Falk was elected in a 2017 byelection after Gerry Ritz's resignation, securing nearly 70 per cent of the vote. She was re-elected in 2019 with 79 per cent. (Facebook/Rosemarie Falk)

By Kenneth Cheung

2025 FEDERAL ELECTION

Falk focuses on affordability, trade in Battlefords-Lloydminster-Meadow Lake race

Apr 1, 2025 | 10:03 AM

As the 2025 federal election campaign begins to heat up, incumbent Member of Parliament Rosemarie Falk of the Conservative Party is vying for a third term.

In an interview with battlefordsNOW, Falk highlighted her top priorities for the newly expanded Battlefords–Lloydminster–Meadow Lake riding.

The riding, which now extends further north to include Meadow Lake and additional communities, was redrawn following Canada’s most recent electoral boundary adjustments.

“Basically, Statistics Canada takes that data and it shows how the population has changed in the ridings, then they try to make them as evenly represented as possible,” Falk said.

Falk was elected in a 2017 byelection after Gerry Ritz’s resignation, securing nearly 70 per cent of the vote. She was re-elected in 2019 with 79 per cent of the vote. Born in Lloydminster, Sask., she holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Calgary and previously worked as a registered social worker and legislative assistant.

tariff buzz

Tariffs, low prices put squeeze on Sask. honey producers

4h ago

Politics

Saskatchewan and Canada still at risk from tariffs, not much being done from Sask Party: NDP

17h ago

Rural Camp Series

Saskatchewan Selects shine spotlight on smaller communities

17h ago

Falk’s campaign is centered on affordability, crime, and economic issues — priorities she says have remained unchanged.

“My focus all the time is making sure to listen to constituents, hearing what their concerns are and helping provide solutions to fix those concerns,” she said.

She criticized the Liberal government’s handling of the economy, particularly the carbon tax, which she argues makes life more expensive for residents.

“We have to remember that a few weeks ago when Mark Carney signed that piece of paper on Parliament Hill, [he] actually didn’t do anything,” she said.

READ MORE: Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government terminates consumer carbon price

“In order for him to actually get rid of the carbon tax, he should have recalled Parliament, recall us back so that we could vote on it.”

With agriculture playing a critical role in Saskatchewan’s economy, Falk said she is committed to advocating for farmers and expanding trade opportunities by diversifying markets.

Healthcare access, particularly in rural areas, remains a concern in the riding. While acknowledging that healthcare falls under provincial jurisdiction, Falk said the federal government still has a role to play.

“We need to make sure that we know what it is that the communities are needing and seeing how the federal government can assist in that,” she said.

When asked what sets her apart from her opponents, Falk pointed to her party’s record and approach to governance.

 ”We are the only party that has a plan to build the home. We know that we have a housing crisis in Canada and fixing the budget with our dollar-for-dollar approach,” she noted.

“I haven’t heard of the other parties bringing forward any other ideas or policies that would fix the budget [and] I’m not hearing policies either from them about stopping the crime.”

She also claimed that the NDP has been propping up the Liberal government instead of acting as an opposition party.

“When we look at the record of Jagmeet Singh and Canada’s NDP and the Carney, Trudeau Liberal, their parties are the reason that we’re in this mess,” she said.

Falk highlighted her own work in Parliament, including her efforts to introduce a private member’s bill—Bill C-318—to provide equal parental leave benefits for adoptive parents.

“It was actually created as a benefit for adoptive parents because, at the time, adoptive parents actually get less leave than those that don’t adopt,” she said.

Although the bill was voted down by the Liberal government, Falk noted the policy was later adopted in the federal government’s fall economic statement.

“So that is a win for adopted families and those parents that are trying to have a family through adoption or surgery,” she said.

Addressing concerns about social programs, Falk reassured voters that a Conservative government under Pierre Poilievre would maintain existing dental care and childcare programs.

“Pierre has made it very clear more than once, that no one will lose dental care under a Conservative government that is led by Pierre Poilievre,” she said.

“And this is the same with the childcare that is provided via the provinces. So we would be honoring the dental and also the childcare deals that have been made with provinces.”

The 2025 Canadian federal election is scheduled for April 28. Voters in Saskatchewan can cast their ballots during advance voting on April 18, 19, 20, and 21.

Other known candidates in the riding of Battlefords–Lloydminster–Meadow Lake include Larry Ingram for the Liberal Party of Canada, Phoenix Neault for the Green Party of Canada, William Petryk for the New Democratic Party of Canada, and Dean Gilmour for the People’s Party of Canada.

– with file from Austin Mattes

—

Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com