REGINA (Staff) – Most candidates in the health district board elections are individuals interested in health care, but some groups have campaigns and are offering slates of candidates.
Two groups, the Saskatchewan Health Coalition (mainly made up of hospital and health-care employees) and the Saskatchewan Pro-Life Association (an anti-abortion group), are endorsing candidates and are asking other candidates to adopt their positions.
Ed Holgate, president of the Saskatchewan Health Coalition, said his group is not only concerned with guaranteeing jobs for unionized health-care workers, but also in keeping the health system adequately funded.
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But at least half of its platform issues deal with “fair wages for all health-care providers,” “full employment at decent wages,” protecting “our investment in our workers,” and expanding the role of non-physician health providers.
Similarly, Ed Landgraf of the Saskatchewan Pro-Life Association said the first priority of his group is that candidates have a good understanding of health-care issues and facilities.
But he said the group believes a board controlled by anti-abortionists could shut down abortion services in its district.
“You need someone who is competent and qualified … to be in that position, but also somebody that’s going to deal head-on with issues like this and not back away from them,” said Landgraf.
Not a concern
Health minister Lorne Calvert said he is not worried about special-interest groups taking over health district boards.
“The potential danger is there, (but) do not underestimate the voters of Saskatchewan in their ability to understand issues, understand significance and make choices,” said Calvert.
Progressive Conservative MLA Jack Goohsen said the slate idea, where a group of names of people with similar beliefs are publicized in an attempt to create voter recognition with the ballot, might work in the city “where, frankly, people often don’t know their next-door neighbors.”
But he said rural populations will not be as susceptible to the slate method.
“People are judged in a community where they are well known and everyone knows everybody else,” said Goohsen.
“You’re judged not on what affiliation you have with what group or what political party you may have voted for in the last provincial election. You’re judged on the way you’ve lived your life.”
He said people who have tried to run slates in local municipal elections in Saskatchewan were generally unsuccessful, and health board elections would likely be similar.
