NDP pledges support for small Sask. businesses, Broten responds to platform costing question

As the provincial election campaign enters its final week before election day on April 4, NDP Leader Cam Brotenmade a stop in Moose Jaw to throw his party's support behind small businesses in the province.

That included new campaign promises for small businesses.

According to a NDP release, those promises include pledges to: overhaulgovernment and Crown corporation procurement processes to give local businesses equal chances when bidding for contracts; initiating a buy-local campaign to promote local businesses; and supportand expandentrepreneurial incubator and accelerator initiatives.

Broten also pledged to:supportcraft brewers and distillers and includegrowler stations and displays inSLGAliquor stores; and cut thetwo per cent small business tax for companies employing at least three people when the province's fiscal capacity allows.

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"Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and we need to support these job creators," Brotensaid in the release."I want to diversify our economy with more eggs in more baskets. We can take concrete steps to give small, local businesses the climate they need to grow and thrive."

Questions about platform costing

While at a campaign stop in Regina earlier in the day, a reporter asked Broten if there's any reason why he and his campaign teamhaven't detailed the specific costs of the party's platform at public forums and events.

"No. All the information is there [online],with everyinitiativewe're rolling out and all of our infrastructure projects," Broten responded.

When asked what the platform willcost, Broten said, "All the entire costing for infrastructure projects, line items for programs, that is all included, as Isaid, hidden away on the Internet, with the full costing of what we'd be doing for full projects and other iniatives."

He also stated that a big focus of the platform is redirecting what his party sees as previously wasted dollars towards front line care workers.

Brad Wall campaignsin La Ronge

Saskatchewan Party Leader Brad Wall spent time on Monday in La Ronge in the northern constituency of Cumberland.

Wall travelled to the area to support candidate Thomas Sierzycki, and to thank people in the community for their efforts during last summer's unprecedented forest fires and evacuation of La Ronge and neighbouring communities.

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While Wall made no campaign announcements in the north, hesaid ifre-elected, hisgovernment wouldprovide an additional $500,000 annually to expand the remote presence technology pilot project underway in Pelican Narrows to additional northern communities.