Beck leadership run looking to rebuild the Sask. NDP

As might be expected from someone running for leadership of a Saskatchewan political party, Carla Beck’s nightstand is currently home to a book about Saskatchewan politics.

A bit less expected is the contents of Beck’s “pump up” playlist which she listens to on the campaign trail – including ‘Seven Nation Army’ by The White Stripes.

“One of my favourite pump-ups,” Beck said with a laugh in her voice.

That playlist is likely racking up the listens as Beck travels across the province in her campaign to lead the NDP, putting boots to the ground and getting face to face with potential voters.

Beck said the individual work hasn’t been seen much in the NDP the last few years but it’s how politics used to be done and it’s something she wants to get back to.

“We need to get out there and be telling our own story, both about what we’ve done in this province to build over the course of that last several decades but also who we are, what we stand for and what our vision is for this province,” Beck said.

The most effective way to do that, according to Beck, is getting in front of people and inviting them to say honest things and to help find solutions.

“We’re hearing from people that haven’t seen themselves in our party in a long time – sometimes maybe ever. We’re hearing from people that haven’t voted for us for a long time, some who didn’t vote for us in 2020 who are saying they’re looking for something new,” Beck said.

“It’s our job — it’s our privilege, really — to work with those people and to build trust and to convince people that we are serious about building this political party and being able to deliver for Saskatchewan people again.”

Beck said the party also needs to be willing to get into rooms it hasn’t been – she was recently spotted at The Oil & Gas Show in Weyburn.

Some people are reluctant or skeptical to have the kind of conversations she wants to have, but Beck said she just has to give them time.

“People are telling me that they’re excited. They’re excited by what they’re seeing, they’re excited by the vision that we have and they want to come in and be a part of this,” Beck said.

The Saskatchewan NDP isn’t the healthiest of parties. It holds only 12 seats in the legislature, one of which will go up for a byelection sometime this year in a riding that was narrowly won by the NDP in 2020.

Beck is under no illusions about that and so she said rebuilding needs to be a part of the plan – not just talking about it but gaining people’s trust that they’re actually going to do it.

“We are interested in that input, we are looking for solutions and we are inviting anyone in who wants to help us find those solutions to deliver for Saskatchewan people, to have another look at the Saskatchewan NDP,” she said.

The NDP leadership is only a two-person race between Beck and relative political newcomer Kaitlyn Harvey.

Beck said what sets her apart is her experience; she said she had to learn quickly, both when she was first elected as a school trustee and when she first became an MLA in 2016 in a 10-member NDP caucus.

“I think I had five critic portfolios that first year. And it’s a very steep learning curve but it is that experience, I think, that strengthens both my resolve but also I think my skills needed to be able to lead a political party in this province,” Beck said.

Beck believes her strengths lie in making connections and building consensus, which are both things she believes will serve the party.

“For the kind of work that we need to be doing in our party right now – building and inviting people in – that is definitely a strength that I have and I think it’s exactly what our party needs right now,” Beck explained.

Past leadership campaigns have had multiple candidates vying for the job but Beck didn’t share what a smaller race might mean for the party.

“I can’t control how many people go out into the race but I can promise that anyone who wants to be part of this will be invited in,” Beck said.

Beck got into politics to try to change what she saw as a government and policies that were leaving the most vulnerable behind. Over the years, as a critic on one file or another, Beck has been vocal about problems she sees in the Saskatchewan Party government.

It’s something she’ll likely have to ramp up if she’s elected NDP leader.

But Beck also wants to get away from divisive politics.

“As leaders, we have a choice. We can lean into that division and engage in wedge-issue politics and drive people further and further apart – that is not the path that I want to take. I want to work from connection, from places that we already share values and build solutions with people in this province,” Beck said. The connection is an issue she thinks is really resonating with people.

“They are tired of wedge-issue politics, they are tired of polarized positions and nothing getting done,” she said. “We’re serious about starting from the places that we already agree, finding that common ground and building solutions together.”

Beck believes the Sask. Party is concentrating on the right wing of its party and leaving room in the middle, which she said is an opportunity.

“They are leaving a lot of ground to people who just are looking for good pragmatic decision-making for people in Saskatchewan. They’re looking for a government that is focused on results, not on rhetoric,” said Beck.

Whichever way the vote goes on Sunday, the winner will make history as the first woman voted to lead the Saskatchewan NDP – an honour Beck said she’d be happy to take on. She said it’s something that really strikes her when she speaks to older women.

“I got a note in the mail just recently from a woman who is 94 years old and said it’s a dream come to have an elected female leader,” said Beck.

The NDP leadership convention is set for Sunday afternoon in Regina.