Saskatchewan’s NDP received backing from the New Democrats’ federal leader Thursday as the provincial party works to bring back the Saskatchewan Transportation Company.
New federal leader Jagmeet Singh told media in Saskatoon a provincial NDP motion to restore the bus service is “incredibly important.” Singh was in the city speaking at the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations legislative assembly as part of his first cross-country tour as leader.
He answered media questions after the speech.
Hesaid federal fundingfor public transit is an option if provincial funding isn’t a possibility.
“What we’ve spoken about is how the federal government should step in and actually provide funding,” he said. “If the provincial government is not willing to do that, the federal government should step in and provide funding for public transit.”
Provincial NDP interim leader Nicole Sarauer recently called on the Saskatchewan Party to bring back the STC in the wake of an announcement the government will repeal Bill 40, a bill allowing the province to sell up to 49 per cent of a Crown corporation.
“Will the Sask. Party now restore this vital service that tied our province together?” she asked.
Singh, 38, spoke on introducing a national public transit strategy.
“We need it. We know it’s the future. We know people need to get around. If we want to achieve our climate change goals, then we need to actually put money into public transit. If we want to make cities more livable, then we need to know the solution to making cities more livable means having access to high quality, affordable public transit,” he said.
He also addressed the federal government’s handling of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girl’s inquiry, spoke on introducing a national pharmacare plan and responded to questions on pipelines and the economy.
“We know that in a bust-and-boom economy where we rely only a particular resource — and it’s not because of any lack of hard work from the people of Saskatchewan, but the arbitrary ups and downs of commodity — means the province suffers ups and downs, busts and booms,” Singh said.
He proposed a national electricity grid.
“When we build infrastructure, let’s talk about building a national, a federal electricity grid, where we connect a surplus green and clean energy that’s available in other provinces, like Manitoba and Quebec,” he said. “Let’s invest in jobs to build a network that connects this energy across the country and create a country that’s a world leader in renewable and green energy.”
Singh was elected leader Oct. 1, becoming the first visible minority to claim the leadership of a federal party.
He was a provincial politician in Ontario, representing the riding of Bramalea-Gore-Malton, until recently resigning his seat.
He does not yet hold a federal seat in the House of Commons and has indicated he may not seek one until the next election in 2019.
He’s scheduled to speak in Regina on Friday.
--- with files from The Canadian Press
