Two provincial party leaders and a former leadership contender are among the candidates in Saskatoon Meewasin as a byelection race gets under way.
The byelection has been called for March 2 to replace former Saskatchewan Party MLA Roger Parent, who died late last year.
Trying to hold the seat for the Sask. Party is Brent Penner, who won a contested nomination against two opponents Jan. 30.
Penner has served as executive director of Saskatoon’s downtown BID and previously was a police officer and staff sergeant with Saskatoon Police. He is the son of Glen Penner, the former long-serving Saskatoon city councillor who also briefly held a seat in the legislature.
The competition will be stiff, however, as a number of high-profile candidates have stepped forward to contest the seat.
One of them is Saskatoon doctor Ryan Meili, who has been chosen as the NDP’s candidate.
He defeated John Parry in a contested nomination meeting in January to be the candidate. Meili has previously run twice for that party’s leadership, finishing as runner up both times.
The NDP have high hopes of taking back the seat which had been won by the Sask. Party by narrow margins in 2011 and 2016, and which was previously held by long-time NDP cabinet minister Frank Quennell.
Adding to the intrigue is the entry into the race of the party leaders of both the Saskatchewan Liberals and the Green Party.
Liberal leader Darrin Lamoureux and Green Party leader Shawn Setyo have both confirmed they are running.
Lamoureux had led the Liberals into the 2016 election campaign, where he finished with a third-place finish in Regina Pasqua. Previously, he had also been an unsuccessful candidate in the Lloydminster byelection in 2014.
Setyo took over as Green leader full time in October, but prior to that was interim leader since the summer following the resignation of Victor Lau. Setyo announced his intentions to run in the byelection Monday.
Finally, the PC party is also fielding a candidate. David Prokopchuk, a long-time Saskatoon resident who runs a financial investment business and whose experience includes work for a Quebec MP, was announced as their candidate Jan. 31.
