I don’t intend to write much about the Saskatchewan provincial election because, truth be told, there’s not much to write. When the incumbent is literally more popular than God, you can usually call the campaign before it begins.
So all that’s left to determine is just how bad it gets for the opposition.
Don’t expect the orange wave to hit land locked Saskatchewan on November 7th. The NDP are attempting to avoid a historic defeat – just once since the days of Tommy Douglas have they fallen below 20 seats, yet they could be down to a dozen ridings once the dust clears. I’ll leave the “what went wrong” posts to those who actually follow Saskatchewan politics, but I have a tough time imagining a scenario where someone named “Dwain Lingenfelter” could beat someone named “Brad Wall”. Just say those two names out loud and tell me who sounds like the stronger leader.
For the Liberals, the situation is even more dire. They’re only running 9 candidates this election, and have gone all in on the Elizabeth May tactic of trying to get the leader elected – in this instance, Ryan Bater in the Battlefords. If they’re shut-out for the third straight election, there’s a very real chance the party could drift away into nothingness, prompting another round of “is the Liberal Party dying” columns.
The video below gives some background on Bater. Click here to donate and help get it on the air.