Larry Ingram, the Liberal Party of Canada candidate for Battlefords–Lloydminster–Meadow Lake, wants to rebuild the region one policy at a time.
Ingram is focused on infrastructure, farming support and trade routes that skip the U.S. and China.
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“I propose we put a rail line from Fort McMurray over to the Port of Churchill,” said Ingram. “And I propose we put a rail line from Meadow Lake up to that.”
Instead of fighting existing infrastructure, he suggests building from the north, noting the port in Churchill is now accessible for a large portion of the year.
“We can just go right to port,” said Ingram. “If the people want to load it on a ship … so be it.”
Farming, tariffs and debt
As a former grain and cattle farmer, Ingram says he understands what rural life needs. He says current trade barriers are crushing farmers in Saskatchewan and hopes to find partners other than the United States of America and China to trade with.
“I’ve got personal experience farming and personal experience getting grain to market,” he said. “The tariffs are going to get us if we do not figure out a way of getting our product to market.”
He also points to inflated machinery costs and supports a federal policy to double agriculture loans from $500,000 to $1 million.
“With the way prices of crops are right now, the million-dollar combines become basically a debt that will bankrupt people,” said Ingram.
Health care on the border
Ingram explained Lloydminster’s cross-border status creates pay gaps for workers and doctors, noting some workers with the same training get different pay in Alberta vs. Saskatchewan.
He wants the government to help provide more money to provinces to attract and keep doctors.
Reconciliation and opportunity
On Indigenous reconciliation, Ingram’s answer was simple.
“Continue on the path of reconciliation that has been started by the Trudeau government,” he said, explaining he also believes trades and training are key to rural youth success.
Ingram also wants to model Saskatchewan’s training after Ontario’s college system.
“We’re going to have to get grants so they can move into the trades,” he said. “They teach based off of life experience, that’s where we should be going.”
In the end, he’s hoping to go to Ottawa as a Liberal, to bring the blue-collar voice of residents in his riding to parliament hill.
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