REGINA - With the calendar now flipping into the month of April, Saskatchewan is one more month closer to a provincial election and some more nominated candidates are now in place.
Both the Saskatchewan Party and the NDP have held nomination meetings in the last couple of weeks, and there is news of several candidates confirmed to run for the Green Party. Here is a rundown of those latest candidates selected to run in the 2024 provincial vote.
Saskatchewan Party
Last week on March 27, the contested nomination in Martensville-Blairmore was won by Jamie Martens, deputy mayor of Martensville.
She defeated Sunny Kals to win the nomination; Martens had also received a boost from a third candidate, M.S. Gill, who withdrew prior to the nomination meeting and endorsed her. The area is considered traditionally a Sask Party stronghold.
Another contested nomination race was decided last week in Saskatoon University-Sutherland. Saskatoon Willowgrove MLA Ken Cheveldayoff was at the nomination meeting and posted this on Facebook: “A big crowd in attendance at the Saskatoon University-Sutherland Sask Party nomination at the Sutherland Hall. Tonight, Saskatchewan party members in Saskatoon University Sutherland nominated Ghislaine McLeod to be their candidate in the 2024 provincial election. Congratulations to Ghislaine and to Dale Hrynuik. Two great candidates. Two great speeches.”
Down in Regina, Riaz Ahmad was acclaimed in Regina Coronation Park, officially setting up a rematch of last year’s byelection against the NDP incumbent Noor Burki — with Ahmad hoping for a different result this time.
This brings to 44 the number of candidates in place for the Sask Party, with the next nominations due up in Saskatoon Meewasin, Dakota Arm River, and Saskatoon Southeast in the coming couple of weeks -- the latter two to fill candidate spots made available with the departures of Sask Party MLAs Dana Skoropad and Don Morgan.
New Democrats
In Regina University, a three-way contest for the NDP nomination has gone to Sally Housser, a prominent public affairs professional and political commentator.
Housser defeated Deb Nyczai and Reid Hill, and now takes on the incumbent Sask Party cabinet minister Gene Makowsky, who represents that portion of the riding currently known as Regina Gardiner Park. While Makowsky has in the past been one of the more popular Sask Party MLAs in Regina with large election wins, the seat is seen this time as an NDP target.
In Canora-Pelly, Wynn Fedorchuk has taken the NDP nomination to run against the Sask Party’s Sean Wilson, who had toppled incumbent Terry Dennis last fall to win his party’s nomination. The riding is widely considered a Sask Party stronghold.
That brings to 35 the number of candidates in place for the NDP, with their next nomination due up in Wood River on April 7.
Green Party
There is confirmation that the first 11 candidates are now in place to run for the Green Party in the provincial election.
Their leader Naomi Hunter is running in Saskatoon Riversdale and the party’s website lists ten more candidates: Billy Patterson in Estevan, Isaiah Hunter in Lumsden-Morse, Remi Renault in Moosomin, Victor Lau in Regina Douglas Park, Bo Chen in Regina Wascana Plains, Sean Muirhead in Rosetown-Elrose, Whitney Greenleaf in Saskatoon- Nutana, Mohammad Mansour Abusha’r in Saskatoon Southeast, Valerie Brooks in Yorkton, and Kimberley Epp in Moose Jaw North.
That puts the Greens in third place among the parties in terms of the number of candidates confirmed to run in the next provincial election. For all the parties, 61 candidates would be required for a full slate in the provincial election due to be held this fall.
