No tax hikes, get tough on crime highlighted in Sask. NDP’s election plan

Saskatchewan’s 2024 provincial election might not be called yet, but NDP leader Carla Beck appears to be getting a head start ahead of it.

This past week, Beck made two big promises to unofficially launch her campaign — no tax hikes and get tough on crime.

No tax hikes

If her party forms a government, Beck promises that her government would not raise taxes.

“Everywhere I go in this beautiful province the number one thing I hear from people is they’re struggling to get by and it’s getting harder and harder to make ends meet,” Beck said.

“While life is getting more expensive, Scott Moe and the SaskParty have done nothing to lower costs for Saskatchewan people and businesses. In fact, what we’ve seen from this government is to actually make life more expensive.”

Beck said the Sask. Party government hiked the provincial sales tax from five per cent to six per cent and then expanded it to things like groceries and children’s clothes in 2017.

Beck said a Saskatchewan NDP government would lower costs and suspend the gas tax for six months, along with freezing the small business tax, which is anticipated to grow next July.

“We will pay for this spending by growing the Saskatchewan economy, finding efficiencies and cutting the long lists of Scott Moe’s waste and mismanagement,” Beck said.

Beck added the no tax hike guarantee applies to all forms of provincial taxation, along with no increases to income tax, small business tax, provincial sales tax and corporate taxes.

Four-point plan

On Friday, Beck said she would get tougher on crime with a four-point plan that would include:

• Scrapping the Marshals Service, and hiring more local police officers
• Investing in mental health and addictions services
• Going after organized crime and drug traffickers with an “unexplained wealth taskforce”
• Protecting families, small businesses and places of worship with a $2 million rebate program for security updates like alarms, doorbell cameras and motion sensor lights.

Beck said her biggest goal is making sure people are feeling safe while walking the streets of their own neighbourhoods and making sure small business owners can keep their operations running safely.

Obstructions in front of Prairie Harm Reduction in the 1500 Block of 20th Street West in Saskatoon. Business groups are sounding the alarm about issues with crime in the area. (Lara Fominoff/650 CKOM)

Keith Jorgenson is a small business owner in the downtown and 20th Street area in Saskatoon running to become an NDP MLA in this year’s election.

He isn’t a fan of Scott Moe’s government record on crime and homelessness.

“Every time I drive to work on 20th Street it breaks my heart to see what’s become of our downtown. A lot of small business owners don’t want to complain about crime and homelessness because we don’t want to drive our customers away and make them feel unsafe to shop in our stores,” he said.

“Just in the last year, I myself have not only had to call the police, had to take in my own personal vehicle take people who were injured to the hospital — this is not the way to run an economy,” Jorgenson said.

“The Sask. Party’s approach of ignoring crime and homelessness is driving bushiness out of our downtown core and costing us jobs and money.”

Collaborative approach needed

When it comes to solving the homelessness and crime issues being seen in cities across Saskatchewan and Canada, Beck admitted success would take a collaborative approach with local leaders.

“Regardless of ideology or size of community, we have an issue with crime, homelessness and addictions in this province — the highest rates of violent crime in the country. What we have seen with response is a lack of response,” Beck said.

“What we need is a concerted effort to work with all frontline law enforcement agencies, communities, and those who provide services and not reaching for quick, simple solutions.”

Beck said the Sask. NDP will reveal more about the getting tough on crime plan clser to the election, to be held on or before Oct. 28.

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