Thank you very much. A special thanks to my nominators. I appreciate your kind words and support. I am honoured by them.

And a special word about the man who chose to step aside to make this evening possible.

We all have a very hard act to follow in Harry Van Mulligen. You don't win the support of your constituents in six straight provincial elections, over a period of some 23 years, unless you have served those constituents exceptionally well.

Harry has been an extraordinary representative for Regina Douglas Park, and I am honoured that he has chosen to retire at this time, so I can have the opportunity to follow him as our Party's candidate in this important constituency.

I promise the New Democratic Party members in Regina Douglas Park, and all the voters of the constituency, that I will work to earn your trust and support, and I will do my best to remain true to the kind of high quality representation that Harry Van Mulligen has provided you for more than two decades.

So, now we have candidates nominated in both Saskatoon Riversdale and Regina Douglas Park.

The Premier should get on with calling by-elections so the people of these two constituencies can have their elected representation restored as soon as possible.

Don't wait for fall, do it now!  The NDP is ready.

We enter these by-elections dedicated to working hard, and to earning the trust of our constituents.

The Sask Party enters these by-elections with unprecedented arrogance and a sense of political entitlement.

The Sask Party wants you to believe that somehow they created the economic boom Saskatchewan has enjoyed since 2007.

The Sask Party wants you to believe that they are unbeatable.

Just ask Brad Wall; he's the one who was arrogant enough to plaster that claim all over his Party website!

Unbeatable? No one should ever assume public support.

Politicians arrogant enough to claim they are unbeatable are ripe to get a message from the voters!

The first couple of years in office have been fairly easy for Brad Wall and the Sask Party.

No government, certainly in the history of this province, has ever been handed the reins of power, with the province in such good financial shape.

But the true test of a government is not how you work in the good times; it's how you manage times of challenge.

Really, what has the Sask Party done with two years of unprecedented wealth? Did they ensure everyone in our province benefitted from that wealth?

Or has the boom been a bust for too many people?

What about our senior citizens, struggling on fixed incomes, and with pensions that have been knocked for a loop by the global recession?

Today Saskatchewan has the highest cost of living in Canada, pushed up largely by increases in government utility rates, fees and charges.

For too many seniors, the boom rings hollow.

What about families struggling to make ends meet, and who have been hit with a crisis in the supply of affordable housing?

CMHC reports that in April there were 22 two-bedroom apartments for rent in all of Regina, and only 2 apartments with three bedrooms or more.

Is it any wonder that standard two-bedroom apartments are being advertised for rents of $950 to $1,000 a month these days?

Is it any wonder that the latest study on housing and homelessness in our city shows about 350 people are sleeping in homeless shelters in Regina every night?

Do you think young families who have been searching for affordable housing feel more prosperous, because Brad Wall says he's created a boom?

Brad Wall seems anxious to build a domed stadium, but he can't find the money to build social housing! 

For too many families, this boom rings hollow.

What about our university students, who have seen the NDP government's Tuition Freeze replaced by Tuition Fee increases?

Brad Wall wants to drop billions on nuclear reactors, but he can't find the money to keep post-secondary education affordable and accessible for our young people.

For many young people too, this boom rings hollow.

What about the working men and women of our province, who have seen their rights stripped away by regressive labour legislation - everything from unworkable Essential Services legislation, to Trade Union act changes designed to kill unions, to the Bill 80 attack on our Building Trades?

At every turn, Brad Wall brags about going to war with the working people of Saskatchewan.

This government has even gone so far as to ignore the health and safety of working people on the job.

Since they took office, they have refused to publish the names of employers convicted of breaking our Occupational Health and Safety laws.

The government's spokesperson said the government doesn't want to publish the names of these lawbreakers, because that ignores the fact most employers obey the law!

Isn't that the point?

Workers have a right to know that their health and safety is being protected! Good employers have a right to know that government is enforcing these laws fairly. Lawbreakers should be sanctioned as a deterrent to prevent future health and safety violations, and the public has a right to know which employers are breaking the law!

Another example of how the Wall government ignores the needs of working people came with the recent news that our province has seen an 80 percent increase in the number of people receiving Employment Insurance benefits over the past year.

An 80% increase in EI recipients. What does the Minister responsible for Employment, Rob Norris, have to say? "No cause for alarm".

No cause for alarm. That's the arrogance of the over-employed speaking!

How can a government be expected to solve a problem, when it refuses to admit that the problem even exists?

There is no sign the Wall government is prepared to listen to the concerns of working people, unless working people are prepared to send this government a loud, clear message in Saskatoon Riversdale and Regina Douglas Park.

I urge you to join with our campaigns and help us send that strong message to the Wall government.

If you believe in public ownership, help us send Brad Wall a message that you want him to stop undermining our Crown Corporations.

If you believe in keeping our cost of living within reason, help us send Brad Wall a message that you want a return of the lowest-cost utility bundle.

If you believe the people of Saskatchewan should be fully involved in a discussion about our collective energy future, help us send Brad Wall a message that his head-long stumble into nuclear power, at the expense of all other options, is unacceptable!

If you think Climate Change is an issue to be faced, not dodged, help us send Brad Wall a message that it is unacceptable for his government to have broken its campaign promise to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions 32 per cent by 2020.

Help us send a strong message that it is time to restore action on Climate Change!

On the cost of living, on the need for social housing, on the need to make post-secondary education and training more affordable and accessible, on labour legislation, on climate change, and our collective energy future, help us send Brad Wall the message that the boom is ringing hollow for far too many Saskatchewan families.

To date, they have arrogantly turned a deaf ear to your concerns. They have ignored your issues, preferring instead to declare themselves unbeatable.

Unbeatable? Well, these by-elections are an opportunity for us to work together to show what happens to leaders who become blinded by their own rhetoric.

They are an opportunity to teach Brad Wall an important lesson, and a little humility, all at the same time.

And they are an opportunity to give the Sask Party a sneak preview of what's waiting for them in November 2011!

Thank you very much!

Regina Douglas Park Nomination, July 6, 2009
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