The Green Party of Saskatchewan is prepared for the upcoming by-election in Saskatoon-Riversdale. Tobi-Dawne Smith was nominated as the candidate, and is holding a press conference on July 7th to share her vision for the community.
After discovering that through grassroots democracy, as found in Green Parties around the world, politics can be accessible, Ms. Smith ran in the 2008 federal election. She believes that people are tired of electing members who are forced to tow the party leader’s line. “I’m in the unique position as a mom, and an active member of the community, to give a voice to issues that the two other parties in power won’t address.”
She believes that if we expect the political landscape to change, that we need to take responsibility. We each need to stand up and get involved. “We can choose to sit back and accept things as they are, or we can get involved. I’ve chosen to make a difference. I’ve been a disability rights advocate for a long time, and as fulfilling as my work in that area has been, I’ve realized that I have a greater opportunity to make a difference by being heard in the legislature.”
Ms. Smith plans to give a voice to the members of Saskatoon-Riversdale who oppose nuclear power and want sustainable energy sources. The Green Party is the only party that has a united voice against nuclear power in Saskatchewan. Ms. Smith expects this to be a key issue this by-election, especially since Dwayne Lingenfelter, who supports expanding the nuclear industry, will be running in Regina-Douglas Park and plans to keep his party from doing anything to oppose nuclear power.
“It’s an expensive and impractical choice for Saskatchewan”, said Smith, “We need to be devoting our time and resources to developing a sustainable future for Saskatchewan. Our profile for wind and solar power is one of the best in the world. We need to take advantage of this. We need to see a movement to a decentralized smart grid.” The Green Party of Saskatchewan will not only advocate for a greener grid, but also plans to focus on conservation methods, “It is shameful that politicians aren’t talking about creating a green sustainable future for our province. We can easily make a significant reduction in our energy use by simply building smarter.”
Ms. Smith also believes that all people have the right to a guaranteed livable income and that healthy food needs to be accessible to everybody, including the poorest areas of Saskatoon. “I believe Martin Luther King Jr. (1967) had it right when he wrote: ‘the solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed measure: the guaranteed income.’” She understands the link between preventing poverty and ensuring good health, “It is absolutely deplorable that the Sask Party cut the funding to Station 20 West. These are the types of innovative projects we need to see more of, including a health care system – not a “sickness care” system as currently exists.”
To hear more about Tobi-Dawne Smith and the Green Party’s plan for Saskatoon-Riversdale, attend the press conference on Tuesday, July 7 in Holiday Park, at 10 am.
