October 1, 2024 | Advertise with us

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The election is officially on in Saskatchewan

This morning, Scott Moe will visit Lieutenant Governor Russell Mirasty at Government House in Regina and request that the 29th Legislature be dissolved, officially starting the 2024 Saskatchewan election.

That’s right, folks…we’ve made it.

Once that visit to the LG happens, Moe is expected to kickstart his party’s re-election bid at an event in Saskatoon. The campaign slogan for the Saskatchewan Party will be “Strong Economy, Bright Future.”

The NDP’s campaign slogan is “Stronger. Together.” We will report tomorrow where Carla Beck spent the first day of the campaign.

Sponsored by the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association

Learn more about the great work the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association and its members are doing at saskheavy.ca.

Sask Party launches attack on NDP spending plans

The campaign in Saskatchewan has begun and the Saskatchewan Party has taken the first swing, zeroing in on the NDP’s pre-election spending commitments.

The party said in a new video posted to social media: “The election campaign hasn’t even started yet and the NDP has already made billions of dollars of election promises with no plan of how to pay for it. That means higher taxes, larger deficits, and cancelling new schools and hospitals. Worst of all, the NDP won’t even tell you how much it all costs. But don’t worry, we’ve added it up for them. It’s already over $4 billion… and counting.”

Saskatchewan NDP leader Carla Beck has been making promises prior to the official campaign and has promised ‘historic’ education funding of $2 billion over four years, as well as $1.1 billion for frontline healthcare “to get Saskatchewan out of last place.” Beck has also promised to pause the gas tax for six months and remove the PST on children’s clothing.

Look for this video to soon be running as a digital ad, and possibly on television as well.

Sponsored by Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce

The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce is promoting its “Fueling Momentum 2024” policy platform as a key resource for the upcoming provincial election. Developed through extensive consultations with the Saskatchewan business community, this platform outlines key priorities that will influence the province's future growth.

At a time when Saskatchewan is poised to seize global opportunities—ranging from food security to energy transition—the platform emphasizes the need for a competitive business environment that attracts investment and drives innovation. Its five strategic pillars, including tax competitiveness and energy transformation, are designed to ensure Saskatchewan's leadership on the global stage.

“Fueling Momentum 2024” is positioned as a vital tool in advocating for policies that will sustain and enhance Saskatchewan’s growth and prosperity.

Read the full report here.

Healthcare a focus weekend before writ

Just days before the provincial election, Minister of Health Everett Hindley said the Saskatchewan government is open to a nursing task force.

In a letter posted to his social media on the weekend, Hindley addressed health care unions SEIU West, CUPE, SGEU, and the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN), and said he is committed to continuing conversations on the task force.

In a social media post on Saturday, SUN said they were “disheartened” by Minister Hindley’s letter. "We are disappointed to see that at a crisis point in healthcare, after almost two years of meetings and calling for action, and at a time when 86% of registered nurses are reporting patient risk due to short staffing, 60% are considering leaving their profession, 2000 are eligible to retire, and hundreds write to share stories of unsafe conditions and patient suffering, the urgency of those voices are not being heard," the post read. 

The nursing task force would be the first of its kind in the province and something that NDP leader Carla Beck is also promising. NDP Health critic Vicki Mowat said, “If Scott Moe was serious about this policy, why has he been saying ‘no’ for years? Talk about a fair-weather friend.”

The NDP also focused on healthcare over the weekend. Beck tweeted a video where she sat down with a cancer advocate, and commited to “increasing surgical capacity and reducing wait times”. In the news release, the NDP criticized the Saskatchewan Party’s contract with a Calgary clinic that provides breast cancer testing to patients, and said they would increase MRIs, mammograms, and CT scans if elected.

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Moe, Beck profiled ahead of campaign

With the official election campaign beginning today, both major party leaders sat down with Canadian Press reporter Jeremy Simes in advance to discuss their upbringing and personal stories.

Saskatchewan Party leader Scott Moe got his start in competitive team events at age six when he fell in love with hockey. Moe told Simes, "What I love most about it was the team and everybody finds their spot on it, the competition of it and working together to succeed.” Moe is the oldest of five and is a University of Saskatchewan agriculture grad and father of two.

The full profile of Scott Moe can be read here.

Saskatchewan NDP leader Carla Beck also grew up playing competitive team sports and her recent ad showcases her baseball hall-of-fame family. She is a registered social worker and previously worked at a women’s shelter. She got her start in the field after a friend confided in her about a sexual assault. She is a former school board trustee and has represented Regina Lakeview since 2016.

The full profile of Carla Beck can be read here.

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Federal polling shows Liberals in third place outside of Quebec for first time

Abacus Data released new polling numbers over the weekend that show concrete Conservative support while the NDP pass the Liberals in English Canada.

The report said: “If an election were held today, 43% of committed voters would vote Conservative, while 21% would vote for the Liberals, 19% for the NDP, and 5% for the Greens. The BQ has 37% of the vote in Quebec. The Liberal vote share is down 1, the NDP is up 1, and the Conservatives are unchanged from earlier this month.”

In this survey, Abacus asked Canadians when they would like the next election to happen. The data shows 32% want a federal election to happen as soon as possible while 30% don’t want an election to happen until it’s schedule date in October 2025. 16% prefer an election to happen sooner than October 2025 but not before the end of the year. The remaining 22% say they don’t care.

Abacus CEO David Coletto said, “If an election was held today, the Conservatives would likely win a large majority government. This marks a continuation of a trend that has seen the Conservatives dominate across most regions of the country, with only Quebec being a place where their appeal has found fewer converts. Outside of Quebec, the NDP has overtaken the Liberals for second place, highlighting the continuing deterioration of the Trudeau Liberal Party’s prospects.”

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More news and info

• Beck pledges to make September 30 a provincially recognized statutory holiday for National Truth and Reconciliation Day (X)

• 'I am a Quebecer': Governor General hits back at criticism of her French language skills (CTV News)

• Walz-Vance VP Debate Tonight: How to watch, what to know (ABC News)

• First Nations, Inuit and Metis leaders say work lays ahead on road to reconciliation (CJME News)

2024 Election Candidate Tracker