Haley was born in South East Saskatchewan where she grew up on a small mixed, cattle and grain farm. She grew up being surrounded by progressive philosophies as her family was involved with the NFU and NDP, and there were frequently issues of Briarpatch lying around, as well as the chorus of CBC radio which could frequently be found echoing throughout the house. This led Haley to start asking “Why?”. For example, why are there social and economic injustices in the world and what are the root causes? To begin this journey of understanding, Haley attended the University of Regina where she convocated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with distinction.
Haley loves to learn and travel and she tries to find ways to do them together. For example, she participated in a youth tour with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank to Honduras; she went to Cuba on a 50th Anniversary of the Revolution Tour; in El Salvador she visited prisons where she met members of the MS-13 and the 18th Street gangs; and she participated in an intensive food sovereignty course in Mexico. Haley has found her travel experiences have increased her desire to work towards building a more just world.
Haley has also traveled extensively within Canada. She has traveled from Coast to Coast and spent a lot of time in the Rocky Mountains as a competitive downhill ski racer with the Ochapowace Ski Club and the Saskatchewan Provincial Downhill Ski Team. Haley has just returned to Saskatchewan after living and working in Victoria, BC for the past 2 1/2 years. Haley loves the outdoors and living on Vancouver Island with easy access to the ocean, the rainforest and the mountains suited her active lifestyle. For example, this past June Haley ran her first half-marathon in Ucluelet, BC.
One of Haley’s main interests is food and agriculture, which no doubt stems from growing up on a farm, being involved in 4-H, and helping her parent’s grow and process their own food. Also, growing up on a small mixed farm in the 1980s and 1990s, she has seen the effects of neo-liberal agricultural policies; such as, the loss of The Crow Rate and the free trade agreement. Haley recognizes that these policies coupled with globalization have not benefited the farmer, rural Saskatchewan or the consumer. She sees the recent XL beef recall as a sympton of the sickness of a globalized food system. And then there is the recent undemocratic elimination of the Canadian Wheat Board…Haley could go on!
In her free time, Haley enjoys traveling, learning Spanish, yoga, gardening, hiking and reading. She has a soft spot for animals, and enjoys working with rescued animals. She is trying to live in the moment as her grandpa did until he passed away at 103 years of age.