The return to school has been good so far for Paradise Hill teacher, Adam Tremblay, who is the NDP candidate for Lloydminster in the upcoming Saskatchewan general election.
Tremblay says he’s benefitting from the pre-election commitments of NDP Leader Carla Beck to create a healthy school food program and invest $2 billion in education over four years.
“The $2 billion investment into education is generational,” said Tremblay.
Beck says the $2B would go to reducing class size through the hiring of more teachers and support staff.
“We have to get money back into our system and to rebuild things that have been broken down with the Sask. Party over the last number of years,” said Tremblay.
Saskatchewan teachers have been asking the government to address class room size and complexity and more funding for supports in their collective bargaining package over the past year.
“That’s why I’m running in this election. I love my job. I love the people I work with,” said Tremblay.
“For me to be motivated to the point where I would even upend that a little bit, and do something crazy like run in an election, that’s how you know things are getting rough in the classroom.”
Tremblay is a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University, with a bachelor of arts degree and a bachelor of education degree. He moved to Saskatchewan in 2013 and began teaching that year.
“I’ve seen when times were good and I’ve seen how things have changed since,” said Tremblay who has taught up to 30 students in a classroom.
“That is too many, I’m a shop teacher I can only have so many tools. I’m at the point now where something’s got to change.”
Education is one of his top three election priorities along with affordability and healthcare.
He says those are the three big issues the party also thinks are top of mind for voters as he campaigns door to door.
“So it’s been immediately hitting with a lot of people that these are the three big issues we have been struggling with, and from there, we have good conversations,” said Tremblay.
The cost of living is also an election issue and Beck kicked off her campaign on Aug. 29 with a no tax hike guarantee.
“We want to give folks a guarantee that unlike (Premier) Scott Moe and the Sask. Party, we won’t raise your taxes – in fact we’ll lower them,” said Beck in a news release.
She has already announced she would suspend the provincial gas tax.
“We’ll have more to say on how we’ll cut costs for families in the coming weeks,” added Beck.
The NDP has yet to roll out its healthcare platform, but Tremblay says the NDP has committed to hammering out what they need to do to help healthcare workers for example.
“The Saskatchewan Union of nurses said in particular, ‘hey we want this as part of collective bargaining,'” said Tremblay.
“We’ve committed already to something like that. There will be more details as the weeks go on and as our platform gets a little bit closer.”
Tremblay is a resident of Paradise Hill, but he’s been campaigning throughout the riding since he won the party’s nomination on July 24.
“I’ve been to Lloydminster a ton already. I’ve been in the north, I’ve been in the south and somewhere in the middle. I’ve been doing my due diligence getting around talking to people as much as possible.” he said.
He thinks voters can feel a change in the air as the Sask. Party has been in power for 17 years.
“Politics are very cyclical and they can definitely feel we are starting to get to an end cycle,” he said
Tremblay also thinks there is soft support in the Lloydminster riding for MLA Colleen Young, Minister of Advanced Education, especially over education.
“She was on a school board herself. She should know what it is like in the schools and what it is like day-to-day and she was very silent through everything that was happening last year,” he said.
Saskatchewan teacher’s held rotating strikes throughout the past school year over issues of class size and complexity.
“There wasn’t lot of advocacy coming from Colleen Young,” said Tremblay.
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