Saskatchewan Liberal Party leader Ryan Bater's campaign came to an end Monday night, as the Saskatchewan Party's Herb Cox won a decisive victory in the Battlefords.
"I think the numbers are disappointing," Bater explained to the media scrum after 31 of the 41 polls had reported. "The campaign itself, I'm very proud of. We had a lot of volunteers here, ran a stellar campaign that was very positive."
Bater also spoke proudly of his platform: "I still believe the platform we put out was the best for the people of Saskatchewan, I stand by that."
When asked about his disappointing showing at the polls, Bater explained that the Saskatchewan Party's momentum and Brad Wall's was largely responsible for Herb Cox's success. But not being invited to the leaders' debate also played a part.
"You can't discount the fact that people in this community look at provincial media for information, and when you're not included in a provincial debate that impacts how people see you as a candidate," Bater argued. "In the end, though I think it had a lot to do with the Saskatchewan Party wave, which we're seeing around the province tonight."
Nevertheless, Bater did not think that it was the end of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party.
"I have every intention to stick around as leader, if the members will have me."
Bater did have a warning for the incoming government, though.
"When you have an overwhelming majority like that and no good opposition, that's when you don't have a good government, because there's less scrutiny and less debate going into policy. Because we have an overwhelming majority, abuses of power are more likely to happen."
