October 21, 2024 | Advertise with us

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Voting begins tomorrow across the province

This week 243 candidates across 61 constituencies will start ‘Get Out The Vote’ efforts. Voting will be open Tuesday through Saturday, and concludes on Election Day next Monday.

In an op-ed released a few weeks ago, Chief Electoral Officer Michael Boda described the voting week experience, saying, “In this election, instead of a single “Election Day” voting location, where most voters have traditionally cast their ballot at—and only at—a specifically assigned geographical spot, we are now formally recognizing “Voting Week.” For five days, scheduled for October 22-26, multiple voting locations in your constituency will be open from 10 am to 7 pm. Then on October 28, the last day of voting, polls will be open for extended hours from 9 am to 8 pm. In total, you will have 56 hours of in-person voting to cast your ballot during the six days of Voting Week.”

Boda continued, “The creation of Voting Week is a crucial step in acknowledging the need to place the voter at the centre of our democratic system. By so doing, we are broadening voters’ access to the secret ballot, introducing multiple days and multiple places to vote that offer greater convenience for eligible voters in choosing their leaders.”

Elections Saskatchewan also answered some frequently asked questions about vote integrity here.

Voter registration cards have been mailed and emailed out to voters across the province with information on when and where to vote. You can also find information on where to vote here.

Tomorrow, The SKoop will write about how the campaigns may handling Get Out The Vote (GOTV) operations in order to get supporters to the polls.

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Moe focuses on affordability promises over the weekend

Saskatchewan Party leader Scott Moe was on the campaign trail on Friday and over the weekend, promoting his promises for affordability.

Moe was in the constituencies of Yorkton and Canora-Pelly on Friday, campaigning with candidates David Chan (Yorkton) and Sean Wilson (Canora-Pelly). While in Yorkton, Moe reiterated his plan to make life more affordable by making cuts to income taxes. Moe highlighted Saskatchewan’s position as Canada’s most affordable province with the lowest inflation, partly due to the removal of the federal carbon tax on home heating. Key promises include cutting provincial income taxes, and saving a family of four $3,400 and a senior couple $3,100 over four years.

The Saskatchewan Party also promoted Voting Week, highlighting candidates Jim Lemaigre in Athabasca, Travis Keisig in Last Mountain-Touchwood, Alana Ross in Prince Albert Northcote, and Ghislaine McLeod in Saskatoon University-Sutherland. Moe was also at a weekend event in Regina hosted by the Indo-Canadian Business Group highlighting the Regina candidates.

The party will now shift its focus to GOTV efforts as polls open this week.

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NDP lays out priorities for Day One if elected

The NDP spoke to reporters at the Tommy Douglas House in Regina on Friday to lay out their priorities for the first day, if they form government.

Candidate for Regina Douglas Park Nicole Sarauer said the NDP government's Day One priorities are to cut the gas tax and fix healthcare. The NDP has promised to invest $1.1 billion in healthcare to address short staffing and closures.

Over the weekend NDP leader Carla Beck focused on three specific constituencies on social media. Beck released videos with Jordan McPhail of Cumberland and Leroy Laliberte of Athabasca, pledging to build a new school in Buffalo Narrows, deliver healthcare services to the North, and fix Highway 123. The NDP also posted an attack on Sask. Party candidate Rahul Singh for Regina Northeast and promoted their candidate Jacqueline Roy.

The party and volunteers are now shifting gears to focus on mobilizing supporters and getting out the vote.

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Trudeau to face leadership challenge this week

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing questions from his caucus about the future of his leadership.

In what will be the first organized challenge to his leadership since winning the Liberal leadership in 2013, Justin Trudeau will face a group of ‘motivated’ and ‘angered’ Liberal MPs.

Last week it was reported that at least twenty elected members signed a confidential letter to the Prime Minister asking him to step down. This weekend The Hill Times reported that multiple MPs are expecting an ‘ugly fight’ when the letter will be presented at the weekly caucus meeting. As of the time of publishing, just one MP, Sean Casey, has publically called for Trudeau to step down. According to reports, the PMO and caucus chair have blocked the topic from being discussed for months.

Trudeau’s personal popularity is reaching all-time lows with the Liberal Party polling twenty percentage points below the Conservatives since the summer. The Liberals also lost two stronghold seats in by-elections this year.

The minority government is increasingly unstable as the NDP ended the confidence and supply agreement while the Bloc is making demands for seniors by the end of the month.

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British Columbia’s provincial race leaves no clear winner

Saskatchewan is not the only province to hold a provincial election this fall. British Columbia went to the polls on Saturday and the result left no clear winner.

After polls closed and the initial count was completed, both parties elected 40 MLAs, and the Green Party elected two MLAs. 11 seats are still too close to call. The NDP is leading or elected in 46, the Conservatives are leading or elected in 45, and the Greens have two. 47 seats are needed for a majority government. Mail-in ballots still need to be counted. There is a chance that either party could form a government in the next few weeks. NDP leader David Eby is in talks with the Green Party to form an agreement. That would be a one-vote majority, or even exact tie with the Speaker breaking tied votes.

The election in British Columbia was a sight to behold. When the election began, four parties were vying for government: The incumbent NDP, the Green Party, the distant third-place Conservatives, and the BC United Party (formerly BC Liberal Party). BC United collapsed and the leader endorsed the Conservatives led by John Rustad, a man kicked out of the United Party just months earlier. Incumbent NDP Premier David Eby was looking to win another majority government mandate. The issues of the campaign were focused on affordability, crime, homelessness, and drug policy.

The tight race will not have official results until the official count, and recounts have been completed. If Saskatchewan has a similar result, Elections Saskatchewan reiterates that the initial count is not official. “Going back to The Election Act 1908, elections in Saskatchewan have always remained unofficial until the final count some days later. In modern times, the period between the last day of voting and the final count is used to distribute the ballots counted in hospitals and remand facilities and to allow for vote by mail ballots to arrive.  Depending on the number of these ballots, it is always possible that the allocation of votes between candidates may shift significantly. As such, elections are never final until after the final count, which is held 12 days after the last day of voting.”

The next provincial election is happening in New Brunswick today and The SKoop will have updated results tomorrow.

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More news and info

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• Expelled Indian diplomat denies involvement in Sikh leader’s murder, claims ‘no evidence presented’ (CTV Regina)

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