Keeping our readers informed as election day unfolds in Saskatchewan.
After a month of official campaigning, and weeks of unofficial posturing before that, election day in Saskatchewan is here.
The Saskatchewan Party is seeking a fifth straight majority after 17 years in office, while the NDP is looking to take back government for the first time since 2007.
Early voting ended on Saturday, and polls were closed on Sunday. Saskatchewan residents have their last opportunity to vote Monday, when provincial residents will elect the party to lead Saskatchewan.
Moe has promised broad tax relief and to continue withholding federal carbon levy payments to Ottawa.
Moe says voting for Beck would lead to a declining economy, hospital and school closures and people leaving for other provinces. Moe says his party has a record of growing jobs and, if he’s re-elected Monday, his government would strengthen the economy and put more money in people’s pockets.
“If you want your community, you want our province to continue to grow, if you want our Saskatchewan economy to continue to grow, if you want to have the opportunity for our children and our grandchildren to stay here, then you need to choose and you need to choose the Saskatchewan Party,” Moe told supporters on Saturday at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon.
He said a Saskatchewan Party government would continue to make investments in health care and education.
“If you want a strong economy and you want a bright future, well, I would say this, this is your party,” he said to cheers.
Beck has pledged to spend more to fix health care and education, pause the gas tax, and remove the provincial sales tax on children’s clothes and some grocery items.
Beck says the province’s health-care system has suffered during Moe’s time as premier. She says streets are no longer safe and the province is near the bottom nationally in creating full-time jobs. Beck says if she’s the province’s next premier, she would fix health care, provide more funding for schools and pause the gas tax for six months.
“This election isn’t about loyalty to one party or another. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we can agree on this — It’s time for Saskatchewan to lead again,” Beck said in a statement.
“Think about the people you love. Think about them when you step into that voting booth on Monday … Think about your children, your parents, your friends. Think about the people you rely on, the people who are there for you when you need it most. Think about what they need, and vote for that.
The NDP is hoping a pair of polls released on the weekend translates into success for them.
A Mainstreet Research telephone poll conducted Tuesday to Thursday shows the NDP with the support of 49 per cent of decided voters, compared to 45 per cent for the Saskatchewan Party, which has governed the province since 2007.
The poll of 820 adults was conducted using automated telephone interviews reaching people with landlines and cellphones. The margin of error is considered within plus or minus 3.4 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
Among decided voters, seven per cent said they planned to vote for another party other than the Saskatchewan Party or NDP.
Another poll released Saturday, from Liasaon Strategies, shows the NDP at 49 per cent support compared to 46 per cent for the Saskatchewan Party.
In the 2020 election, the Saskatchewan Party continued its dominance, winning 48 out of the province’s 61 seats with 61 per cent of the vote, in the first election with Moe as leader.
The NDP, under former leader Ryan Meili, won 13 seats with 32 per cent of the vote four years ago.
— With files from The Canadian Press