Candidate nominations are now closed in the election

You can click here to see the finalized list of candidates, as of the close of nominatinos at 2 p.m. today.It is significant that the Greens are running a full slate of 58 candidates for the first time in their history, and that 41 percent of their candidates are women.
One constituency has five candidates, that being Biggar. Besides the Sask Party, NDP and Greens, there is also a PC candidate and the leader of the Western Independence Party.
For the first time in their 106 year history, the Liberals are only running 12 candidates, and only 1 in rural Saskatchewan. This means its official - the Liberals are now a fringe party.

Sask Party candidate apologizing for comment about First Nations revenue sharing

This was bound to happen sooner or later.   So far none of the parties have had to boot any of their candidates.

Constituency Profile: Indian Head-Milestone

Indian Head-Milestone Constituency is outlined in red on the map above.

For more information on the Indian Head-Milestone Constituency, please click on this link.

The Indian Head-Milestone Constituency is a relatively new entity in Saskatchewan politics, having first seen the light of day in 1995 from a merger of the old Indian Head-Wolseley and Bengough-Milestone ridings.
Some noteworthy former MLAs represented these ridings before 1995. Doug McFarlane and Cy MacDonald were cabinet ministers in the Thatcher Government, with MacDonald being Minister of Social Services. Graham Taylor was Minister of Public Participation in the Devine Government, and runner up to Devine in the 1979 Saskatchewan PC leadership race. In Bengough-Milestone, Bob Pickering had been a Minister in the Devine Government, and July Bradley was Minister of Highways in the Romanow Government.

The first MLA for Indian Head-Milestone was Lorne Scott of the NDP. Scott was first elected in 1991 in Indian Head-Wolseley. Scott was swept out in 1999 in the Saskatchewan Party tide that washed over Rural Saskatchewan. Scott was replaced by Don McMorris; Don got 48 percent of the vote compared to 29 percent for Scott. McMorris went on to easy re-election in 2003 and 2007, garnering 49 and 64 percent of the vote respectively McMorris is running for re-election on November 7th. Without a Liberal candidate to split the free enterprise voting base, McMorris is expected to cruise to re-election in the neighbourhood of 70 percent of the vote, or more.

Constituency Profile: Canora-Pelly

Canora-Pelly constituency is outlined in red on the map above.

For more information on the Canora-Pelly Constituency, please click here.

Canora-Pelly is a fusion of the old Canora and Pelly constituencies. It first appeared on Saskatchewan's political map in 1995 and has had only one MLA in that time. Ken Krawetz won by only 50 votes as a Liberal in 1995, beating Pelly New Democrat MLA Ron Harper. Harper was later elected in Regina Northeast in 1999 and will retire on November 7.

Krawetz was was of the founding eight MLAs who formed the Saskatchewan Party on August 8, 1997. Prior to that Ken contested the 1996 Saskatchewan Liberal leadership race. Krawetz finished 3rd on the 2nd ballot, just 13 votes behind Tom Hengen. It has been speculated that had Krawetz finished ahead of Hengen on that ballot, that Krawetz would have beaten Melenchuk in the leadership race, and political history in this province would have unfolded differently.

Krawetz became Official Opposition Leader in 1996 after Jim Melenchuk became Liberal Leader and was without a seat in the Legislature. Krawetz held the post after switching parties and remained Leader of the Official Opposition until 1999 when Sask Party Leader Elwin Hermanson took his seat in the Assembly.

Krawetz went on to easy re-election as a Saskatchewan Party MLA in 1999 with 58 percent of the vote, 53 percent in 2003 and 64 percent in 2007. Since 2003 Krawetz has held the title of Deputy Premier. In 2007 Premier Wall named Krawetz Minister of Education, and last year Ken was moved into the Finance portfolio. Given Krawetz' popularity among his constituents and his high profile in the Wall Government, it seems extremely unlikely that Krawetz will lose on November 7th.

Constituency Profile: Thunder Creek

Thunder Creek constituency is outlined in red on the map above.
For more information on Thunder Creek constituency, please click this link.

The Thunder Creek constituency first emerged from the ether in 1975 provincial election, an event that is still an important watershed in modern Saskatchewan politics. The first MLA for this riding was Colin Thatcher, son of former Liberal Premier Ross Thatcher. Colin was elected as a Liberal, but by 1977 he could see that the party was being destroyed by the Regina lawyers and their friends, so he jumped to the PC Party. Thatcher was easily re-elected in 1978 and in 1982. Colin became Minister of Energy in the Devine Government. In 1984, Thatcher was stripped of his constituency after he was convicted of murdering his ex-wife JoAnn Wilson. In the March 1985 by-election, Thatcher was succeeded by fellow Tory Rick Swenson. Swenson would serve in the Devine Cabinet for the remainder of his time in government. Swenson was re-elected in 1986 and in 1991, but retired in 1995. Swenson was replaced by Liberal candidate Gerry Aldridge, the brother of long-time NDP strategist Garry Aldridge. In 1999, Thunder Creek flipped to Lyle Stewart of the Saskatchewan Party, and has remained in the Sask Party column ever since. It is expected that Stewart will be easily re-elected on November 7th.


For more information on the Thunder Creek constituency, please click here.

Constituency Profile: Melville Saltcoats

Melville-Saltcoats constituency is outlined in red

For more information on this constituency, please click here.

The Melville-Saltcoats constituency is a relatively new creation in Saskatchewan politics. It was formed for the 2003 provincial election from a merger of the old Melville and Saltcoats constituencies. 

Melville constituency goes back to the 1934 provincial election. Giants in Saskatchewan Liberal politics stand out in this seat's glorious past, including the legendary Jimmy Gardiner and his son Wilf Gardiner. A third notable Liberal from Melville's storied past is Ron Osika, who was first elected in 1995 and served in the infamous Coalition Government as Speaker and later Minister of SaskWater, the SLGA and SPMC. He lost in 2003.

Saltcoats was one of the first constituencies in 1905. It also boasts many big names from Saskatchewan Liberal lore. The first MLA for Saltcoats was Thomas MacNutt, who was also the first Speaker of the Saskatchewan Legislature. MacNutt, Saskatchewan is named after him. MacNutt was followed by James Calder, the number 2 man in the Saskatchewan Liberal dynasty and defacto Deputy Premier. Asmundur 'Mindy' Loptson was the MLA here from 1934 until 1960 and was briefly interim Leader. Jim Snedker was Speaker of the Legislature during the Thatcher Government. Bob Bjornerud was first elected as a Liberal in 1995.

One New Democrat MLA stands out in Saltcoats, that being Edgar Kaeding, who served as Minister of Agriculture in the Blakeney Government. One Tory MLA stands out from the Melville riding, that being Grant Schmidt, who was Minister of Social Services in the Devine Government.

Bjornerud was one of the founding Saskatchewan Party MLAs in 1997, and is Minister of Agriculture in the Wall Government. Bjornerud beat Osika in the newly created Melville-Saltcoats in 2003, 39 to 32 percent, with Schmidt running as an independent and getting 18 percent. In 2007, Bjornerud  won with 62 percent of the vote. Bjornerud is running for re-election on November 7. There will be no Liberal candidate in this riding, which is remarkable given its past. It is espected that Bjornerud will be easily re-elected here, in the neighbourhood of 70 percent of the vote possibly more.

High stakes in the Battlefords for Liberals and New Democrats

Murray Mandryk is likely not far off the mark.

Different ways of reaching voters.

The way political parties reach voters is changing with the times. This election campaign is very interesting if for no other reason.

Constituency Profile: Wood River

Wood River constituency outlined in red on the map.

For more information on the Wood River constituency, please click here.

Of all of the 58 constituencies in Saskatchewan politics, the Wood River seat has a truly unique history. This riding is ground zero in Saskatchewan Liberal politics. It is the only constituency in the province, with current or previous boundaries, to have a Liberal MLA in every decade of the province's history. Until 1944, only Liberals represented this part of the province in the Legislature. Past MLAs worthy of note from this part of south-west Saskatchewan include Ted Culliton, Lionel Coderre, Karl Klein and Ralph Goodale of the Liberals, Ted Gross, Allan Engel, Thomas Bentley and Dwain Lingenfelter for the CCF/NDP, and Jack Wolfe for the Tories.

Wood River first came into existence in 1995 with the merging of the Assiniboia-Gravelbourg and Shaunavon constituencies. The First MLA was Glen McPherson, a Liberal who jumped from the NDP in 1993. McPherson got 48 percent of the vote, a plurality of over 1,500 votes over New Democrat Allan Engel. McPherson was part of the Liberal caucus intrigue that lead to the forced resignation of Lynda Haverstock in November 1995, just five months after the provincial election. McPherson went on to get re-elected in 1999, but only by a one-vote margin over Yogi Huyghebaert with the Saskatchewan Party. Rather than fight a court challenge from the Sask Party and looking at a hopeless situation with the Liberals in a coalition government with the NDP, McPherson resigned as the MLA for Wood River early in 2000 and faded from the political scene fairly quickly. In the fall 2000 by-election in Wood River, Huyghebaert won a commanding victory with over 65 percent of the vote. Yogi had received about 40 percent of the vote the previous year. Huyghebaert went on to get re-elected in 2003 and in 2007, with 55 and 70 percent of the vote respectively.

For the 2011 election, Huyghebaert is running for re-election, having served in cabinet for the past 2 years as the Minister of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing. His opponents are
Randy Gaudry of Willow Bunch for the NDP and Luke Bonsan of the Greens. Incredibly, it appears there will be no Liberal candidate in Wood River this time. Given the long Liberal history in this seat, it is nothing short of astonishing that there will be no Liberal candidate in Wood River this time. It would be like the NDP not running a candidate in Regina Elphinstone-Centre.

Sask Party: more funding for disabled people on social assistance.

Apparently more money for disabled people on social assistance is the Sask Party's most expensive campaign promise.

The PC Party of Saskatchewan hopes to stir to life again

Will we see signs of a PC Party resurgence in this election? I guess we will find out on November 7th.