Bathroom bans and tax breaks: Sask. United Party unveils platform

With a dozen of his candidates by his side, party leader Jon Hromek launched the Saskatchewan United Party’s platform for the coming provincial election.

As of Wednesday, the party had announced 23 candidates, but Hromek said the party is expecting to announce more in the coming week, getting to around 35 total. He said the party’s target is to win two or more seats, but he’d like to win a lot more, if possible.

“We firmly believe that between the Sask. Party and the NDP that there is a bunch of this province that is not being represented in the legislature,” said Hromek.

“By having us there, by even being in the opposition front, we’re able to have the conversations and be able to steer the conversations and steer the different arguments, and to represent a very significant portion of Saskatchewan residents.”

Saskatchewan United was registered as a political party in 2022 due to frustration with the Sask. Party government, particularly how it had handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

The party ran one candidate in the three 2023 byelections as Hromek, before he became the party leader, ran in Lumsden-Morse. He garnered 23.7 per cent of the vote – far behind the Sask. Party’s Blaine McLeod, but just a hair more than the NDP’s Kaitlyn Stadnyk – good enough for second place in the riding.

Hromek is running for the same seat in this election.

The promises

On Wednesday, Hromek laid out the party’s platform in full, starting with promises of tax breaks.

The Sask. United Party has promised to eliminate the province’s $0.15 per litre gas tax. The party said this would save the average family about $600 a year, and would cost the government about $500 million in revenue.

The platform also promised to cut the provincial sales tax from its current six per cent to three per cent. The party said this would save the average family $1,400 a year, and would help businesses be more competitive as well. Hromek said it would cost the provincial government about $1.5 billion.

The party also said that if elected to government it would cut property taxes by 65 per cent for those 65 and older on their primary residence. Hromek didn’t explain how this would be done, however, as municipalities set property taxes and the provincial government only has control over the education portion.

To help pay for the promised tax cuts, Hromek said the Saskatchewan United Party would take a look at changing potash royalties.

“We are proposing a full royalty framework review on potash, to ensure that the Saskatchewan people are receiving fair and equitable value for the world-class resource that the people of Saskatchewan own,” he said.

Hromek said it’s “guaranteed” that potash companies wouldn’t love the plan, but he didn’t think they’d abandon Saskatchewan, because the province is one of only three jurisdictions in the world with large potash deposits – the others being Belarus and Russia.

“Saskatchewan is in a very strategic position with respect to the potash business and we need to make sure that the people of Saskatchewan are definitely getting their fair share for it,” said Hromek.

He also wants to cut down the size of the provincial government and the regulation regime.

Social issues

The party also tackled several hot-button social issues in its platform.

The party’s platform said it would ban biological males from women-only spaces, including changing rooms and bathrooms, and ensure biological males don’t compete in women’s sports “in order to maintain fairness and to protect the integrity of women’s competitions.”

It also said it would protect and restore historical markers like statues, and oppose identity politics while dismantling discriminatory practices.

The Sask. United Party also said in its platform that any post-secondary institution in the province which didn’t “uphold and defend freedom of expression on campus” would face defunding, and the party said it would also implement anti-doxing legislation “to ensure a safe and open academic environment for all students.”

Education

When it comes to schools, the party platform said it will implement an opt-in system for things Hromek said were of a “sensitive nature,” like sexual education. Hromek didn’t think that would have an effect on Saskatchewan’s highest-in-the-country rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

“I remember talking about that when I was a kid, at least when I was 15 or 16 years old. You know, talking about the importance of condoms, the important of this and to ensure safe sex and such. To me, it’s had over 30 years of play, that one. We’re still struggling with it,” said Hromek.

He said the party would also implement standardized testing and eliminate indoctrination on social issues from schools. He said he doesn’t want kids to be pushed toward one thing or the other, giving climate change as an example.

Hromek explained he believes in man-made climate change to a point, but said he doesn’t think there’s a climate crisis and described what he called the “demonization” of carbon dioxide.

“(The climate has) been changing since the beginning, and will change long after I’m gone,” said Hromek.

He also spoke about accurate history needing to be taught in schools. Hromek didn’t explain exactly what history is currently being inaccurately taught in Saskatchewan, but did say he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with learning about the treaties or the Indian Act in school.

“History’s history. There’s been mistakes that have been made, there’s good things that have been done. Don’t apologize for it. It is what it is and that is what it is,” he explained, saying history needs to be judged in a historical context.

Health care

On health care, the party is proposing opening more medical school seats and residency spots in the province in order to bring in more workers. The party said it would implement targeted recruitment strategies from Canadian universities, offering to pay for workers’ education in return for a term of service in the province.

Saskatchewan United also promised to create a Sask. Integrated Health care System, allowing private practices and testing centres while still being publicly funded with government contracts. The party believes this will create more capacity in the system, not only for testing and doctor care, but for mental health care as well.

Crime

Hromek said his party is also committed to putting criminals behind bars and ensuring proper consequences for their actions.

The platform talks about increasing funding to police and ensure clear targets, and said it would establish a task force to deal with drugs and gangs – similar to that which the Sask. Party has implemented – and would direct Crown prosecutors to pursue maximum sentences for serious crimes.

Other promises in the party’s platform include creating a Saskatchewan First Bank, which would be “independent of external pressures such as federal social agendas or global initiatives like DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), net-zero, and ESG (environmental and social governance).

The party also promised to use coal and natural gas to produce electricity until “reserves are depleted” and to end green energy projects.

The party also offered a criticism of the Sask. Party’s immigration policy, saying the promise to bring in thousands more people in the next few years is “irresponsible and disrespectful to the citizens of Saskatchewan.” Sask. United has promised that before accepting new immigrants, it would audit the existing programs and asses the province’s labour market, infrastructure and resources, to make sure “new arrivals contribute positively to our province” and to address community concerns.