Moose Jaw mayor, lawyer win respective nominations to represent Conservatives, NDP in next federal election

Moose Jaw Mayor Fraser Tolmieand lawyer Talon Regent will both be running in the next federal election.

Tolmie won the Conservative Party nomination in the Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan riding on Sunday, whileRegent was declared the winnerofthe NDP nomination on Friday in the same riding.

Tolmie wasn't available for an interview on Monday, but in an emailed statement he thanked Conservative members in the riding.

"This was a hard fought campaign, and I salute the other candidates for their efforts. I look forward to working closely alongside all Conservatives in this riding to keep Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan blue in the next election, whenever it may come," the statement said.

A news release sent from campaign manager DavidDanchilla in June when Tolmie announced his intention to run said Tolmie "is very familiar with the riding having worked collaboratively with area Reeves and Mayors on major projects benefiting South Central Saskatchewan. Examples include the renewal of the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant and the $4 billion irrigation system for South Saskatchewan."

Tolmie defeated newcomer Kathryn Pollack and former Saskatoon MP Brad Trostfor the nomination.

Both candidates will be seeking the seat currently occupied by Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski, who won't be running in the next election.

Regent confident going against Tolmie

Regent, who ran for the NDP nomination against Moose Jaw Pride spokesperson Erin Hidlebaugh, said he'll be focusing on a few main issues while campaigning.

"Holding pandemic profiteers accountable for the greatest redistribution of wealth from the middle class to the ultra wealthy that Canada has ever seen" is one of them, he said.

"I am also going to strongly advocate for universal pharmacare, mental, dental and optical care, considering those are economically wiser decisions than our current hodgepodge of insurance and private payments."

He said he's also going to campaign on ending for-profit models in long-term care homes.

"We saw too many seniors across Canada and in Saskatchewan die as a result of mismanaged and overly lean private, for-profit care homes."

The Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan riding has voted Conservative since 2015, the riding's first election sincebeingcreated in a redrawing of federal riding boundaries.

Despitehistory beingstacked against him,Regent said he feels confident going against Tolmie.

"I know that he's been a long time Conservative but, at the same time, it's just as much about his leader and his party's policies as it is about him individually as a candidate," he said.

"When we start talking about policy, it's easy to see why the New Democratic platform is so much better than the Conservative platform."

Regent is also the NDP's president of the Saskatchewan Council of Electoral District Associations and treasurer for the Moose Jaw Lake Centre Lanigan riding.