The 2020 Saskatchewan provincial election is officially underway.
Premier Scott Moe unveiled the governing Saskatchewan Party’s official campaign vehicle – a Chevy SUV – in Saskatoon on Monday, September 28. He confirmed his intention to ask the Lieutenant-Governor to drop the writ shortly afterward.
The provincial election is slated for Monday, October 26.
The four-week official campaign window may be short, but Moe said the unofficial campaign has been ongoing for years.
“The October 26 election date is no surprise to anyone,” said Moe. “It has been set for some time.”
He expressed confidence both the election campaign and the voting process itself can be conducted safely if everyone follows public health guidelines.
He said the central issue in the election is restoring economic growth in the aftermath of the COVID-19 shutdown earlier this year.
“This is a campaign that will look very different from past elections, but at the end of the day, when October 26 rolls around, the question that Saskatchewan voters will be asking themselves is very similar to the ballot question that has been put forward in previous campaigns,” said Moe. “Who do you trust to recover and grow the economy in Saskatchewan?
“One party will be running on its record,” he added. “The other party will, quite frankly, be running from its record.
“The Saskatchewan Party has a strong record of economic growth and investing the proceeds of that growth back into communities across the province.
“We’re running on our record, not just for the last four years, but for the last 13 years.”
Both the Saskatchewan Party and the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) have nominated candidates in all 61 provincial constituencies.
In Moe’s riding of Rosthern-Shellbrook, he is being challenged by the NDP’s Trina Miller.
In the Martensville-Warman constituency, Sask Party candidate Terry Jenson is hoping to capture a similar majority to that held by retiring Sask Party MLA Nancy Heppner. The NDP last weekend nominated Carla Streeton as its candidate in the riding. The Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan has nominated its leader Wade Sira to contest the riding.
Biggar-Sask Valley MLA Randy Weekes of the Sask Party is being challenged in his riding by Twyla Harris of the NDP.
In Saskatoon Stonebridge-Dakota, Sask Party MLA Bronwyn Eyre will be looking to fend off NDP challenger Judicael Moukoumi and retain her riding in the Legislature.