Constituency Profile: Saskatoon Fairview

Saskatoon Fairview constituency is outlined in red on the map above.

For more information on Saskatoon Fairview, please click here.

The Saskatchewan NDP will be put to the ultimate test tomorrow in the Saskatoon Fairview constituency. By all measuring sticks, this seat has generally been an NDP stronghold.Whether or not that trend will continue will be put to the test right away.

The constituency of Saskatoon Fairview was carved out of the west side of Saskatoon for the 1982 provincial election. The winner was Ray Weiman of the PC Party. Weiman got 62 percent of the vote, compared with 34 percent for the NDP. But in 1986, the NDP candidate Bob Mitchell took another run at the seat, and this time he beat CFQC broadcaster Ross McQuarrie by almost two-to-one. Mitchell went on to win again in 1991 with 66 percent of the vote, compared with 23 percent for the Liberals. When the Romanow Government came to power, Mitchell became Justice Minister and Attorney General in the 'war cabinet'. Mitchell was re-elected in 1995 with 65 percent of the vote, but he didn't finish his term. Mitchell retired in 1999 and went back to practicing law. In the June 1999 by-election held in Saskatoon Fairview, former New Democrat MP Chris Axworthy won with 64 percent of the vote. Axworthy was also re-elected 3 months later with 57 percent, and became Minister of Justice, Attorney General, Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Affairs. When Romanow stepped down as Saskatchewan NDP Leader on September 25,2000, Axworthy ran in the leadership race and finished a close second. Axworthy didn't finish term term and resigned as the MLA for Saskatoon Fairview. Axworthy made two attempts in 2004 and 2006 to get elected as a Liberal MP, but failed both times.

In the 2003 by-election held in Saskatoon Fairview, the NDP kept the seat with Andy Iwanchuk being the new MLA. Iwanchuuk worked as a Staff Representative for CUPE Saskatchewan before his by-election win. Iwanchuk won again in 2003 and 2007, with 47 and 55 percent of the vote respectively. Iwanchuk serves as Opposition Whip and is a blood relative of Saskatchewan Liberal Leader Ryan Bater.

This time Iwanchuk faces a stiff challenge from the Sask Party. The candidate is Jennifer Campeau, a University Instructor and Ph.D. candidate. Jan Norris of the Green Party is the other candidate. Without a Liberal candidate in Saskatoon Fairview this time, the 11 percent that the Liberals got in 2007 will move to the Sask Party, giving the SP 45 percent of the vote right off the mark. Given the provincewide momentum behind Premier Wall and the Sask Party, Saskatoon Fairview might be a very close race, and there is the potential for an upset. A lot will depend tomorrow on the ability of Iwanchuk and his campaign team to get out their vote. If the fates are smiling, Iwanchuk may win again on November 7. I think this seat is a toss-up. Iwanchuk can never be counted out in a seat with a solid NDP voting history, and with an excellent political organization too. But the political tsunami building behind Brad Wall means MLAs like Iwanchuk can't take their re-election for granted this time. The difference between the NDP winning 3 or 4 seats or 9 or 10 seats tomorrow, will come down to how candidates like Iwanchuk fare in the face of the Brad Wall juggernaut.