Meet The Candidates - Talon Regent - NDP

By Nick Murray

Talon Regent is a product of the prairies.

He grew up in Regina; was raised by a farm girl and and an Irish immigrant. He did well in High School, played lots of sports and speaks fluent French. Now he's running a campaign, for the NDP, to be the Member of Parliament for the Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan riding.

He became attracted to politics while pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of Regina.

It was "during class discussions about business ethics, I began to realize the difference in morals and values between left and right leaning voters. Right-leaning classmates were uninterested in the environmental and social damage caused by the glorification of greed. Meanwhile, left-leaning classmates approved of concepts that would impose a duty on corporations to enhance society and the environment, instead of negatively affecting them" he said.

Talon took part in this year's initiate change rally - supplied photo

Hwe also has a law degree from the University of Saskatchewan. He passed the Bar in 2016. He has been a practicing lawyer in Moose Jaw for 3 years now and has been recognized by the Chamber of Commerce, amongst many outlets, for his business excellence.

Talon is a highly accomplished and highly involved young man. For a further reading of those accomplishments and involvements please check out his bio at http://www.regentlaw.net/talon-regent.html

Talon's experience on the campaign trail has been a great experience for him, he says:

"I've met hundreds of people with uniqueperspectives, unique needs, and insightful suggestions. Most people are very excited to see a candidate at their door."

He recited a story about a 60 year old woman he met who was diagnosed with cancer. "She spent four long years fighting, went throughchemotherapy, and managed to win the fight" he said. "However, during chemotherapy, the radiation caused a thinning of her bones, which resulted in major issues in her teeth and her jaw. She was forced to spendover $35,000 on dental work. At 60 years old, she had to withdraw most of her RRSPs and savings to cover the dental costs. She was planning to retire at 65 years old, but now expects that she will be forced to work for another 10 years if she wants to maintain her quality of living. She was brought to tears at the thought that others could be spared her pain with a New Democratic government.

Recently, the NDP's Federal leader, Jagmeet Singh, took a stance considered rather hostile to one of the Saskatchewan's biggest industries: Oil & Gas.

Singh's position stung the province, even the United Steelworkers 5890 union, which has long voted largely in favour of the NDP, publicly rescinded their support.

Clearly, in Saskatchewan and in this riding in particular, this industry is a hot-button issue. But it's not one Talon shies away from.

"The Oil & Gas industry is an aging industry" Talon said. "Countries around the world are looking to be energy-independent for security reasons, and carbon neutral for environmental reasons. Canada has the opportunity to get ahead of the curve by becoming a globalleader in the renewable energy industry.As we transition our energy sector from fossil fuels to green solutions, we will ensure that workers are not left behind. We will help people retrain to new, high-paying, long-term jobs rather than abandoning themlike the Conservatives and Liberals do.When it comes to pipelines, it is important to remember that we already have a Trans-Mountain pipeline that was built in 1953. Moose Javians know first-hand what happens when our aging pipelines are ignored. It's one thing for Moose Jaw's water mains to break; it's another thing for an old oil pipeline toburst. New Democrats will ensure that we renew and replace our aging pipeline to protect the infrastructure, the oil revenue from the pipeline, and the environment. All of this will have the added benefit of keeping our pipeline workers employed.”

It's hard to miss Talon when he's on the campaign trail - supplied photo

Another concern that's been bandied about is that the NDP has abandoned their position as Canada's Labour Party, leaving behind working families and have instead adopted more of a social justice/environmentalist bent.

"The NDP continues to protect workers from coast to coast to coast" Talon said. "We continue to defend the unionization formula, so that unions can effectively advocate for workers, and we will continue to oppose heavy-handed legislation that suspends the rights to bargain and to strike. We continue to fight for whistleblower protection against unethical employers, pension protection against debt-collectors, worker protection in aging and automating industries, benefit protection for part-time and temporary workers, and so much more. Neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives have any interest in the protection our workers need. I take pride in New Democrats' advocating for human rights and the environment. It is downright silly to somehow suggest we are therefore ignoring working families."

Talon has a vision for the Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan riding to be a leader in the energy industry.

"We are one of the windiest and sunniest places in the world and we have a huge opportunity that the Conservatives and Liberals are choosing to ignore. I also want to ensure that our rural community thrives. This means providing transportation options now that the STC and Greyhound are gone, ensuring there is cell phone coverage and high speed internet everywhere in the province, ensuring that our schools and rural infrastructure is maintained, and more.My vision is for our riding to have a strong advocate in parliament making sure that our needs are met. I know I can fulfill this vision, and I know our incumbent has failed in this regard."

We asked our readers which issues were important to them and had Talon give his thoughts and ideas concerning each.

Climate Change
"Climate change is happening. Humans are a major contributing factor. We need to take immediate action. New Democrats are fighting to make meaningful reductions in a way that will also stimulate the economy. As a prime example, we will be creating 300,000 well-paid, full-time jobs in the renewable energy industry. These jobs will help us to surpass the Paris targets, and they will keep our citizens working. These jobs will include pipe fitters, welders, drillers, and everyone else who has skills developed in the Oil & Gas sector."

Federally Funded Daycare Programs
"Young families need access to quality, affordable child care. Today, families are struggling to find child care spaces and costs are unaffordable in many cities. Parents are forced to make impossible choices between delaying their return to work or paying huge amounts for the child care they need.""The pressure that parents feel today is the result of inaction by Liberal and Conservative governments. For ten years, the Conservative government worked against every effort to make quality child care more accessible to Canadian families. And since taking power, the Liberal government has offered only a patchwork approach that hasn’t made a difference for families struggling to find the care they need. The result is a broken system with child care costs that are among the highest in the world, and enormous worry in the lives of Canadian families. I firmly believe every parent across Canada should be able to afford quality child care with providers making a fair wage. New Democrats will introduce legislation that enshrines Canada’s commitment to high-quality, public child care in law. Public early childhood education and child care that is affordable and available to all families helps our economy and gives parents real choices."

Lowering the Cost of Living
"New Democrats know that tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy do not translate to a better quality of life for the average Canadian. Our community needs their expenses addressed directly. This is why we will be creating systems for universal pharmacare, dental care, and optical care. We will make housing more affordable by building 500,000 high-efficiency homes and providing rebates from high-efficiency renovations. We will ensure that Canadians are paying fair and market-standard rates for internet and cell phone plans. While the Conservatives and Liberals are only interested in lowering the cost of living for the ultra-wealthy, I am advocating for the needs of our community."

Pipelines
"The TMX pipeline was built in 1953. Moose Javians know first-hand what happens when our aging pipelines are ignored. It's one thing for Moose Jaw's water mains to break; it's another thing for an old oil pipeline to burst. New Democrats will ensure that we renew and replace our aging pipeline to protect thei nfrastructure, the oil revenue from the pipeline, and the environment. All of this will have the added benefit of keeping our pipeline workers employed."

Carbon Tax
"Justin Trudeau's carbon tax exempts the biggest polluters while increasing the cost of living for average Canadians. Additionally, I will not bury my head in the sand like Andrew Scheer. New Democrats will set a target to power Canada with net carbon-free electricity by 2030 and move to 100% non-emitting electricity by 2050. Meeting this carbon-free electricity goal in a way that respectsl ocal communities and creates good jobs is essential. We’ll support investments in innovative community-owned and operated clean energy projects to keep jobs and expertise local, work in partnership with Indigenous and northern communities to move off diesel, improve energy security, and cut emissions and air pollution. I and my fellow New Democrats, will implement real solutions for our community without making life harder for working families."

Talon Regent will be taking part in the All Candidates Forum on October 15th at the Cosmo Centre (7:00 pm).