Despite the general impression you might get, the four people interested in earning the Saskatchewan Party’s nod in the Melfort constituency won’t be MLA once they win the nomination battle Jan. 27.
No, there’s an entire step after that – the nominee will have to compete against the Saskatchewan New Democrats and candidates selected by any other party that decides to contest the election.
At the time of writing, the NDP hasn’t gotten back to me about whether or not they have people interested in running for the nomination or when the nomination will be.
I believe the upcoming byelection to replace Kevin Phillips will be a test for the NDP. When I’ve chatted with both of the leadership candidates running for the party’s leadership, they not only recognize they need more support in rural Saskatchewan to win the next election, they tell me that with the cuts in the 2017 provincial budget, more rural residents are interested in the party.
The byelection will be a great way to prove this. At the very least, the Melfort NDP should aim to increase the percentage of the vote they receive. It’s not impossible: it’s only been in the last seven years the Saskatchewan Party had been receiving more than 70 per cent of the vote.
Looking at the past, the right-wing standard-bearer usually receives a vote share that’s within the 50-60 per cent range, with the New Democrats even winning the seat from time to time.
If the NDP wants to position itself for government in the next election, it’s got to show it can earn more votes in rural regions like the Melfort constituency.
