Day 1: Analysis of Political Realm in Saskatchewan

The long wait amongst political junkies like myself has ended. The proverbial bell has tolled, the writ’s been dropped, and Saskatchewanians are heading to the polls on November 7th. Indeed, this is an exciting time not just for political gurus but for all people of this fine province.

Saskatchewan is in the peculiar position of having a 16-year government that appears to be in its last days of office, while at the same time experiencing an unprecedented economic boom. In most cases, a government should feel extremely confident running a campaign when the economic times are positive, prosperity abounds, and life is generally good for its citizens. However, that is not the case for Lorne Calvert’s regime. Rather, instead of being happy that times are good, the people of Saskatchewan can’t help but feel that things could be better and a change in government might be just the ticket to achieve that.

In comes Brad Wall and the ideologically revamped Saskatchewan Party, which has appeared to much of the populace as the province’s government in waiting since Wall became leader. The scary right wing ideologues that ran against Calvert in 2003 have had their image softened, policies adjusted, and with Wall at the helm have taken on a more friendly, likeable, and dare I say sophisticated aura. It is no longer the party of rural Saskatchewan that it was in 1999 and 2003. It had to adjust if it ever wished to break into Saskatoon and Regina and adjust it has.

Meanwhile, the provincial Liberals sit at the sidelines, wondering which of the other parties will take office. David Karwacki has stated that he intends to keep the Saskatchewan Party and NDP accountable. Perhaps he has already resigned his party to that of an opposition. The people of Saskatchewan will likely have similar sentiment, resigning Karwacki and the Liberals to irrelevant status in the whole scheme of things.

As a voter, I am bringing to this campaign a hope that change will result and the Saskatchewan Party will emerge victorious. Truth be told, I am unabashedly partisan and an ardent supporter of the Saskatchewan Party. As a partisan supporter, my expectations for the upcoming election might be different than the average voter’s.

I expect that the shortage of health care professionals, managing the recent economic boom, growing our province, creating opportunities for young people, the environment and rural revitalization will dominate the campaign discourse in the weeks to come. As to where the parties will stand on each of these items is to be seen.

At the same time, it has been pointed out that the three parties running in this election all hug the centre. With its personal and corporate tax cuts, the NDP is perhaps not the socialist party that has been previously. And, with its assurances that it will not sell off Saskatchewan’s crown corporations or implement any private health care measures, the Saskatchewan Party is more centrist that its opponents would like you to believe. And the Liberals, who have always been more centrist / centre-right appear to have retained that placement on the spectrum.

Because of this, it is likely that the parties’ platforms will differ little on the main issues. Instead, I predict that the parties will resort to personal and emotional measures to differentiate themselves from one another. This will inevitably mean a dirty and messy campaign full of all the mud-slinging, fear mongering, and personal attacks one can hope for. And, while people often complain they are turned off by this, I for one cannot wait.

Indeed, while many people keeping a close on this election are wondering for whom that bell will be tolling when all is said and done, the answer might lie in who escapes with the least mud on his face. Meanwhile, I intend to revel in watching that mud being flung.