Voters will cast ballots in the Saskatoon Fairview byelection on Sept 7.

There are five candidates — Taylor Bolin, Vicki Mowat, David Prokopchuk, Shah Rukh and Cameron Scott — who are officially in the running for a provincial seat in the constituency after MLA Jennifer Campeau quit in June.

To help prepare, CBC Saskatoon is publishing responses from the five candidates on a different issue every day this week.

From racism to carbon pricing, we'll find out where the candidates stand on important issues facing Saskatchewan people.

Today, the candidates respond to a question about revenue sharing with Saskatchewan First Nations.

First Nations revenue sharing

Question: Should the provincial government share resource money with Saskatchewan First Nations?

Candidate responses

David Prokopchuk, Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan:

David Prokopchuk is the Progressive Conservative candidate running for Saskatoon Fairview. (Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan)

Resource revenue sharing would be determined on a "case by case basis" after a full dialogue between the government and the First Nation.

Shah Rukh, Saskatchewan Liberals:

Shah Rukh is the Liberal candidate in the upcoming byelection in Saskatoon Fairview. (Saskatchewan Liberals)

Absolutely.

This can be done in many ways: invest in education, give communities the opportunity to allocate funds to much needed health care and addiction counselling, provide tangible solutions that end violence towards women and children.

This isn't rocket science (I'm an aeronautical engineer by trade), this is simply common sense.

Cameron Scott, Saskatchewan Party:

Cameron Scott is the Saskatchewan Party candidate for the Saskatoon Fairview byelection. (Saskatchewan Party)

Unlike the NDP's next leader, Ryan Meili, I believe that Saskatchewan's resource revenue money is best shared by all residents of Saskatchewan.

The revenues received from our resource royalties go toward improving our schools, hospitals, highways and keeping our taxes low for the benefit of all Saskatchewan people, including First Nations.

I do not believe that a portion of our resource revenues should be allocated in any special deal to any particular group.

The Saskatchewan Party has made it a priority to address First Nations education outcomes in provincial schools.

The government set a goal in the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth to reduce the disparity between First Nations and Métis and non-First Nations and Métis students in the pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 system by 50 per cent by 2020.

To this end, over $6 million has been invested to address recommendations made by the Joint Task Force on Improving Education and Employment Outcomes for First Nations and Métis.

These investments are producing results — the on-time graduation rate for First Nations and Métis students has increased by 10 per cent over the past seven years.

Taylor Bolin, Saskatchewan Green Party:

Taylor Bolin is the Green Party candidate for the Saskatoon Fairview byelection. (Saskatchewan Green Party)

Yes, especially when development is done on First Nation land but money is not the only variable.

Re-investing that money in communities where resource development occurs is essential for community well-being and development.

We hear of too many cases in Saskatchewan where companies move in, take what they want and leave the people and the land in dire conditions only to have the people at the top receive the lion's share of the profits.

By reinvesting in the people and the communities they represent, a healthier and more robust society emerges.

The right thing to do would be recognize inherent First Nation jurisdiction and governance over the resources.

Rather than collect the money and then redistribute it as the province sees fit, it may be a better idea to make direct transfer payments which allow First Nations to decide where the money goes, accountability to be built into the scheme from bottom up.

Vicki Mowat, New Democratic Party:

Vicki Mowat is the NDP candidate in Saskatoon Fairview. (Saskatchewan NDP)

Saskatchewan's natural resources belong to all Saskatchewan people and I support our caucus' position on First Nations resource revenue sharing.

However, there is so much more that the Sask. Party could be doing to address the unacceptable inequality that Indigenous people living on-reserve are facing.

One example that would have an immediate, meaningful impact on outcomes for First Nations students would be to close the funding gap between students in Saskatchewan who study on- and off-reserve.

We can't sit on our hands while the federal government continues to spend 30 to 50 per cent less for on-reserve education.

We all end up paying for Ottawa's inaction because the discriminatory underfunding leads to the downloading of those costs to the provincial government through our justice, health care, and social services systems.

Although this falls within the jurisdiction of the federal government, Conservatives and Liberals have spent the last 150 years failing to close the gap. We can't afford to wait any longer and it's time for the provincial government to close the gap and send the federal government the bill.

That would be an important step in demonstrating a genuine interest in reconciliation and sharing our provinces resources more equitably.

This is the fourth of a five-part series by CBC Saskatoon ahead of the Saskatoon Fairview byelection on Sept. 7. Each day CBC Saskatoon will publish one answer from each of the five candidates to a question regarding a pressing Saskatchewan issue.