Even with 40,000 mail-in ballots still to come, there was little doubt that the Saskatchewan Party would win a fourth straight government in Saskatchewan. Scott Moe finally had an election after more than 2½ years as Saskatchewan premier.
The Saskatchewan Party tentatively won 48 seats in the 61-seat legislature. The Sask Party won 51 seats in the 2016 election and had 46 seats when the election was called. Ryan Meili and the NDP tentatively have 13 seats, the same total when the election was called and up from 10 from the 2016 election. At press time, Meili's seat could still go either way.
Unlike British Columbia, those counting the mail-in ballots will start on Wednesday, 2 days after the election. British Columbia law does not allow for counting those ballots until 13 days after the election.
The best chance for the NDP to crack through would be gains in the "urban" areas of the province, notably Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and Moose Jaw. The Saskatchewan Party has been in power since 2007 and had gained seats every time. The party had not lost a seat in an election so far.
Meili's speech was about 4 minutes and there wasn't much in that speech. The NDP has not had consistent leadership in their 12 years out of power. A leadership switch is always a possibility in a loss; Meili would have to win his seat to have that discussion.
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Unfortunately in an election dominated by one party, issues don't always get a lot of attention. The Saskatchewan minimum wage actually went up during the campaign. On October 1, the Saskatchewan minimum wage went up a measly 13¢ from $11.32 per hour to $11.45 per hour. The $11.45 mark is the worst in any Canadian province or territory (except where tips are involved).
The CBC News coverage mentioned that the Saskatchewan Party still hasn't balanced a budget, even before the pandemic.
Saskatchewan has had a rather good record on dealing with COVID-19. Then again, the province is rather spread out outside the urban areas.
CanadianCrossing.com Saskatchewan coverage
2020 Canadian politics preview
CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage
These numbers will change but the Saskatchewan Party got about 64% of the popular vote, more than in 2016. The NDP at 28% was the worst in the modern era for the party.
photo credit: CBC News
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