When Tom Lukiwski announced he would not run in the next federal election, he left the door open for a new face to represent the Saskatchewan riding of Moose Jaw–Lake Centre–Lanigan.

Until this week the lone contender seeking the Conservative nomination was Kathryn Pollack, a longtime are resident, a wife and mother of two whose rural roots and experience as Chief Procurement Officer for Saskatchewan may make her the perfect fit to replace Lukiwski.

Now, instead of being acclaimed as the riding’s candidate of record, Kathryn Pollack will have to beat out Brad Trost, the former Conservative Party leadership candidate and former Member of Parliament for Saskatoon-Humboldt.

Trost lost the nomination to represent his former riding of Saskatoon-Humboldt prior to the 2019 federal election.

Now he wants another shot at federal politics.

A Moose Jaw Today article said party members reached out to Trost and “within three days, acquired 25 signatures from party members.

“And with that sort of response, it was like, ‘Wow, people would like to see me back in there,’” Trost was quoted as saying.

“Even my NDP and Liberal opponents over the years have said, ‘You know Trost, everyone knows where you stand. You’re not ambiguous, you’re clear and you’re polite. You definitely stick to your guns,’” he continued.

 

Kathryn Pollack

My short foray of research into Kathryn Pollack’s past tells me Brad Trost has a fight on his hands. Pollack is an accomplished professional who is no stranger to leadership or the political arena, even if she hasn’t been a Member of Parliament yet.

Her current post is chief procurement officer for the provincial government, so she is no stranger to how government works. In fact, her current position probably gives her a great deal of insight that would serve her well as an MP.

I encourage all CPC members from Moose Jaw–Lake Centre–Lanigan to read the following articles. Doing so will will give you a pretty clear picture of Kathryn Pollack, the woman you may want to represent your riding in the next federal election.

• Search for Clarity
• Connection
• Fierce Dialog
• FLOW For Engaged Workplaces And Fulfilled Teams
• Grit

I have mistakenly viewed myself as a perfectionist. I realize now that I wasn’t striving for perfection; I was striving for excellence. Perfection is not achievable. Excellence is accessible when we dig in and get gritty.

 

More About Kathryn Pollack

From MooseJawToday.com:

Kathryn Pollack, who lives on a family farm in the Rural Municipality of Lumsden, decided to run for politics because she wants to secure her children’s future so they can grow up in a country with opportunities and united in outlook. She has watched with growing concern and frustration over the last few years with the decisions the federal government has made and wanted to see something different.

It was several months ago when the idea to run for politics crystallized in her mind, she explained. She was speaking with an acquaintance who had inside knowledge that Lukiwski did not plan to run in the next federal election, which caught her attention.

“Timing, of course, is everything in these opportunities, and so that was sort of the inkling and door opening in terms of me thinking, ‘Oh, this could actually be the time I go for it,’” Pollack said.

Another factor Pollack considered about running for the nomination was she believes she is in the right stage of life to take on this challenge. She has a family with two sons, so she wasn’t able to consider politics when they were younger. That’s changed, though, since they are now teenagers and can look after themselves.

Pollack believes she would be a good candidate since she is not a career politician but is passionate about Saskatchewan and Canada. Born and raised in rural Saskatchewan, she appreciates her heritage and the values and work ethic her parents instilled in her.

“I bring a fresh perspective and new outlook and I would say a lot of enthusiasm,” she said. “I’ve proven myself in the private sector and public sector in leadership roles.”

 

More About Brad Trost

From MooseJawToday.com:

Former Saskatchewan Conservative MP Brad Trost is the second person to seek the nomination for the Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan constituency, a riding he partially represented for 11 years before the boundaries changed.

Trost represented Saskatoon-Humboldt from 2004 to 2015 and Saskatoon-University from 2015 to 2019. However, he lost the riding nomination to Corey Tochor, the former Saskatchewan legislature speaker, before the 2019 federal election.

The two priorities upon which Trost would focus if nominated would be agriculture — upon which many communities in the riding are based — and Western alienation. He pointed out that alienation wasn’t an issue when the Conservatives were in power under Stephen Harper since the party “got things done.”

Other issues important to Trost include pipelines, ensuring the West has a strong voice and standing up for issues that matter to regional voters.

“No one has ever referred to me as Liberal-lite in my life,” Trost laughed. “I’m a conservative’s conservative, and I think my mere presence in the party and my advocating for positions I’ve advocated for in the past will definitely push other people to be more outspoken.”

 

Contact the Candidates:

Kathryn Pollack

Website: https://www.kathrynpollack.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067822350366

 

Brad Trost

Website: https://www.bradtrost.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/bradtrostcpc/