Naomi Hunter feels she is right where she belongs as leader of the Saskatchewan Green Party. In March, the former federal Green candidate took the helm of the provincial party and hasn’t looked back..“I don’t think there’s anyone who would disgree with me that there is nothing that can prepare you for this kind of change. I’m feeling like this is what I was born to do. I feel like I found my destiny. And it just has not gotten old at all to be able to tell people every single day that I’m the leader of the Saskatchewan Green Party,” Hunter told the Western Standard..Hunter’s delivery sounds part salesperson, part radio announcer, and part farm girl. Her biography also connects diverse regions and backgrounds..Hunter was born in Turtleford, Saskatchewan and spent some years raised by her godparents on the Onion Lake Reserve. She finished high school in Saskatoon living on her own. After university, she owned and operated shops for custom-made jewelry, owned a restaurant near Christopher Lake, managed a truck stop in Davidson, and has also been a senior’s fitness class instructor. She farms with her father near Prince Albert..Hunter ran for the federal Greens in Regina-Lewvan last fall, won by Conservative Warren Steinley. Hunter finished fourth with 2,035 votes and four per cent of the total. In March, she beat two other candidates to become provincial Green Party Leader on the first ballot..“I had originally had all my focus going federal. I wanted to be an MP so badly. But as I switched my focus to provincial issues, I really feel that my love of Saskatchewan, my pride in the people of this province has come through and I really realized that this is where I meant to be. There’s so much more that I can do at home.”.Hunter, whose great-grandfather served in Tommy Douglas’ cabinet, wants government-funded health care to include chiropractic services, massage, and dental care. .“When you go to try to get a good job, it’s really hard if you don’t have a beautiful smile. I want to bring that back and make sure that the oral health of our population is looked after because that really is very important for our overall body health.”.“I also feel strongly that mental help should be fully covered underneath our universal medicare plan. And people frequently say, ‘Well, how are you going to pay for this ambitious plan?’ I would counter that by saying that the cost of not covering these things is much greater than looking after the health of our people.”.These aren’t the only pricey platform planks..“We are calling for a universal basic income. I feel that the left in Saskatchewan has been calling for a $15 minimum wage for so long that it’s time it was 22 [dollars].”.The Green Party has never won a seat in Saskachewan since its first campaign in 1999. Victor Lau led the party to its best showing in 2011 with 11,461 votes for nearly 3 per cent of the provincial total. He stepped down as leader after the 2016 election after the party received just 7,967 votes..Hunter has been criss-crossing the province, trying to support a full slate of candidates in 61 ridings. .“My dad calls me the Green Goddess. I’m gonna go with the ‘Wandering Saskatchewan Green’. It’s kinda fun.”.“What I find is absolutely amazing is that the Greens tend to find voters who are disillusioned voters,” Hunter said. “I’m actually encouraging non-voters to show up. I’ve also had people who would normally be a Conservative voter, I’ve had Liberals on my team, and yes I have had crossovers from the NDP.”.Naomi’s son, North Hunter, will be the Green candidate in Moose Jaw North, while son Isaiah Hunter will run in Lumsden-Morse. When asked which candidates have the best chance of winning, Hunter defends them all as her own..“All my candidates are so incredibly amazing, and I’m a mother so I’m pretty protective of them. I would really like you to look into the platforms of every single one of my incredible candidates. And I’m prepared to defend them against anyone who might say they’re not as good as others.”.Even so, Hunter does have an answer, one worthy of a Jim Prentice – Rachel Notley debate..“I’m very good at math, so I have been targeting data analysis of ridings across the province. I can say that there are some ridings where we can certainly expect the Greens to make breakthroughs…Saskatoon Centre, Saskatoon Riversdale, [Regina] Elphinstone Centre where I am running, Regina Douglas Park, and Athabasca in our far northwest corner.”.Lee Harding is the Saskatchewan Correspondent for the Western Standard
