Peter MacKay visited Saskatoon on Monday, August 10 to meet members of the Conservative Party of Canada and to convey his message of getting the economy back on track as the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is MacKay鈥檚 second visit to Saskatchewan this year after visiting Regina earlier in the campaign. He is the only candidate to visit the province twice during the leadership campaign.
MacKay was joined by his Saskatchewan caucus supporters, MPs Randy Hoback, Kevin Waugh and Senator Denise Batters and former Senator, David Tkachuk.聽
MacKay discussed his eight-point Jobs Plan for Canada and his plan to create a prosperity corridor across the country. The corridor will feature pipelines to ensure oil and gas products from Saskatchewan and Alberta get to international markets. Working with all the provinces, the corridor will ensure increased prosperity across Canada.
MacKay reiterated his opposition to a federal carbon tax. He also opposes the national pricing regime proposed by Erin O鈥橳oole, describing it as simply a carbon tax by another name.
He emphasized the need to extend high speed internet access to all rural and remote areas of Canada, as that is essential for economic growth, access to information, communication and as the COVID crisis has shown, health care.
He acknowledged there is frustration in Western Canada and stressed the importance of defeating the Liberal government in the next election to strengthen national unity.
鈥淥ur country鈥檚 unity is under more pressure than we have seen in a generation,鈥 said MacKay. 鈥榃ith a resurgent Bloc Quebecois in Quebec and a growing Wexit movement in Western Canada, Justin Trudeau鈥檚 Liberal government has made Canada more fractured than at any time in recent memory.
鈥淲e will get our country back on track by treating all regions of the country with respect and by focusing on what matters to Canadians 鈥 creating jobs, managing our economy and improving the lives of Canadians in all parts of Canada.鈥
MacKay was introduced to members in Saskatoon. He also collected ballots at Prairieland Park and at meet and greet events held in the city.