Governing Saskatchewan Party looks to rebuild in cities ahead of weekend convention

REGINA — Saskatchewan’s governing party is hoping to regain support from the province’s two major cities as members prepare to meet at its biennial convention this weekend.

One of the themes at Saturday’s event is being called “Earn Back Saskatoon” and “Earn Back Regina,” says Advanced Education Minister Ken Cheveldayoff.

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Cheveldayoff is the Saskatchewan Party’s only legislature member from the two cities. He said the push to take them back follows last year’s election that saw the party wiped out in Regina and nearly eliminated in Saskatoon.

“We feel that we have to do better,” Cheveldayoff told reporters this week when asked about the convention. “We have to work harder and we have to listen more to return those seats.”

Premier Scott Moe’s government has 34 seats in the legislature while the Opposition NDP has 27.

Party stalwarts say members were disappointed in the election result and that Moe’s government needs to focus more on city issues.

Donna Harpauer, who was finance minister in Moe’s last government, said in an interview the party structure should be reviewed.

She said while the party winning its fifth-straight majority is phenomenal, it needs to do more outreach in Regina and Saskatoon.

“Is it a crisis at this point? No it’s not,” Harpauer said. “It’s just, ‘Hey, let’s recognize that maybe there’s issues we could do better.’”

Paul Merriman, who lost his re-election last year in Saskatoon and served as Moe’s health minister, said the party needs to focus more on social issues, such as mental health and addictions.

“Are they starting to do that? Yes,” he said.

Merriman added there’s no one else in the party who could manage issues Moe has dealt with, including COVID-19 and frosty relations with former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

“I’m hoping Premier Moe stays on for a while,” he said.

Laura Ross, who lost her Regina seat in the last election and was Moe’s culture minister, said the party needs to organize in the cities. “We need to reconnect, maybe less talking and more listening,” she said.

The convention in Saskatoon will feature policy resolutions, a speech from Moe and a leadership review vote. Moe’s received an approval of 97 per cent during the last convention in 2023.

Political watchers say the Saskatchewan Party lost the cities due to growing issues of overcrowded classrooms and hospitals.

“You’ve got an old government in power, decaying social services and all these different problems that I think are different in urban settings,” Charles Smith, a professor of political studies at St. Thomas More College in Saskatoon, said in an interview.

“Winning back urban centres is obviously a way that the party can hold onto power but also maintain it comfortably.”

Tom McIntosh, a political scientist at the University of Regina, said around 35 to 40 per cent of voters in the cities cast their ballots for the governing party in 2024.

“It makes perfect sense that they need to think about how to get them back,” he said. “The Sask. Party has cemented its own image as a party of rural Saskatchewan. There may be an uphill battle to this that they’re going to have to consider their own image.”

Cheveldayoff said the party is demonstrating it’s working for the cities by planning to build more schools and urgent care centres.

There are rumours of some party members banding together to vote against Moe’s leadership, potentially pushing his numbers down.

Harpauer said she doesn’t think it’s a large group of people trying to do that.

Some in the party remain unhappy with the restrictions Moe’s government imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, she added.

“Did it make some people very, very angry? It did,” she said. “Have they let it go? Not everybody.”

Merriman said if there’s a faction of upset people, it’s very small. “The Sask. Party faithful would love to have 45-plus seats in every election. Well, that’s a bit of a challenge to keep that up all the time,” he said.

Some also have questions about what the party will look like in four years and who will lead it, he added.

“Is (Moe) going to be here? What’s the evolution of the party?” Merriman said.

Gordon Wyant, a minister under Moe’s government who didn’t seek re-election, said he expects Moe to receive a high percentage of support.

Moe told reporters this week he plans to run as leader in the next election.

“(The convention) will be an opportunity for us to launch our conversation about the work we’re going to do … by earning back the majority of Saskatchewan people’s trust so that we can have a sixth-term government,” he said.

At the convention, members will also vote on a proposal that would allow only Canadian citizens and adults to be voting members in the party. Moe has defended the measure, arguing it aligns with elections laws that don’t allow permanent residents and those under 18 to vote.

McIntosh said most young people and permanent residents eventually become eligible voters.

“(Will) they remember that this is the party that didn’t want them before they were citizens?” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2025.

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press