La Ronge Mayor Ron Woytowich believes the Liberal minority government won't forget about northern Saskatchewan. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

New MP

Air Ronge, La Ronge mayors react to new Liberal minority government

Oct 23, 2019 | 5:15 PM

Local leaders are eager to find out how a federally Conservative Saskatchewan will work with a Liberal minority government without any representation from the party in the province.

On Monday, all ridings in Saskatchewan and Alberta were swept by the Conservative Party, which unseated long-time Liberal MP Ralph Goodale in Regina and a number of NDP MPs. One-term NDP MP Georgina Jolibois, of La Loche, was also unseated in the Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River riding and replaced with Conservative MP Gary Vidal from Meadow Lake.

“We would expect whatever level of government whether it’s municipal, provincial or federal, we’d all expect to be treated fairly and equally and they would look after us the same way they look after everyone else,” La Ronge Mayor Ron Woytowich said.

When it comes to negotiating with the federal government on spending, however, Woytowich stated it’s yet to been seen how it will all work out. In the last four years, he noted the Liberals did contribute a lot in the way of infrastructure, but added there was almost always provincial dollars also attached to the funding. For instance, Woytowich said there was a lot of funds spent on upgrading municipal and First Nations public water systems in the North, as well as the announcement for a wellness and treatment centre on Lac La Ronge Indian Band reserve land.

When it comes to other northern communities, Woytowich stated it seemed other places received more money in the riding, but mentioned it’s to be expected considering how further ahead La Ronge is compared to other municipalities. With a new MP in the riding, he believes Vidal will also have the hindsight to effectively serve constituents.

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“I think all three candidates knew the North,” Woytowich said. “They understand the problems we have in the North in everything from crime to medical services.”

Air Ronge Mayor Gordon Stomp, who has about 40 years in the elected position, stated an all-Conservative Saskatchewan doesn’t appear to be good for western provinces right now, but he’s hopeful the Liberals will represent them regardless of the situation. He noted the fact the Liberals will now have to work with other parties to effectively govern might actually improve the relationship with Saskatchewan voters.

“I’m pretty sure there’s going to be an a lot more difficult situation when it comes to grants and federal rollouts for different infrastructure grants,” Stomp said. “For northern Saskatchewan, the Liberals have definitely helped us out quite a bit last time. It’s a real mess and hopefully there will be some recognition for the western provinces. It’s going to be a battle.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took questions from reporters Wednesday about his new government and the first was about how he plans to move forward without any MPs in Saskatchewan or Alberta. He responded by saying it’s important the government works for all Canadians and that he has already reached out to the premiers of both provinces. Trudeau also stated he’d be talking with leaders from across the country, specifically westerners.

“This is something I take very seriously as a responsibility to ensure we’re moving forward in ways that benefit all Canadians, and I will be listening and working with a broad range of people to ensure that happens,” he said.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno