Matt Fedler is back to take another shot at a political run, this time as the New Democrats’ candidate in Cut Knife-Turtleford.
Fedler is a familiar political name from his last run in 2017, running as the NDP candidate in the federal byelection in Battlefords-Lloydminster. He looks forward to returning to territory that was familiar to him during that previous run.
“I decided to be on the ballot representing the Saskatchewan NDP here in Cut Knife-Turtleford, an area that I grew up in,” said Fedler.
Fedler has roots within the riding in the Wilkie area. That’s where he got started in wrestling and “where I first met my love of martial arts.”
Fedler has been active in the sport of mixed martial arts and with the Canadian Mental Health Association. Mental health issues are important to Fedler and a major reason behind his decision to run, citing the impacts from the pandemic in particular.
“A lot of young people, particularly young Indigenous people, have been struggling with their mental health. Recently, seeing the Sask Party unanimously vote down a suicide prevention bill in our legislature was particularly motivating for me, and seeing the commitment of Tristan Durocher and Doyle Vermette (MLA for Cumberland) on that issue was inspiring to me.”
“I figure if I was going to be consumed by all this sort of nervous energy that I might as well take that and point it in a more positive, productive direction, and focus it on the change we needed to see in this world.”
He says he is “picking up where we left off” with the federal run back in 2017.
“I’m excited. I think I’ve been really happy seeing the platform that we’re rolling out here day by day, investing in healthcare and education, reversing the cuts, and really trying to bring about a government that puts people first in Saskatchewan.”
On economic issues Fedler says the fundamental difference between the Sask. Party and NDP is that the NDP will turn away from a “failed policy — austerity, and trickle-down economics that have been proven to not to work especially for everyday people.”
He supports growing the economy “from the bottom up. We need a strong foundation and that strong foundation is our Saskatchewan citizens. And so, now more than ever we need to be turning away from the Sask. Party government’s policies of austerity and investing in healthcare, education, and social supports for people.”
As far as bringing jobs, Fedler wants to see those jobs in rural Saskatchewan “run by Saskatchewan companies and employing Saskatchewan workers.” He said he is glad to see his own party make that commitment.
Fedler said he is glad to see the NDP put out a “strong platform investing rather than cutting,” including investments in health care and education.
“I have five older sisters — I’m the only boy and the youngest. Three sisters and my mom work in the health care industry, my oldest sister is a local principal in an elementary school. So I hear about it every day about the struggles people are going through, particularly when it comes to education and health care.”
Fedler also said he was very happy to see his party announce a pledge to ban corporate and union donations, “and particularly those that come from out of province.”
He admits it will be a challenge to run a campaign during a pandemic, but said his campaign will take every precaution necessary.
“We’ll still be out on the doorstep,” said Fedler, but he plans to wear a mask and keep the hand sanitizer ready, and respect anyone’s wishes when it comes to social distancing.
“There are ways to do it in a safe and responsible manner, we just need to be diligent.”
What would your approach be for Saskatchewan to deal with and emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic?
“I tend to think it’s not a bad idea to have a doctor in charge of the province, Dr. Ryan Meili, whose life’s work is focused on health care, and particularly the social determinants of health in understanding the connection between the importance of income in economics and education, and how that all ties into our health. I’m thinking we’ll be in good hands with Dr. Meili in charge.”
What issues do you see as main priorities for Cut Knife-Turtleford if elected?
“Well, besides the obvious question of dealing with COVID-19, I think we’ve recently seen teachers returning to our classrooms — (with) the lack of funding, the cuts we’ve seen from this government over the last few years, we’ve got overcrowded classrooms, we’ve got teachers without the support that they need. And now, it was a bad situation before COVID-19, and this has only really exacerbated the weaknesses in our education system.”
“Health care — again, rural health care. We’ve seen this government just over the course of the pandemic closing down 13 emergency rooms in rural Saskatchewan. At times like this, that’s when we need to be investing more than ever in Saskatchewan’s people.”
