is much more that can and should be done. I also see growing support for building renewable power generation (wind, solar, geo-thermal and biomass) in Saskatchewan communities, perhaps producing up to 10 megawatts of power each, and selling their excess generation to SaskPower. If the provincial government supported renewable power generation of this size in 30 communities across the province, we would reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for power generation, empower local communities to build a greener future, and still provide SaskPower with the additional generating capacity needed to serve our growing economy over the next few years.

The Wall government is failing the people of Saskatchewan by refusing to have a comprehensive, public review of our future energy needs. Energy decisions are too important for politicians alone. We must find ways to involve all the people of the province in making these decisions."
Dwain Lingenfelter Website

Standing on the shoulders of giants #1

Saskatchewan New Democrats are well aware of our traditions and legacy. Our electoral success in Saskatchewan has happened because we stand on the shoulders of giants!

Saskatchewan New Democrats Congratulate Andrea Horwath - New Leader of the Ontario NDP!

Andrea Horwath, MPP for Hamilton Centre, is the new leader of the Ontario NDP.

Ontario New Democrats Site

Pedersen Unveils Platform

Yens Pedersen unveiled details of his leadership campaign this morning at a news conference in Saskatoon. Details are included here.

PLATFORM HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Renewable Energy Strategy for Saskatchewan
* Amalgamation of SaskPower/SaskEnergy
* Control of our natural gas supply
* Expanded wind power
* Expanded hydropower
* Conservation & efficiency program
* Energy buy back

2. Universal childcare
* Paid for by non-renewable resource revenue

3. Education Tax
* All education (except land and buildings) to be funded by non-renewable resource revenue

4. Comprehensive Health Strategy
* 7AM to 10PM diagnostic services six days a week
* More efficient streamlined system with eliminating health boards and reducing overtime
* Recognition of socioeconomic determinants of health
* New approach to primary care (video diagnostics to rural health care centers)
* School dental and nutrition program
* Asbestos ban

5. Rural & Northern
* Commitment to providing core services (health, education, transportation, communication)
* Economic development based on sustainable energy, childcare, small business, and tourism

6. Local Government
* Should local service delivery be determined locally?

7. Disabilities
* Guaranteed annual income for people with disabilities

-NDP candidate Pedersen unveils platform - Regina Leader-Post
-Child care tops Pedersen's platform - Regina Leader-Post

Sask NDP Leadership Race - PROFILE - Deb Higgins

Moose Jaw MLA Deb Higgins has announced she will seek the leadership of the New Democratic Party of Saskatchewan. “People have asked me why I want to be leader. Simply put, I want to continue my commitment to the NDP and our great province by taking on this important role and I know I am up for the job,” she said.

Higgins said New Democrats have a lot of work ahead of them, to reconnect with members and reach out to future members.

"We need to make sure we are listening to all Saskatchewan people and we need to find new solutions to old and future problems. I believe my experience, my passion and my true commitment to the NDP will allow me to work with all New Democrats in order to move our party, and our province forward.”

“These are interesting times in Saskatchewan,” said Higgins. “We have a newly-elected government who told us that the best times were yet to come. In reality, we’ve seen layoffs, soaring costs of living, a lack of child care and dwindling pensions. And we’ve seen a government that is either too arrogant or too misguided to care.

"Saskatchewan families deserve better. New Democrats, under my leadership, can and will do better. In 2011 we can and will defeat Brad Wall, not only for New Democrats, but for all Saskatchewan people.”

Deb and her husband Don have lived in the Moose Jaw Wakamow constituency all their lives, where they have raised their two daughters, worked and enjoyed participating in many community activities.

Deb started working at the Canada Safeway in 1979 and became involved with the United Food & Commercial Workers union in 1982. Deb served as the President of the UFCW Council from 1993 to 1999 and was a table officer for the Moose Jaw & District Labour Council during that same period.

Deb Higgins was first elected to the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly in 1999 representing Moose Jaw Wakamow. She was re-elected in 2003 and 2007. In the previous NDP government, she served as Minister of Labour and Learning. In the Saskatchewan NDP Caucus, she currently serves as Municipal Affairs, Liquour and Gaming and Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation critics.

Deb Higgins Leadership Site
Deb's Facebook Page

Sask NDP Leadership Race - PROFILE - Ryan Meili

Ryan Meili is the third candidate to throw his hat into the Saskatchewan New Democratic leadership race. The following bio is taken from his leadership site:

"Ryan Meili is a family doctor and community organizer; for years, he has been working to build healthier communities in Saskatchewan. Currently employed as a rural relief locum, Ryan’s job as a family doctor takes him all over the province to give doctors in small communities some much-needed and well-deserved time off. When not on the road he lives in Saskatoon’s core community of Riversdale.

Ryan also works for the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. As the chair of the Social Accountability Committee, he’s responsible for helping ensure that Saskatchewan’s future doctors are equipped to meet the health needs of the diverse communities they will serve. Among Ryan’s focuses are aboriginal, international, rural, and inner-city health.

Ryan is perhaps best known for his role as a co-founder of SWITCH, the Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health. Ryan helped spearhead this student-run, interdisciplinary, inner-city clinic, whose mandate is to bring students from nursing, medicine, social work, physiotherapy, pharmacy, nutrition, and numerous other disciplines together to serve the residents of Saskatoon’s core communities. Ryan was also the clinic’s first coordinator, and continues to work there as a supervising doctor.

Ryan also runs the College of Medicine’s Making The Links program. This program gives medical students the opportunity to work in Northern Saskatchewan (Ile a-la-Crosse and Buffalo River Dene Nation), in the SWITCH clinic in Saskatoon, and in the rural communities of Mozambique in South-East Africa. One of the program’s goals is for students to gain firsthand knowledge of the social factors influencing health by living among and working with diverse peoples."
Ryan Meili Site

-Ryan's Blog

Sask NDP Leadership Race - PROFILE - Yens Pedersen

Yens Pedersen was elected President of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party in 2008. Currently practicing law in Regina, Yens was raised on a small family farm near Cut Knife, Saskatchewan. His involvement in the community is a shining example of putting your beliefs into practice. Yens sits on the Salvation Army Advisory Board for Regina, the council for St. Mark's Lutheran Church, and the playground committee at his daughter's school. He is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, presently serving as the chair of the Taxation section in Regina and previously served as co-chair of the Young Lawyers section. Yens is the president of the Regina Business Association, and is also an active member of the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors and the Regina Estate Planning Council. He has coached his daughter's soccer team and has served on the board of directors for Saskatchewan Express, a provincial musical theatre group, and for The Royal Lifesaving Society (Saskatchewan Branch). Yens has been a fundraiser for the Hospitals of Regina Foundation, the MS Society, the Canadian Cancer Society, and the Canadian Diabetes Association.

On government policy, Pedersen is articulate on a number of issues:
"I think our goal for the future should be making Saskatchewan a sustainable energy leader in the world - both in terms of production, consumption and research. This would include research and regulation to make fossil fuel production and consumption more sustainable, research and investment into renewables, research and investment into conservation and efficiency. It would also require investment into training in these fields.

We need an energy policy and plan for two big and relatively urgent reasons: supply and GHG emissions. We're going to continue to have wild price swings on fossil fuels, and we only have another 8 years globally to start to make some serious headway on GHF if we want to avoid the worst of the predictions. This will affect (or should affect) every level of government decision making.

Cheap and reliable energy is fundamental to economic success, so we'd better get a strategy in place."
Yens Pedersen

Pedersen's campaign slogan is 'New Voice. New Vision.' He certainly brings both to the leadership campaign.

During the 2007 Provincial Election, he ran in Regina South constituency. Pedersen was nominated a mere 2 weeks before election day and lost by only about 200 votes - an amazing performance so late in the campaign .

-Yens Pedersen - 'New Voice. New Vision. New Democrat.'
-Yen's Facebook Page
Yen's Response To John Conway

Sask NDP Leadership Race - PROFILE - Dwain Lingenfelter

DWAIN LINGENFELTER
The first candidate into the race for leadership of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party is Dwain Lingenfelter. A former Deputy Premier of Saskatchewan during the Roy Romanow administration, Lingenfelter also served as a cabinet Minister in the government of Premier Allan Blakeney.

Dwain was first elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature in 1978 as MLA for the rural constituency of Shaunavon. During his first term, Premier Allan Blakeney appointed him to serve as Minister of Social Services.

While in opposition during the Grant Devine era, Dwain served as Opposition House Leader. Upon taking government in 1991, he served in Roy Romanow's Cabinet responsible for economic development. In 1995, he was appointed by Premier Roy Romanow as the Deputy Premier of the Province of Saskatchewan and the Minister Responsible for Crown Corporations. Romanow later appointed him as Minister of Agriculture and Food and as Government House Leader.

In July 2000 he announced that he was leaving provincial politics to explore opportunities in the private sector. He became Vice President of Government Relations for Calgary-based energy company Nexen Inc. on September 1, 2000. He contines to operates his family farm near Shaunavon.

Dwain is the clear front runner in the leadership campaign as a result of his experience and knowledge of both the province of Saskatchewan and the operation of government.

-'Lingenfelter For Leader' Homepage
-Dwain's Facebook Page

News From the Lingenfelter Campaign

They're Off And Running!

The resignation of Lorne Calvert as leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party has triggered a campaign for leader that will conclude in June 2009.

I am going to dedicate this blogsite to issues, news and opinions from the campaign.

Right wing extremism is not tolerated well here. Abusive or libelous comments will be deleted.