The Reminder reached out to all seven federal candidates running in ridings including the Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach area with a questionnaire, covering several local and regional issues.
Two of the three candidates running in Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River (northern Saskatchewan) responded with answers, which are presented here.
No response came in from Conservative Party candidate Jim Lemaigre or party representatives.
The candidates’ responses reflect their own views, not the views of The Reminder or its employees.
1. What reasons have made you want to run in this election? What qualifications do you have? Have you run for office before?
Buckley Belanger, Liberal candidate: I’m running because I believe the north deserves a strong voice in Ottawa who can advocate for them. This vast riding deserves someone who understands the challenges we face and who has the experience required to get it done. I served for over two decades in the Saskatchewan legislature and previously as mayor of Île-à-la-Crosse. I have always put the north first.
Doug Racine, NDP candidate: Over my 25-year law practice, I primarily took on clients to advance Indigenous rights. I have come to the realization that to continue to push Indigenous rights, I need to change the law - that is what motivated me to seek public office. I spent 12 years in the military, including an overseas deployment as a peacekeeper in Cyprus. I founded an Indigenous law firm on the Muskeg Lake Urban Reserve where I represented Indigenous clients at the Court of Appeals in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
2. What are your main priorities as a candidate? If elected, what are the first things you plan to do once you reach Ottawa?
BB: My top priorities are improving healthcare access, building infrastructure, and supporting economic development. A lot of the federal transfers to Saskatchewan rarely make their way up north. It’s time we take a deeper look at that.
DR: I want to fight to keep the wealth that is generated in the north in northern communities. Enormous wealth is extracted from the north, but the benefits of that extraction are primarily being seen by others. It is time the north got their fair share.
3. What personal history or connection do you have with the north? Is your primary residence currently in the north?
BB: I was born and raised in Île-à-la-Crosse and have lived and worked most of my life in northern Saskatchewan. I still live in the riding, which distinguishes me in this race. The north is home—it’s where my family lives. I’ve always lived here and remain deeply rooted in the community.
DR: I grew up in a Métis community near the Turtle Mountains in southern Manitoba, where I spent time on my father’s trap line and became a registered hunting guide. I currently live at Anglin Lake, a community that was a part of Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River until this current election.
4. What do you feel are the biggest issues facing the north presently? How do you plan to address them?
BB: Access—to health care, infrastructure, housing, and opportunities. I’ll fight for equitable funding, expand mental wellness and healing services and ensure Indigenous communities are full partners in development.
DR: There is a lack of housing throughout the north. The housing situation is a crisis. Our country has enormous wealth and there is no reason why we are not able to build enough housing to meet the needs of our communities. Many communities are suffering from additions issues. There is an urgent need to provide addictions treatment services when and where they are needed throughout the north.
5. What do you feel are the biggest issues facing Canada presently? How do you plan to address them?
BB: At the moment, Canada’s sovereignty is under threat. We need strong leadership at the table to tell Washington that Canada is not for sale. I will be there to say they can try and take our land, but they will never take northern Saskatchewan. Consequently, we need to look to international partners and opportunities abroad to diversify our international trade. I strongly believe that Mark Carney is the right leader for this moment in time.
DR: The biggest issue facing Canada is a lack of unity. We are more divided than ever. For the first time in decades, Canada faces real threats to our sovereignty. We can’t stand up to those threats if we are busy fighting each other. It is only through investing in bringing the quality of life up for everyone that we can regain national unity. This country generates enormous wealth. There is no reason why we cannot have affordable homes for everyone, proper healthcare for everyone, nutritious food for everyone and meaningful economic opportunities for all.
6. What do you feel about the current trade situation between Canada and the U.S. How do you plan to address concerns about the situation for the north?
BB: We must ensure northern industries key to Creighton and Denare Beach, like forestry, mining and tourism, aren’t left behind in trade negotiations. I’ll advocate for fair trade policies that reflect our regional realities and protect our workers.
DR: We would ensure that every dollar collected from Canada’s countertariffs go directly to support workers and communities hit hardest – no loopholes, no delays. Improve Employment Insurance to guarantee support is there when Canadian workers need it by reducing the threshold for qualifying to a universal 360-hour standard, extending the duration of benefits to 50 weeks and increasing the benefit level and insurable earnings cap to provide a minimum weekly benefit of $450. We would develop a Canadian procurement policy for government spending and work with our allies to diversify our trading relationships.
7. What is your plan for the economic future of the north? How do Flin Flon and nearby communities fit within that plan?
BB: Diversification is key. We must support emerging industries—like green tech, tourism, and sustainable resource development—while also investing in training for young people. We have the talent to lead the way.
DR: New Democrats are committed to our Build Canadian, Buy Canadian plan to boost our domestic economy and create a stronger and more independent economy. As part of this plan, we would develop sector-specific industrial strategies for energy, mining, manufacturing, buildings and transportation, with workers at the table every step along the way, with the goal of accelerating Canada’s clean energy transition and attracting new investment in communities across the country.
8. Flin Flon is a community whose biggest industry, for decades, has been mining – there is now no current operating, producing mine here. What plans or ideas do you have for northern mining and what can Ottawa do to help build up this industry?
BB: Northern Saskatchewan is home to key critical minerals and the industry remains vital to the northern economy. Ottawa must support exploration, innovation and partnerships with Indigenous communities. I am pro-development and we also have to ensure we get projects down the right way. I’ll push for investment in critical minerals and new processing technologies to keep jobs local.
DR: We need to create an environment where there is trust that development projects help everyone in the community. Local communities should receive the economic benefits and jobs from projects. Community Benefits Agreements between community, labour, governments and employers for projects will ensure communities get what they need to prosper.
9. What northern-specific measures would you wish to add to a federal budget? What areas do you feel the federal government needs to improve on for northerners?
BB: We need regional allocations for infrastructure, targeted support for rural health services, and food security to grow our own food. Northerners shouldn’t have to fight twice as hard for the same basic services. That’s why I was pleased to also see language in the Liberal platform to address Indigenous healing lodges.
DR: There needs to be greater investment throughout the north. There is a huge disparity between the infrastructure and public services available in the north and the rest of the country. This needs to change.
10. What measures do you plan to propose to assist Indigenous people and communities?
BB: I’ll fight for infrastructure, access to healthcare, clean drinking water in every community and support for Indigenous-led economic development.
DR: There is a huge disparity between the funding of services for Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous citizens of Canada. We will end discrimination against Indigenous children, young people and families by ending the chronic underfunding of services like, but not limited to, child welfare and family services. We will replace mere consultation with a standard of free, prior and informed consent, including for all decisions affecting constitutionally protected land rights. Opportunities and benefits of projects should go to the communities that want them, not the CEOs and billionaires who force them through.
11. What are your plans regarding the environment and climate change?
BB: The consumer “carbon tax” wasn’t working and became too divisive. That's why Mark Carney cancelled it and will replace it with incentives for greener choices. One of the key pillars in the Liberal platform as well is our water. We will protect more of our freshwater as it becomes increasingly attractive to foreign actors by developing a national water security strategy and prohibiting their inclusion in trade deals.
DR: We plan to protect Canada’s biodiversity, make big polluters pay and engage in retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient. We will work with rural communities to establish bus routes. We recognize that clean electricity will be critical to building a competitive economy that supports people in local communities. We will aim to power Canada with net-zero electricity by 2035, moving to 100 per cent non-emitting electricity by 2045.
12. Do you disagree with or dispute any policies your party currently holds? If so, which ones?
BB: I like my party’s plan for housing and am appreciative of the investments so far into First Nations, Inuit and Métis housing. What I will say is that there is always more to do on that front and I will push to go further.
DR: I would not be scared to stand up for the interest of constituents even if that meant voting differently than my party.
13. In 30 words or less - what is your elevator pitch for undecided voters?
BB: I’m a strong northern voice with the experience and vision. I’ll fight for you because you deserve a navigator who will help you navigate the bureaucracy in Ottawa.
DR: Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River is a race between the NDP and the Liberals. Voters can either send someone to Ottawa to fight for them or accept more Liberal broken promises.
14. What question do you wish we would have asked?
BB: More questions about our youth. We can’t leave them behind! Especially as we keep looking to keep them in our communities.
DR: I wished you would have asked about changing our voting system. We will fix Canada’s broken voting system and make every vote count. We will establish an independent citizens’ assembly to advise on how best to put in place a mixed-member proportional representation system in time for the next federal election. This will ensure that the next Parliament truly reflects the choices of voters. A mixed member system combines your local representative based on geography with representatives from each party based on their percentage of the vote overall.
