Voters in Saskatchewan seemed more interested in change than culture wars
Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe squeaked out a narrow victory in Monday’s provincial election that was marked by big gains from the opposition NDP.
But political strategists say it’s incumbent fatigue, not disagreements over pronouns and single-sex spaces, that has weighed down conservative campaigns in both provinces.
“It’s tough for incumbents right across Canada right now,” said conservative strategist Fred DeLorey.
“We’re comparing apples and pineapples,” said DeLorey.
“Poilievre is hitting it out of the park right now, and his main message is affordability… There’s no cautionary tale for him (from Higgs’ loss) other than that he’s on the right track and shouldn’t leave that track.”
The children were the subject of a complaint about two biological males changing next to girls at a school change room in southeastern Saskatchewan.
Moe says he wasn’t aware of the children’s identities at the time.
“The top four issues of the election have stayed pretty consistent: health care, affordability, taxes and education,” said McGilp.
“You can debate whether (gender identity issues) fit in any of these boxes, but there’s a lot of other stuff that’s more top of mind with voters.”
“Higgs was cast as someone where it’s his way or the highway,” said Robinson. “And this stuck with him.”
“We have much smaller seats in the Maritimes than you do in the rest of the country,” said DeLorey, who grew up in neighbouring Nova Scotia. “People get to know their local MLA’s quite well.”
“So when you have so many incumbents who don’t reoffer, that’s a huge blow to the campaign from the very start.”
DeLorey said it would be unfair to pin the high turnover on Higgs’ leadership style, noting that the veteran premier was going for an almost unheard of third term in a province with a long history of political swings.
“It’s a major achievement to win two terms in New Brunswick, let alone three.”
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