Saskatchewan’s political parties are fielding more diverse slates of candidates, but it remains to be seen whether the election will reflect this.
“Of course, beyond the 61 candidates on the ballot many, many more individuals participated in the nomination races who were visible minorities and women,” Glover said in an emailed response.
Among the NDP’s candidates are six Indigenous people, one openly LGBTQ+ person, three visible minorities and two candidates with disabilities, according to an emailed reply.
So you could argue that, when you exclude gender, the Saskatchewan Party is fielding a more diverse slate of candidates than the NDP.
Despite the apparent reluctance of some to talk about diversity, this year’s candidates may better reflect the population of the province than those in past elections.
But the question remains: will voters on Monday elect a legislature that reflects the diversity of the candidates seeking seats?
On the NDP Opposition benches, women accounted for eight of 14 MLAs before the election.
Of the party’s 15 women vying for seats, just four are running in rock-solid party strongholds outside the more competitive four largest cities. Sarah Wright in Regina Lakeview, for example, seems highly unlikely to unseat Beck.
But David Chan in Yorkton could prove an exception in a constituency that the Saskatchewan Party has won by more than 70 per cent in the last three elections.
We’ll find out Monday night whether voters opt for a legislature that reflects a more diverse field of candidates.
Phil Tank is the digital opinion editor at the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
Our websites are your destination for up-to-the-minute Saskatchewan news, so make sure to bookmark thestarphoenix.com and leaderpost.com. For Regina Leader-Post newsletters click here; for Saskatoon StarPhoenix newsletters click here