Swift Current was home to a Saskatchewan NDP MLA during a round table discussion this past weekend which put a focus on key issues in the province today.

Yens Pederson, NDP MLA for the Regina Northwest, was the keynote speaker at the discussion, taking notes on issues and providing his own opinions on them as well.

The Regina lawyer spoke on issues such as the carbon tax, seed royalties, mental health, and public transportation.

The consensus opinion at the meeting on the carbon tax, was that the provincial government did not do enough to prepare for the federally imposed carbon tax, citing a drop in the provinces farmers competitiveness.

While the farm fuel program does subsidize fuel used by farmers, those who attended the meeting raised the point that things like increased costs for farm machinery were not covered.

Citing his legal background, Pederson said that although the provincial government is taking the carbon tax to court, that decision could take up to five years to yield a result, and would be costly for taxpayers.

While the provincial NDP party does not agree with the current carbon tax, they say a more thorough plan for climate control is needed.

"Climate change is too important of an issue for us not to be doing something about it," the 2018 elected MLA said. "Regardless of what happens in a court case or what happens in a federal election, climate change is too important of an issue for us not to be doing anything."

Seed royalties was another topic of discussion for the group, an issue that Pederson said needed to be shared to raise awareness about it.

"I think just in general, there's something that really rubs farmers the wrong way when the federal government comes along and says 'we're going to make you pay to reuse the seed you grew on your farm.'"

Speaking on how the series of roundtable discussions around the province that Pederson has been undertaking, he said that not only do they help shape what the NDP will lobby for in the Legislative Assembly, but also help to humanize the issues.

"When you talk about the loss of a bus service, its the difference between thinking, 'here's an unprofitable public service, with the bus running empty most of the time' its the difference between that example and hearing about a grandmother who can't get to her granddaughter's graduation."

The provincial government's closure of the STC bus service was a hot topic at the meeting.

Something else which was facing some criticism at the meeting was the province's level of mental health support.

"The lack of services, or the difficulty in accessing services, or even being open that you're struggling, that's a real concern."

One man in attendance at the meeting, a probation officer, said that in his experience, councillors were not able to assist those on probation effectively due to financial restrictions.