Pending a last minute bid by any other interested party, it is expected that Estevan’s Cameron Robock will be the one to carry the NDP banner for the Estevan Constituency into the next provincial election.
Robock, who also serves as president of the local NDP Constituency Association, may run unopposed at the candidate nomination meeting that is slated for this Saturday afternoon in the United Mine Workers’ Union Hall.
Claiming deep family roots in the New Democratic Party, Robock said he learned that one potential candidate had dropped out of contention due to medical reasons, while a third had decided not to pursue the nomination after giving the prospect a second look.
“But someone can still step up on Saturday and be nominated,” he said.
Robock said he has a fledgling campaign team underway, but until the nomination process was completed, he wasn’t going to go very far on that side of the organization.
Robock said there are a few items he felt needed to be addressed by a new MLA representing the city and the surrounding area once the next provincial election is held. He said he will be campaigning on the need to complete the twinning of Highway 39 and Highway 6 (south) sooner, rather than later.
“We also need to get Saskatchewan oil moving by pipeline and freeing up some rail space for grain movement. Not getting the grain out of Saskatchewan last winter cost local producers over $1 billion,” he said when contacted by the Mercury.
“Brad Wall is putting all his energy into getting the Keystone pipeline built, yet it’s only going to move less than four per cent of Saskatchewan’s oil. I would rather see a Saskatchewan made solution to move our oil … our non-dirty oil, by building more Saskatchewan pipelines into Canadian and U.S. markets. We have four international border crossings in this constituency alone, so it’s about time another voice was introduced to the legislature,” he said, referring to the fact that the governing Sask Party and their MLA Doreen Eagles, have ruled the constituency for the past eight years and it was time for change.
Eagles has announced her retirement from active politics once the next campaign begins, and so far two candidates, Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig and city Councillor Lori Carr have indicated a desire to replace her as that party’s local candidate.
Robock, a former oil patch employee, now employed by Purolator, said if he’s chosen as the NDP candidate, he’ll be preparing for an election in the spring of 2016, or as early as this fall if the federal election doesn’t supersede the provincial election schedule. So far, the signs are indicating a federal election this fall, which means the Saskatchewan election will be pushed to the spring of 2016.
“I intend to do a lot of campaigning, door knocking, especially in the rural areas. That hasn’t been done since the 1980s,” said Robock.
“I want to get feedback and information from the rural population as well as from Estevan. I want to know what they feel we need in this area of the province,” he said.
Robock and his wife Angela are parents of a two-year-old boy Leo and are expecting another child later this year.
Robock made an unsuccessful bid for a city council seat in the previous civic election, but this is his first foray into provincial politics as a potential nominated candidate and a face for the NDP.
