Saskatchewan’s two main party leaders renewed their appeals to voters in Regina on Friday, with the final voting day for the provincial election just around the corner.
Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe said his party has a record of growing jobs and, if he’s re-elected Monday, his government would strengthen the economy and put more money in people’s pockets.
Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck courted undecided voters at her campaign stop, saying the province’s health-care system has suffered during Moe’s time as premier.
She said streets are no longer safe and the province is near the bottom nationally in creating full-time jobs.
Beck said that if she’s the province’s next premier, she would fix health care, provide more funding for schools and pause the gas tax for six months.
“Saskatchewan people are looking for change. They’re looking for a government that is going to put them and their families, their communities, their priorities first,” she said outside the Co-Op Refinery Complex, where she was flanked by dozens of union members and leaders.
“To all of those who wonder, can it be done? Yes, we can win this election.”
She received endorsements from Unifor and the Saskatchewan Building Trades Council.
Meanwhile, Moe held a rally with dozens of supporters and candidates at a banquet hall in Regina.
He said a Saskatchewan Party government would continue to make investments in health care and education.
“If you want a strong economy and you want a bright future, well, I would say this: ‘This is your party,'” he said to cheers.
First time voting? Here’s everything you need to know as Saskatchewan goes to the polls for the provincial election this week.
Poll shows NDP lead in popular support
Recent polling suggests the NDP is leading in popular support over the Sask. Party, at least in part because Beck’s party has been able to convince more previously undecided voters.
Polling released Tuesday by Insightrix suggests that among decided voters, 50 per cent intend to vote for the NDP, compared to 45 per cent who say they will cast their ballots for the Sask. Party and five per cent for another party
That’s a wider difference than a month ago, when an earlier comparable Insightrix poll showed the NDP and Sask. Party neck and neck at 49 and 48 per cent support among decided voters, respectively.
The share of voters who are undecided has also dropped to 21 per cent, down from 33 per cent in September, according to Insightrix, appearing to contribute to some of the NDP’s polling gains.
However, the party that wins the popular vote does not necessarily win the election or form government, under a first-past-the-post electoral system.
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Platform Tracker 2024: How do Saskatchewan’s parties compare on these election issues?
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Watch more Sask. election coverage, including full news conferences, on CBC Saskatchewan’s YouTube page.
Asked about polling Friday, Beck said more work lies ahead for the party over the weekend but that she was not taking any vote for granted.
“We’re going to continue to pull votes in every area, every constituency in this province. We’re seeing people tell us that they haven’t voted our way in a long time, but they’re getting to the polls,” she said. “People know what’s at stake here.”
Moe dismissed a question about poll numbers on Friday, saying the vote itself is the poll his party cares about.
“That’s the poll where Saskatchewan people are going to decide and make the choice on what this province is going to look like with respect to the opportunity for that brighter future that we believe this Saskatchewan Party’s plan does provide,” he said.
Elections Saskatchewan said Friday that a record number of people voted in the first three days of advanced voting, casting 170,485 ballots in early polls from Tuesday to Thursday. That represents an approximately 43 per cent increase from the first three days of advanced polls in the last provincial election in 2020, during which 119,096 people voted.
Saturday is the last day to vote early. Polls will be closed Sunday before the final day of voting on election day Monday.
