SASKATCHEWAN TEACHERS' FEDERATION
Parties Share Promises, Plans for Fixing Saskatchewan's Public Education Crisis

Saskatchewan's political parties shared their plans to address the crisis in publicly funded education during a Vote for Public Education Election Forum hosted by the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation Thursday evening (October 3).

During the 90-minute forum, candidates were asked to make a pledge for public education. The pledge reads: Do you promise to advocate for public education in Saskatchewan and ensure our students and teachers get the support they need to succeed in the classroom?. Of the six candidates in attendance, all took the pledge for publicly funded education.

The virtual event, the first all-party event of the provincial election campaign, saw representatives of six parties provide a statement and respond to moderated questions before an invited audience of teachers, retired teachers and post-secondary education students.

"We appreciate the willingness of these candidates to take part in the forum and make commitments to address the crisis unfolding in Saskatchewan schools after nearly a decade of underfunding," said STF President Samantha Becotte. "All parties and their candidates must put the needs of students, families and teachers first when they are thinking about how they will use their offices to deliver the funding and policies Saskatchewan's public schools need."

All registered parties received an invitation to join this forum, and candidates from six of these parties agreed to participate. Forum participants included Rose Buscholl of the Progressive Conservatives, Jeremy Cockrill of the Saskatchewan Party, Valerie Brooks of the Green Party, Matt Love representing the Saskatchewan NDP, Jahangir Valiani from the Saskatchewan Progress Party and the Buffalo Party's Philip Zajac. The Saskatchewan United Party did not provide a representative. Each participant was asked to respond to questions addressing the issues most important to teachers and audience members.

"This forum is an important part of our Vote for Public Education campaign, making sure that public education remains a key issue at the ballot box this fall," said STF President Samantha Becotte. "The Federation is non-partisan and does not endorse any particular party or candidate. We encourage teachers and all Saskatchewan voters to listen to the policies and platforms of each party and make an informed decision about who they feel will best support the current and future state of our publicly funded education system."

The forum was moderated by Jennifer Quesnel - podcast host, producer and reporter for television and radio. A recording of the forum has been made available on the STF YouTube channel.

The STF's Vote for Public Education campaign identifies the most important issues that teachers are raising for both the provincial election on October 28 and school board elections being held November 13:

1. Restore and maintain per-student funding
2. Address class size and complexity
3. Address the growing concerns of classroom violence.

The STF's full election platform document can be found on the STF website.