By Stephanie Froese

Community members talk federal election issues

Mar 29, 2011 | 7:00 AM

MP candidates for the Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River and Prince Albert ridings are putting out signs, making Facebook pages and talking to constituents.

As the candidates prepare to do battle, paNOW reporter Stephanie Froese went out to learn about some of the biggest issues facing newsmakers in the community.

Don Deranger, vice chief of the Prince Albert Grand Council, said he would like to see candidates focus on housing, First Nation participation in the economy and education.

“For northern Saskatchewan I would recommend that they come up with an infrastructure plan in regards to transportation, in regards to facilities that’s required to meet the need of the far north,” Deranger said.

He added that he doesn’t see these issues being met with any of the current parties, but that it’s still too early on in the campaigns to tell.

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“The election is needed because we’re going to need to have a more solid government overall and the last three years has been going on a minority government that can’t do too much with that.”

Jim Scarrow, Mayor of Prince Albert is also looking for infrastructure funding at a national level.

“Certainly cities have benefited from the Building Canada Fund such as the Prince Albert Water Treatment Plant …” Scarrow said.

“Municipalities are wanting to have a commitment from all parties in regards to recognition that infrastructure is really a three level funding priority between municipalities, provincial governments and the federal government.”

Scarrow said he believes aging infrastructure is an issue facing all Canadians in all municipalities.

When it comes to education it appears there are no local issues that the federal government would be able to help with. Bill Cooke, director of education with the Saskatchewan Rivers School division, said he doesn’t think education will be much of a focus in election campaigns.

“In fact there might not be any. There’s no federal responsibility for education,” Cooke said.

“With the exception of some French emersion transportation money and a couple of more minor things all of our funding comes provincially, so a federal election doesn’t even make a dent in the education system.”

Connie Farber Director of the Indian Metis Friendship Centre identified affordable housing and funding for social programs as a couple of the concerns she would like to see addressed on the federal level.

“Anything that the government brings forward as long as were talking to them and were keeping conversations open it can’t help but be a good thing,” Farber said.

She added she doesn’t like to talk federal politics too much because there seems to be some impediments at the local level.

“But we have a whole different set of politics and it has nothing to do with the government … In Prince Albert there’s a lot of unsaid political things happening behind the scenes and that hurts us more than any government could.”

What do you think the major issues should be in the federal election? Leave a comment below, vote in our online pole to the right of the story or email us at news@panow.com

sfroese@panow.com