Finlayson, who is a psychologist, has some experience on the campaign trail, working for others trying to get elected.

“With Mr. Hickie deciding to step down from his current position in the Carlton constituency, I decided it was a good opportunity for me to submit my name,” Finlayson said. “I have been a supporter of the Sask. Party for quite some time and this was the only party I felt I’d have a good fit with.”

He is from the Prince Albert area for more than 35 years, although he attended the University of Central Florida on an athletic scholarship where he met his wife, Kari.

After getting his undergraduate degree, Finlayson and his wife moved back to Saskatchewan, attending the University of Saskatchewan to get their graduate degrees, before moving back to Prince Albert to raise their two children, Grayson, 14, and Hollis, 11.

“The thing I like most (about the Sask. Party) is they are focusing on initiatives to have our kids remain in Saskatchewan,” Finlayson said.

“Prince Albert is a great city, a great area and I think the more that we can do as a city and a province to encourage our kids to stay locally and provide them with opportunities, the better we are all going to be,” he added.

Although Finlayson is just a candidate and believes it is too early to set a specific platform, he is prepared to serve Prince Albert citizens to the best of his abilities.

“What I can say is as an individual, as a perspective leader of the community, I have over 13 years of experience, specifically within social policy, both with enacting social policy and the development of policy,” he said. “I have seven years of education, specifically in the social sciences, which will lend itself nicely to any platform that Mr. Wall and the Sask. Party need me to work on, whether it would be health, social services, criminal justice, specifically with my forensic background.

“Those would really be the areas I’d be looking for, primarily to bring exposure to Prince Albert and then with that, growth and development.”

Finlayson said his current skills will easily transfer over to MLA if he is the Sask. Party candidate.

“Like any job, you have to be able to not just read research, but you have to be able to understand and implement research for social science and social policy,” Finlayson said. “Simply being an educator or a businessman, I don’t believe will be enough to be successful in this area.

“My goal is to take my background in research -- I’ve been a published researcher -- to take my background in public speaking and education to a larger platform.”

He has been practicing forensic psychology for more than 13 years and is also an instructor for both the U of S and SIAST.

Although Finlayson said there are five great candidates in the Prince Albert Carlton riding, he thinks his background gives him the edge.

“I guess I would say my background is different from everybody else’s and specifically I have an undergraduate and graduate degree in psychology, social policy and the development of social policy,” he said. “I do have experience in working with campaigns, but more specifically I have 13 years in speaking to public groups, providing education to the Alberta Proctorial Association, education to hostage negotiation groups and law enforcement officers.

“I am very comfortable in presenting to larger bodies but also imparting the information and education that I’ve received to those groups,” he added. “As a member of the Sask. Party and hopefully the nominee for this area, I think that I am going to take the information that Mr. Wall and the Sask. Party has and impart it to the members of the constituency.”

The nomination meeting for the candidate will be held at the Exhibition Centre on Oct. 1.

“I’m really excited about the process and I am looking forward to the nomination meeting,” Finlayson said. “I think it is going to be a lot of fun. There is going to be a lot of great points brought out during the nomination meeting and I am just looking forward to seeing everybody out there.”