The more Andrew Yubeta heard People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier talk about important issues, the more he wanted to support him..“What attracted me to the PPC is Maxime Bernier – first of all his bravery on stage,” Yubeta said in an interview with Western Standard. “He means to win, but he’s gonna do it the right way.”.Now Yubeta has a platform of his own in Regina-Qu’Appelle, one of 10 new Saskatchewan candidates for the PPC. He grew up in southern California and his wife and son and have lived in Regina for 10 years. In past years, Yubeta trained in Kuwait with the U.S. Navy and served in Afghanistan, but during the past 19 months had an even bigger fight for his own health..“I got incredibly sick right before the lockdowns. I’ve recovered from a cyst in my brain that about ended my life, took my job away, it was terrible …. I desperately needed medical attention and where I was at, I couldn’t have it,” he said..“There’s all these lockdowns that made lives like mine a living nightmare, along with others — I’m by no means special.”.Yubeta lost 25 pounds before his recovery, which he credits to Jesus Christ, meditation on Scriptures, discipline over his mind, and the determination and to get well. Early on in his sickness, he read Eric Metaxas’ biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor who opposed the Nazi regime when most simply fell into line..“I was reading about the immediate stifling of speech [under the] Third Reich. The amazing thing that stuck out to me in the ‘30s was the speed at which rights were lost,” said Yubeta, who added that’s something he finds reminiscent of recent lockdowns..“Freedom doesn’t mean the freedom to live like an animal. It means freedom to do the right thing. To live your life, to raise your family, to go to work, to be with your elderly grandparents, take care of them. It means to have coffee with a friend and it means to know what your government is doing and to hold them to account,” Yubeta said..The candidate, a former Conservative campaign volunteer, knows what he will tell voters in Andrew Scheer’s riding..“I’m running because folks need an option on that ballot card [and] need to know that you can go back to Canadian values. You do not have to say, ‘We’ll sacrifice here, we’ll give ground here.’ You do not need to do that. Stand by your values. Better to stand alone than it is to be with others if you’re doing the right thing,” Yubeta said..“I’m not a career politician, I’m a career family man and a hard worker. I’m a veteran. I served in the American military, but with Canadian Forces as well in Afghanistan. I’ll fight for you too.”.Yubeta will run alongside his fellow PPC rookie in Regina-Lewvan, Rod Kletchko. He made headlines two years ago when Saskatchewan Government Insurance ordered him to turn in his MAGAUSA license plate following some complaints..“I feel that my integrity is at stake here. So if I capitulate, how good is that for me when I tell everybody to fight for the right of free speech?” Kletchko told the Leader-Post at the time..“Are we not supposed to be an open society with freedom of expression and free speech? And now I have to sell my soul, my integrity, for 30 pieces of silver.”.Returning PPC candidate Mario Milanovski in Regina-Wascana will join Maxime Bernier at an event in Regina September 1..On September 2, Bernier will travel to Moose Jaw for an event with repeat candidate Chey Craik, then make stops in Craik and Kenaston. That evening, Bernier will join return candidates Mark Friesen (Saskatoon Grasswood) and Guto Penteado (Saskatoon University) and new candidate Kevin Boychuk (Saskatoon West) for an event in Saskatoon..Lee Harding is a Western Standard correspondent living in Saskatchewan.
