Writ drops; Saskatchewan election campaign underway

And they’re off.

After visiting Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty at Government House on Tuesday morning, Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe officially announced the Saskatchewan election campaign is underway.

The election is to be held Oct. 26.

Sask Party Leader Scott Moe speaks after asking Lt. Gov Russ Mirasty to dissolve the Legislature. pic.twitter.com/8teQtOJcPL

— Dom Lucyk (@DomLucyk) September 29, 2020

Moe kicks off campaign in Regina

Moe braved the wind to launch the Saskatchewan Party’s campaign, the truck he’ll be using to travel the province beside him and all of the Sask. Party candidates for Regina spread out behind him.

“The ballot question this election will be who do you trust to lead Saskatchewan’s economic recovery? I know this for sure: It isn’t the NDP,” Moe said during his speech.

Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe launches his party’s re-election campaign on Sept. 29, 2020. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

Moe pointed to what the NDP did the last time it was in power 13 years ago, saying it lost jobs and opportunities for the province. He launched several attacks at the NDP, saying it plans to spend without a plan to grow.

“This is foreign to the NDP,” Moe said. “They have never had any plan to grow the economy here in the province, nor do they have a record of ever being able to grow the economy in Saskatchewan.”

Moe wouldn’t name any specific battleground ridings in the province, instead saying his party will likely be concentrating closely on about half of them.

Asked if his party is overconfident going into the election — given the polling numbers and considering it’s running a “steady as she goes” campaign — Moe replied: “Overconfident is one of the last sentiments that a party has just prior to entering the opposition ranks.”

Instead, Moe said the Sask. Party will humbly engaging with voters in the province as it looks to continue growth, investment, job creation and attracting people to communities.

At one point during the event, he pointed across Lewvan Drive to the Harbour Landing neighbourhood.

“None of this was here when the NDP was in government,” Moe said. “Today, this is a vibrant, thriving neighbourhood full of young families, full of new businesses, a brand-new school that just opened in 2017 and already we’re building another school in Harbour Landing, all because of growth.”

Meili also in Regina to launch campaign

Earlier Tuesday, NDP Leader Ryan Meili launched his party’s campaign, outlining a plan to use Saskatchewan workers for capital projects, to raise the province’s minimum wage, to invest in the energy sector and to offer affordable child care and home care.

“(The Sask. Party is) going to tell you that isn’t possible, that we have to settle for less, that we have no choice,” Meili said.

“Scott Moe may be satisfied. He may think everything’s fine and in fact he can cut even deeper. But Saskatchewan people sure aren’t satisfied and I’m here to tell you, we don’t have to accept more of the same. We have a choice. We can do better …

Ryan Meili kicks off the Saskatchewan NDP’s election campaign on Sept. 29, 2020. (Joseph Ho/980 CJME)

“We plan to run a great campaign against a bad government.”

Meili contrasted his party’s vision with that of the Sask. Party, which he said would introduce cuts if re-elected.

“They have said austerity is their plan,” Meili said. “We’ve seen it before. This is what they will do. They’ve done it before. They did it in 2017 and they’re going to do it again but only worse if re-elected.

“There’s an old saying: When people show you who they are, you should believe him and Scott Moe has shown who he is.”

Meili countered Sask. Party messaging which seeks to portray him as a reckless spender whom voters can’t afford. He said critics who say his platform is unaffordable are saying needed action is unaffordable.

“(Moe) is telling us we can’t afford to rebuild our economy, that we can’t afford to get people back to work, (that) we can’t afford to keep jobs here (and that) we can’t afford to support families to get back to work,” Meili said. “He’s telling us that we can’t afford to do the things we absolutely must if we’re going to succeed.”

Meili said a full costed platform will come soon.

But he made this promise: “Your regular ordinary family across this province isn’t going to be paying a cent more in taxes under a Ryan Meili government with the Sask, NDP.”

A look at the numbers

Moe’s Saskatchewan Party held 46 of the 61 seats in the legislature when it was dissolved. The NDP held 13 seats and two seats were vacant.

The Sask. Party has been in power since 2007, making it the longest-serving provincial government currently in Canada.

In Saskatchewan’s history, only three parties have served four consecutive terms. A win in October would make the Sask. Party the fourth.

It’s Moe’s first election as the party’s leader. He succeeded Brad Wall as leader in January of 2018 after Wall retired from politics.

Meili will be leading the New Democrats into a provincial election for the first time as well. He was elected as the party’s leader in March of 2018 following the resignation of Cam Broten.

There are six registered political parties in the province: The Saskatchewan Party, the NDP, the Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan, the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Green Party and the Saskatchewan Liberal Party. Candidates also can run as independents.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick and Joseph Ho