April 4, 2024 | Advertise with us

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Saskatchewan United: What the new party is doing (and not doing)

The Saskatchewan United Party has gained attention on social and traditional media over the past couple of years. But as the fall election nears, numerous political observers are waiting to see how organized the party actually is and how prepared they are for a general election. While the Saskatchewan Party is poised to have nominated 51 out of 61 candidates in the next few weeks, and the NDP is set to nominate 38 by month's end, the Saskatchewan United Party has yet to formally nominate any candidates for the upcoming election. In contrast, the Green Party has already nominated 11 candidates.

Sask. United has demonstrated the ability to host events in rural Saskatchewan. They recently hosted a Townhall in Weyburn where they recently established a constituency association. Leader Nadine Wilson hosted a Fundraising dinner in Prince Albert in February, close to where she will run in her home constituency of Saskatchewan Rivers against Saskatchewan Party candidate Eric Schmalz. The party has also hosted ‘People Before Politics’ events in Spritwood, Tisdale, Southey, Kelvington, Raymore and Estevan.

The party's Deputy leader Jon Hromek has said he will again contest Lumsden-Morse where he placed second with 22% of the vote in the 2023 summer by-election, a race that was polarized after a sex-card scandal. In addition to Sask. Rivers, Lumsden, and Weyburn, Facebook pages have been created for constituency associations in Last Mountain-Touchwood and Saskatoon Eastview. But no candidates have been mentioned as of yet, and there is no word on other constituency associations being set up elsewhere.

A major question remains as to what impact, if any, the new party will have on the 2024 election. They appear to have have raised some money from donors (2023 fundraising numbers will soon be made public), and the party has a pretty steady social media presence, with messaging primarily coming from Wilson and Hromek.

But the party has done little to no paid advertising in 2024. Facebook’s Ads Library, which tracks political ads on Facebook and Instagram, shows the Sask. United has done no advertising on those platforms since the Lumsden-Morse by-election last summer.

We will soon see whether Saskatchewan United has the resources, and the personnel, to have any affect whatsoever on this year’s election.

Sponsored by the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association

Municipal Update: North Battleford Councillor to run for Mayor, incumbent not seeking re-election

North Battleford Mayor David Gillan hosted a ‘State of the City’ address on April 3 and announced that after one term he will not be running for re-election.

City Councillor Kelli Hawtin said she will have more to say this fall, but wanted to make her intentions clear, saying, “It’s something I’d been thinking about so it’s something that I wanted to give people an answer to right now and more to come.”

North Battleford is the 7th largest city in the province with approximately 15,000 people. Municipal elections are scheduled for November 13, 2024.

(Battlefords Now)

Sponsored by Insurance Brokers Association of Saskatchewan

Constituency Profile: Yorkton

Each week leading up to the 2024 election, The SKoop Political Briefing will highlight a constituency that has nominated a candidate from at least both major parties. Today, we look at Yorkton.

The incumbent: David Chan is a new face for the incumbent Saskatchewan Party. Incumbent MLA Greg Ottenbreit did not seek re-election and Chan won a contested nomination beating two other candidates. Chan is very involved in his congregation and works as a mental health counsellor for the area.

The challenger: Lenore Pinder. Pinder has been working in the healthcare sector since 2001. She is formerly the Association president for this riding and is also a former school board trustee.

The takeaway: The odds are Yorkton is a safe Sask. Party hold. An interesting fact about the Yorkton constituency is that, regardless of party, it always elects a member to the government benches. Only twice in its history, in 1938 and 1960 did the people elect an opposition member. In 2020, Ottenbriet won with nearly 75% of the vote. The Green Party has nominated Valerie Brooks as a candidate for Yorkton.

Sponsored by Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy

More news and info

• Former Roughrider CEO Jim Hopson dead at 73 (CKOM News)

• Phil Tank: Sask. Party gets an unlikely ally in key Saskatoon race (Saskatoon StarPhoenix)

• ‘Nothing has changed’: Saskatoon committee hears pleas, reviews report following cyclist death (Saskatoon StarPhoenix)

• Politicians in the Wild: Cumberland candidates Jordan McPhail (NDP) and Sask. Party’s Gregory Seib campaign at Grandmother’s Bay Fish Derby

• O’Toole blames loss of some seats on foreign interference, inquiry hears (Canadian Press)

• Saskatoon City Council holds off on endorsing controversial freeway project (CTV Regina)

2024 Election Candidate Tracker