A lot of residents of Saskatchewan seem to think Premier Brad Wall might be getting out while the getting is good.
In a poll of 800 randomly-sampled Saskatchewan residents conducted Sept. 12-14 by Insightrix, when asked the perceived reasons for Wall’s retirement announcement, 55 per cent of respondents mention negative reasons for his retirement, 30 per cent cite positive reasons while 25 per cent had no opinion.
Of those reasons, 29 per cent cited “get out while he can/fallout of poor decisions.” Nine per cent cited losing popularity, seven per cent think he “won’t win another election,” seven per cent “tired of politics/stressed”, six per cent “avoid GTH scandal,” four percent say he “ruined the province financially,” four percent say he “generally did a poor job,” and other negative reasons counted for five per cent.
Among positive reasons, 16 per cent cited it was “ten years is enough/time to move on,” eight percent cited “personal reasons/time with family,” and four percent “accomplished his goals.” Two percent thought he’d seek private sector employment, two percent thought he’d “pursue federal politics,” and five per cent other positive reasons.
When asked the impact of Wall’s departure 41 per cent thought it would be a good thing for the province while 32 per cent felt the opposite. One in 10 believe it will have no impact while 19 per cent are uncertain.
A greater proportion of those living in the big cities were of the view Wall’s departure would be a good thing: Insightrix reported 51 per cent of Regina residents felt this way, while 42 per cent of Saskatoon residents felt the same and the number was 37 per cent for those in the south and north portions of the province
As for the governing party, 40 per cent believe Wall’s departure will be bad for the SaskParty, 22 per cent feel it will be good for the party, 12 feel it will have no effect and 27 per cent are unsure.
In assessing Wall’s performance as premier, 26 per cent saw it as excellent, 26 per cent as good, 26 per cent as fair, 18 per cent as poor, and three per cent did not know.
When asked about Wall’s legacy, 51 per cent cited positive elements while 43 per cent cited negatives. Of those, 21 per cent saw Wall as “putting Saskatchewan first/a good leader,” while 18 per cent cited “economic growth/creating a ‘have’ province.” Six per cent noted the population increase, six per cent cited him being outspoken and honest, and there were other reasons cited.
Those citing negatives pointed to deficits (eight per cent), corruption/mismanagement (eight per cent), the GTH scandal (seven per cent), the attempt at privatization/Crowns (seven per cent) and wasteful spending (six per cent), among others.
The results are from an online research study involving Insightrix’s SaskWatch Research panel members. According to Insightrix, quotas were set by age, gender and region to match the general population of the province. Research was conducted online; as a result it is considered a non-probability proportion sample
