As a lawyer with Legal Aid Saskatchewan for seven years, Estelle Hjertaas works with youth and adults in PA, and travels with the Cree court to Indigenous communities to represent those who could not otherwise afford to hire a lawyer.  

A tireless champion for her clients, Estelle she has gained an understanding of the links between poverty, addictions, intergenerational trauma, the legacy of colonialism and crime. Estelle believes that by courageously addressing those issues we can build a safer and more just country.

Compassionate and articulate, Estelle is an excellent advocate, distilling her practice to the essential role of a lawyer – ensuring that her clients understand the law, their options, and then fighting for their best interests.

Estelle’s frontline experience motivates her to try to build a healthier and inclusive society, both in her day-to-day life and through political action. She has made connections to people whose lives have been derailed by disadvantage and abuse or by cognitive challenges, people who have gone missing or been murdered, and youth who have committed suicide, making these challenges deeply personal and redoubling her commitment to address them and ensure that no one is left behind.

Coming from a family of environmentalists and farmers, Estelle is a licenced gun owner who thrives outdoors - hunting, paddling, hiking and camping. She has also travelled the world to volunteer on farms in the Yukon, Kenya, Rwanda and Ecuador.

Estelle is a new mom and has been a foster parent. She is a union member and volunteers with organizations including Pro Bono Law and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She also founded Prince Albert Young Professionals and Prince Albert Salsa, and co-founded the local Dolly Parton Imagination Library to promote childhood literacy. Estelle also sat 8 local boards, including the JMC Library, the Prince Albert YWCA, the Co-operative Health Center and La Société Canadienne Française de Prince Albert.

Candidate Profile

Courtesy of paNOW

1. Who are you?

I am originally from Regina, though the Hjertaas family has a long history in PA – and yes I am related to all of them! My most famous relative, my great uncle Dr. Orville Hjertaas, was instrumental in creating medicare and founded the Cooperative Health Center. After law school, I was looking for a job where I could help people and so I moved to Prince Albert and have been working as a lawyer with Legal Aid for about 6 years.

2. Who or what inspired you to put your name forward for public office?

As a lawyer with Legal Aid, I’ve had a front row seat to all the ways that things can go wrong in someone’s life – and I know that we can do better. That’s why I am running. As a lawyer, I can only do so much to fix the underlying issues that lead people to turn towards crime. As a politician, I can do much more – helping my clients, their families, and creating safer, healthier communities.

3. Why do you feel your party and platform is best to represent the people of this riding?

The focus of our last four years in office and of our current platform is helping the middle class and those striving to join it and supporting our communities. Our Liberal government is delivering on its promises for the people of the Prince Albert riding. To give just a few examples, the Canada Child Benefit helps 19,100 kids per month in our riding to a tune of $83 million per year. In our first budget in 2016, we implemented the Middle Class Tax Cut and if re-elected we will not charge federal tax on the first $15,000 of income, which will lift another 60,000 people across the country out of poverty. We’ve funded infrastructure and other projects across the riding including water and wastewater, flood mapping, transit, highways, crime prevention programs through Catholic Family Services, women’s shelters, affordable housing units, and support for innovation including the Pulse SuperCluster which will help grow the Prairies into an Agri-Food powerhouse.

4. Crime is a growing issue in the region. The city is ranked among the most dangerous cities in Canada. If elected, how would you work to address crime?

Crime is one of my top issues. I am in a unique position as I actually talk to people who commit crimes every day and so I understand why they are doing this. We need to continue to address the underlying causes of crime: poverty, addiction, intergenerational trauma and the legacy of colonialism. We’ve already begun this important work through poverty reduction initiatives like the Canada Child Benefit, through fundamental changes in health, education and child welfare on reserve, through increased funding for mental health, and addictions (like the new treatment center in La Ronge) and an anti-gang strategy. Our platform includes the creation of Community Justice Centers to put courts alongside critical social services, which will offer much-needed supports. Putting people in jail doesn’t do anything to solve the underlying issues and when people are released, even with the best of intentions, they often end up involved with gangs and drugs again, and back in court. We need real opportunities to change, including opportunities for housing, job training and counselling.

5. The region struggles with several social issues, including food security, affordable housing, addiction and mental health concerns. How would you as a Member of Parliament help solve these complex issues?

Addressing our complex social issues is my focus – and ties into my other answers. We will strengthen public health care, including setting clear national standards for mental health services so that Canadians can get the support they need quickly, and make sure that every Canadian has access to a family doctor or primary care team. We’ve created the first National Housing Strategy, invested in affordable housing and shelter spaces and provided a First Time Home Buyer’s Credit. We’ve also supported Indigenous and northern food security. Fundamentally, this all comes down to poverty alleviation, which we’ve worked towards with increases to the Guaranteed Income Supplement for Seniors, the Canada Child Benefit, and the Middle Class Tax Cut, and will continue to improve on these measures with a 10% increase to Old Age Security for seniors over age 75, no tax on the first $15,000 of income, and more supports for families.

6. Many people live within a few hundred dollars of insolvency at the end of each month. If elected MP, how would you help protect pocketbooks?

We’ve introduced measures like the Canada Child Benefit, the GIS increase and the Middle Class Tax Cut that we will build upon if re-elected. We will give families more time and money to raise their kids by boosting the CCB for children under the age of 1, making maternity and parental benefits tax-free, creating more child care spaces, and introducing Guaranteed Paid Family Leave. We will also make the first $15,000 of income tax-free. We will cut cell phone bills by 25%. We are specifically helping students by increasing student grants to up to $1200 more per year. Graduates won’t have to repay student loans for two years after graduation and until their income is at least $35,000. For graduates who have children, repayment will be paused, interest-free, until their youngest child is 5.

7. Outside of these issues, what are you advocating for that impacts this specific riding?

We’ve made incredible progress on working with Indigenous Peoples in only four years. I believe that this work is too important to abandon partway through. A few examples: 87 long-term drinking water advisories have been lifted and the rest will be by 2021. Jordan’s principle in health care is being applied. Child welfare on reserve is being reformed – in basic terms, historically funding could only be accessed to apprehend the child (resulting in higher numbers of Indigenous children in care) whereas in the provinces, less severe courses of action could be tried first. Now on reserve, agencies can access funding to support the family first. Education funding is now at parity for all on-reserve students, up from a level only four years ago, of about 50% to 70% of what a provincial school would receive per child. Land claims are being negotiated and resolved. Sectoral agreements to take control of health, education and/or child welfare are in the works across the country. We’ve also moved forward on a Métis self-government agreement and much more. We are committed to continuing to work with First Nations and Métis communities on their priorities.

8. New candidates, why should voters consider you over the incumbent?

People want to elect someone who is going to work hard for them, and who cares deeply about the community. That person is me. I am confident that I have been working harder than my opponents – with my team, we knocked on thousands of doors in all areas of the riding before the writ was dropped, and continue to do so now, covering more than 35% of households so far. As soon as I moved to PA, I got involved in the community, founding two organizations and joining a number of boards. I’ve organized, volunteered at and participated in countless events over the last 6 years – my commitment to this community is not for the duration of the election period only.

9. What is on your campaign music playlist?

Salsa, bachata, and kizomba!

10. Favourite Saskatchewan pastime?

Canoeing and kayaking (especially on our very own North Saskatchewan River)

11. What are you reading right now?

From the ashes : my story of being Métis, homeless, and finding my way by Jesse Thistle

12. What is the last thing you binged watched?

Anne with an E