Western Standard - January 13, 2026


Carla Beck on Pipelines, Trade, Gun Policy, and Saskatchewan’s Healthcare Challenges


Episode Stats


Length

17 minutes

Words per minute

153.4202

Word count

2,669

Sentence count

139

Harmful content

Hate speech

1

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Saskatoon s new NDP leader Karla Beck joins the Olkorn Show on the Western Standard News Media Network to discuss the differences between the two major parties in the province and how they differ on issues such as pipelines, gun control and trade with the US.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Hello and welcome to the Chris Olkorn Show on the Western Standard News Media Network.
00:00:24.320 I'm here today with Saskatchewan NDP leader, Karla Beck.
00:00:27.780 Thank you for joining us.
00:00:28.780 Great to be here with you, Chris.
00:00:30.360 Well, thank you for your time.
00:00:32.260 Let's start off talking about some differences between the federal NDP and the SASC NDP.
00:00:36.600 I noticed when I moved here that there was substantial differences between the two.
00:00:41.660 Matter of fact, one of your own MLA has even said to me, you're almost like the progressive
00:00:45.300 conservatives in the province because you have a lot of fiscal policies that are conservative
00:00:48.860 and a lot of social policies that are progressive.
00:00:52.560 Let's first talk about pipelines because that's the big thing in the news lately, particularly
00:00:56.620 given our issues with the US.
00:00:58.780 Where does the SASC NDP stand on pipelines and their development?
00:01:03.220 Yeah, well, maybe I'll just respond a little bit to the preamble.
00:01:07.700 And certainly that is true and has been the case for a long time in this province.
00:01:12.300 This is a NDP in Saskatchewan has been pragmatic, prairie pragmatists, as you might say, and have been very good at managing the books in this province.
00:01:23.560 So I would agree with whoever your source was on that one.
00:01:26.280 When it comes to pipelines, you know, not just since the last election and what we've seen with the growing uncertainty in the U.S., but, you know, for a long time, we're in support of pipelines.
00:01:41.920 We understand and support the oil and gas industry here in Saskatchewan.
00:01:47.200 The largest contributor by dollar value when it comes to exports
00:01:53.440 to the coffers of this province, incredibly important to the economy.
00:01:58.640 Right across the province, communities like Carnduff, where I have family,
00:02:04.560 in the southeast, around Lloydminster, right across this province, oil and gas is
00:02:11.920 an important part of our past in Saskatchewan, the present, and will be for some time into the
00:02:18.720 future. So definitely one of those areas where we have some difference with the federal party,
00:02:26.640 but that has been our position since we've existed here in Saskatchewan.
00:02:33.440 And also, there's also the federal gun registry. Scott Moe has said that he won't
00:02:38.560 fund any police force that would be enforcing that. You're also the farming critic as well for
00:02:45.920 the Sask NDP. Where does the NDP stand in terms of guns in the province and how they should be used?
00:02:54.480 Yeah, another long-standing position of the Saskatchewan NDP, going back to the 90s with the
00:03:00.800 Long Gun Registry, not something that we have ever supported or been on side with here in Saskatchewan.
00:03:06.800 when it comes to the federal buyback program. That is not something that we have
00:03:10.720 ever supported. You know, I grew up in a farming community, grew up with guns,
00:03:19.040 back with, you know, before changes, you know, the shotgun was always present in the truck
00:03:26.320 for coyotes or pests. We had cattle, we had chickens. My mom and dad have owned an outfitting
00:03:32.480 business for over 25 years now. I understand that guns are part of the way of life here in Saskatchewan,
00:03:42.160 part of the culture. And again, this is a point of difference. I wouldn't say just with New
00:03:49.440 Democrats. I think with Prairie folks who are comfortable and understand the importance of gun 0.87
00:03:54.080 safety, and, you know, larger urban centers like Toronto, where, you know, they don't have that
00:04:02.480 culture or that understanding. Instead of putting money into registries and buybacks, we should be
00:04:09.600 fighting crime with the people who are committing crime in this country. So, again, that's a well
00:04:18.160 established position, not one that I took on my own, but certainly one that I support.
00:04:22.040 Yeah, so you brought up some trade issues with the U.S. and also with China. You've mentioned in the past that you wanted to go with Scott Mo on trade missions. What do you feel you could have brought to the table if you were at the table with Scott Mo and other representatives from the Saskatchewan government?
00:04:42.220 You know, and I've said this on different issues at different times, there's a time for political differences.
00:04:49.880 There's a time for discourse and fights, and I like a good debate as much as anyone else.
00:04:56.380 Sometimes when you need to show strength and solidarity, it's important to say, hey, look, not only the government is in favor, but the opposition as well.
00:05:07.300 This is a position, setting partisan politics aside, that we both agree on.
00:05:12.920 And I'm hearing from people that they want to see that, not on every issue.
00:05:16.460 There's a need for debate. There's a need for a strong opposition.
00:05:20.060 I hope we get to switch roles very soon, but that need is there.
00:05:26.340 But on issues as important as the unity, the economic future of this country, and this province,
00:05:35.300 um, sometimes I think people want to see, uh, across, across the aisle support. And we have
00:05:41.860 seen this. Um, I've been elected here since 2016. Um, you know, there have been some times when
00:05:48.500 we've been able to put, um, differences aside because we know that we are both working in
00:05:53.060 the interests of Saskatchewan people. Um, I think that this would have been one of those instances.
00:05:58.020 um i also um yeah there you know the more resources the more people uh who are bringing
00:06:07.860 that same message i think the more effective we can be again not on every on every issue but on
00:06:13.440 on this one um we're now seeing carney also is now going to go to china mo was there a couple
00:06:19.500 months ago um canola farming is massive in this province i mean you drive on any highway you see
00:06:25.500 the yellow fields all over um what do you think can be done um to get china to lift that and to
00:06:33.340 once again not put a massive tariff on everything connected to canola because they've done it on
00:06:38.880 everything now with connected to canola yeah well let's look at the root of the imposition of these
00:06:45.380 tariffs. It followed the measures against Chinese EVs. And, you know, looking at removing
00:06:58.660 those tariffs on Chinese EVs has to be part of the discussion. This is a point of difference
00:07:08.400 between myself and the federal Conservative leader, for example. Again, I think it's important,
00:07:17.020 regardless of political stripe here in this province, as someone who wants to be the
00:07:22.620 Premier of this province, that that has to be consistent no matter who is in power or who is
00:07:27.400 taking those positions in Ottawa. Certainly, we've been clear about that from the very beginning.
00:07:32.400 um and we've made that clear with all all three federal parties um so that that would be an
00:07:40.540 important um first step would be to be talking about the those uh the taking those eb tariffs
00:07:48.080 off chinese um chinese cars i think um you know prime minister carney going to china is is an
00:07:57.060 important step. I think using all the diplomatic channels that we have available to us is incredibly
00:08:03.360 important. I've heard from producers, you know, this year we saw a suppression of prices. It had
00:08:10.320 an impact. I'm very worried about what this means going into next year, because if these tariffs
00:08:16.580 continue, all indications are that it is going to be very devastating into the next year. So I think
00:08:25.420 I'm in support of all efforts to get those tariffs removed
00:08:30.620 and make sure that we've got, you know,
00:08:36.320 I'm sure a lot of nervous producers,
00:08:39.220 farmers out there right now thinking about
00:08:40.860 what's going to go in the ground in the spring.
00:08:43.720 It would be great to be able to say that those tariffs are removed
00:08:46.780 and they don't have that worry on top of all the others.
00:08:50.180 Speaking of crises,
00:08:51.840 Health care, obviously, is a major issue in the province.
00:08:55.400 We're seeing ER closures.
00:08:58.600 Just here in Regina, we're seeing some ICU doctors leaving, like half the ICU doctors between the two hospitals were either fired, quit, or leaving in the next few months.
00:09:11.520 Alberta has floated the idea and is starting to go down the path of having both public and private.
00:09:17.180 Private like in the evenings and on weekends, public during the day.
00:09:20.080 What do you think can be done here in Saskatchewan on a fairly short timeframe that we could do to improve healthcare in the province?
00:09:32.120 Number one is listen to those doctors who are saying and have been saying for years now, this system needs change, that those who are making decisions, often, unfortunately, in small rooms here in the legislature and here in Regina, need to listen to those communities, those frontline physicians, nurses,
00:10:01.260 healthcare providers, because that's something that hasn't been happening. And we are losing
00:10:05.460 more healthcare providers in this province at a faster rate than any other province in
00:10:11.620 the country. That's number one. And that doesn't cost us a damn thing, honestly. I think that
00:10:17.240 is the number one thing that government needs to do, and certainly is the number one thing
00:10:21.980 that I hear. There are problems, absolutely. Everyone who goes into an emergency room or
00:10:26.440 tries to get a family doctor understands that there are problems. What I also hear every time
00:10:32.220 I talk to those who are on the frontline who desperately want to be providing care to people
00:10:35.820 who trained their whole lives, have spent their career dedicated to bettering health outcomes
00:10:41.900 for people, the number one thing that is driving them out of this province is the sense that we
00:10:47.140 have a government that is simply not listening to them and is not that interested, frankly,
00:10:52.320 in taking their advice or their ideas and making health care better within the public system.
00:10:59.080 Okay. Let's talk a bit now. Let's say the legislature was sitting right now,
00:11:03.460 and you could go into the legislature, pass three different pieces of legislation.
00:11:07.300 Yeah.
00:11:08.440 What three pieces of legislation would you pass that you think would have the most
00:11:14.040 positive impact on the province?
00:11:15.740 Okay. Am I in government or am I in opposition?
00:11:18.500 Well, you're in opposition, but let's say they're going to let it go through.
00:11:22.980 Okay. Okay. Well, one is not even hypothetical. You know, the number one issue, again, healthcare,
00:11:31.440 strong second, but the number one issue I'm hearing from people is a growing sense that
00:11:37.460 they are falling further and further behind financially. Something to address the cost
00:11:43.280 of living that is frankly for most people or many people in this province getting to
00:11:48.960 the point where it's out of control or people are putting their groceries on their credit
00:11:53.540 cards. And I'm talking about people who have worked their whole lives, who have never struggled
00:11:57.880 before, all of a sudden are looking at the price of turkey and thinking, hmm, maybe we'll
00:12:01.800 have sausage for Christmas this year. One of the things that we've brought forward is
00:12:06.700 a rent control bill. You know, had we been building housing and had we had a housing
00:12:12.060 plan and we're building um that that housing out maybe we're not here but right now we've had 40
00:12:19.900 months of steady rent increases for people in this province uh this is the wild west um there's no
00:12:27.900 controls no limits on how much um companies like for-profit companies from alberta can come in here
00:12:36.140 and jack up rents. We've heard 20%, 30% often from seniors and young people who are really
00:12:43.460 struggling with those increased costs. So there's one. If I was going to be guaranteed
00:12:49.560 if it was going to pass, maybe I'd look at the taxes and the other ways that this government
00:12:54.120 has increased costs for people and maybe throw some of those in, some relief for people.
00:12:58.900 number two has to be something around health care. You know, as I just said, the first idea,
00:13:07.100 the first most impactful immediate thing we could do doesn't even require legislation,
00:13:12.560 doesn't cost us a dime. But, you know, looking at those first three things that we need to do to
00:13:18.320 stabilize the existing workforce, make sure that we are, we have a plan to have everyone in this
00:13:26.800 province to have a family doctor. Right now, we're going in the wrong direction.
00:13:31.820 That would be the second bill, something around health care. Number three has to be,
00:13:36.820 you know, looking at the budget numbers and how much we're paying to service debt in this
00:13:46.560 province. Again, something that I heard a lot about when I was a young person in this province.
00:13:51.960 I'm not that young anymore. We're starting to hear, you know, a billion dollars. We sent
00:13:57.640 a big check at Christmas time to draw attention to the fact we're sending a billion dollars to
00:14:02.360 bankers in Toronto right now to service the debt in this province. We need better accountability.
00:14:10.200 We don't have a revenue problem in this province as much as we have a mismanagement and a waste
00:14:15.400 problem when it comes to this government. There has to be some accountability. People have to
00:14:19.720 understand and believe that they are getting uh value for those dollars that we are spending and
00:14:24.520 certainly i would much rather be spending a billion dollars here in this province um delivering
00:14:30.840 affordability relief or um delivering better health care for people in this province than
00:14:36.040 sending that check to uh you know bankers on on bay street or even down to wall street so
00:14:43.320 those would be the three areas um i could fill in a lot of details with some time if i'm
00:14:48.680 guaranteed it's going to be passed but we'll we'll see where do you see the government waste
00:14:54.280 like where would you look first for that oh man i mean sometimes i realize when i'm giving a list
00:15:02.520 to people um even in the time that i've been here um i've i've forgotten some of the uh some of the
00:15:12.360 ones that were a little a little further back well the bypass i mean i still think that there
00:15:16.920 a lot of questions to answer around how much we spent on the bypass. I think of paying
00:15:25.960 10 times what it costs in the public system to send women to Calgary, for example. Plus,
00:15:33.640 those people are paying out of pocket. I look at some of the decisions around P3 schools,
00:15:40.360 for example, something when I was a school board trustee that certainly had me very concerned
00:15:47.960 about those costs and how those decisions were made. But I think you only have to look at
00:15:54.280 the ballooning of the debt in this province. You know, we're now projected over $40 billion in debt
00:16:02.840 But going past 50 in this province, I think, you know, there's a long list of the ways that this government has spent and not received value.
00:16:14.800 This government is very good at spending money.
00:16:17.720 What they're not so good at is ensuring that when they spend those dollars, that Saskatchewan people are benefiting from those dollars.
00:16:24.440 And I think that's the number one way that they have failed, both on the economic side, but when it comes to delivering value for people in this province.
00:16:34.720 Okay. Let's end on a lightning round.
00:16:38.780 Oh, I better take a drink then.
00:16:40.120 So these are one-word answers. Are you ready?
00:16:45.420 Okay.
00:16:45.740 All right, you got five. One, coffee, tea.
00:16:49.000 Coffee.
00:16:50.080 Dog, cat.
00:16:51.780 Dog.
00:16:53.020 Fake or real Christmas tree?
00:16:54.860 Oh, real, for sure.
00:16:57.440 Early bird or night owl?
00:17:00.180 Early bird.
00:17:01.420 Used to be the opposite.
00:17:02.980 And finally, the one that matters the most,
00:17:04.920 stampeders or rough riders?
00:17:06.300 Rough, wow.
00:17:07.940 Oh my goodness.
00:17:09.840 I'm offended by the question, but the riders.
00:17:14.220 Well, thank you very much for sitting down with us today.
00:17:16.760 And I hope we can do this again in the future.
00:17:19.340 Good luck with the show.
00:17:20.220 Thank you.
00:17:20.540 Thank you very much for watching the Chris Holdcorn Show. Have a great night.