20 Facts About Carla Beck

Carla Beck was born on October 15,1973 and is a Canadian politician who has served as leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party and Saskatchewan's Official Opposition since 2022.

Carla Beck is the first elected female leader of the Saskatchewan NDP.

Carla Beck was born in Weyburn and grew up on a mixed farm near Lang, Saskatchewan.

Carla Beck's paternal great grandparents immigrated to Saskatchewan from Iowa, and her grandfather was born in Saskatchewan in 1914.

Carla Beck attended elementary school in Lang and high school in the neighbouring community of Milestone.

Carla Beck played baseball in her youth, and in 2019 her family was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame for their extensive impact on the sport in the province.

Carla Beck graduated with two bachelors degrees from the University of Regina: a Sociology degree in 1998 and a Social Work degree in 2004.

Carla Beck worked as a social worker in Regina for more than two decades, including working with the Regina General Hospital and as an assistant executive director at a women's shelter.

Carla Beck worked as an active community volunteer, including through the Saskatchewan Abilities Council, the Saskatchewan Coalition Against Racism, Camp Easter Seal, the Autism Resource Centre, and the MS Society.

In 2007, Carla Beck became a founding member and spokesperson for RealRenewal, a coalition of parents and community members formed in response to the Regina public school board's "10-Year Renewal Plan", which could have led to the closure of more than a dozen inner city schools; the school board plan was ultimately abandoned in the face of community opposition before it was fully implemented.

In 2015, Carla Beck won a contested NDP nomination race for the Regina Lakeview constituency.

Carla Beck served as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Opposition Caucus Chair and the critic for Labour.

Carla Beck served as the Education critic during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan.

On March 3,2022, Carla Beck announced her candidacy in the 2022 Saskatchewan NDP leadership election, receiving endorsements from former interim party leaders Trent Wotherspoon and Nicole Sarauer.

At the party convention in Regina on June 26,2022, Carla Beck won the election to become the party's first elected female leader.

Carla Beck emphasized accountability and criticized the governing Saskatchewan Party on this front, including by triggering conflict-of-interest investigations against Saskatchewan Party MLAs Jeremy Cockrill and Gary Grewal in 2024.

For instance, Carla Beck committed to scrapping the controversial rollout of the Saskatchewan Marshals police service, which was slated to cost the province $20 million annually.

When Carla Beck released the party's full platform, it included a $1 billion commitment over four years to the healthcare sector.

Carla Beck is married to Guy Marsden, and together they have three children.

Carla Beck has been an avid volunteer in community sports, including in baseball, hockey, and soccer.