SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN - Candidates who ran against the Saskatchewan Party's Daryl Harrison in Cannington in Monday night's provincial election expressed their thoughts on the results.
Dianne Twietmeyer with the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party finished second with 1,058 votes; it was her second time running for the party; she finished third in the 2020 election. She was pleased to improve her result and surpass the 1,000-vote threshold.
Twietmeyer believes her vote increase stemmed from people being disappointed with the Sask. Party's handling of labour negotiations with the teachers, and wait times in the health-care system. She believes those who voted for the Buffalo Party four years ago also voted the Saskatchewan Party to ensure the governing party remained in power.
The results in Cannington went the way she expected, with the Saskatchewan Party picking up even greater support than it did four years ago.
"There is something about rural Saskatchewan that's a little unexplainable, why the people in the country don't feel that they can vote for any social change. It's astonishing to me. But it's no more than I expected going in," she said.
But she was glad to see the results in the cities, with the NDP collecting 24 of 26 seats on election night.
"I expected both cities to go full NDP, and I'm really happy with the 26 seats the NDP does have, and I think it can make a difference. When the governing party has too strong of a majority, they have no reason to govern for the people. They can just go ahead and govern for themselves. And we saw a lot of that over the last … years."
She thought Sask. Party leader Scott Moe showed some real humility on election night when he vowed the Sask. Party would do better.
Twietmeyer doubts she would run again in four years. She believes being a candidate is a job for a younger, more energetic person, but she would be happy to help revive the NDP's constituency association in Cannington to help find that young candidate who could spend a few years promoting the party.
Michelle Krieger, who represented the Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan, was third with 540 votes. Krieger believes the Saskatchewan United Party pulled votes away from the Buffalos in both Cannington and Estevan-Big Muddy, but she knew it would be tough to win in Cannington, which has voted for the Sask. Party for seven straight elections.
"I can't say I necessarily expected to win, but I did expect that we would see higher numbers than what we got," said Krieger.
The party has been holding town hall meetings in Cannington for nearly a year. They have been visible and talking to a lot of people, and Krieger found there was a "general sense of dissatisfaction" with the Saskatchewan Party and with Harrison.
The campaign was a great experience, she said, and she thought it was really good to meet people in more areas of the southeast and listen to their concerns. She said she had a really dedicated team of volunteers, and she says she owes a lot to them for helping get her message out.
Health care was a big issue in the riding, with emergency room closures happening regularly in two of the facilities in the region, leading to a lot of concern about the future of the facilities.
People were also concerned about the state of some of the highways, the contentious wind-power project for the RM of Griffin at the west edge of the constituency, and "overreach" by the federal government through the carbon tax.
Krieger was acclaimed as the mayor of Alameda earlier in the fall, so she will remain involved in politics. Had she won Monday night's election, she said she would have stepped down as the town's mayor.
Barbara Helfrick with the Saskatchewan United Party was fourth with 420 votes. She was disappointed she didn't get more support, but she recognizes it's a new, grassroots party trying to get its name out there.
"People were telling me they wanted a change," she said. "People were telling me that they are very frustrated with our health and education systems, especially health."
Voters are flustered with the wait times, the lack of services, emergency room closures and more.
She also had a late start, as she was nominated for Cannington just before the deadline on Oct. 12. She was busy with door-knocking in many of the communities in Cannington, but there wasn't enough time to get everywhere, and she had to balance her work as a registered nurse.
It was her first time running for an elected office. It proved to be a good experience. She said she would remain involved with the SUP, but it's too soon to say whether she would run again.
"Everyone was very friendly. Everyone was very kind. They freely told me what their issues are. I feel I was well-received."
Helfrick believes the SUP platform really represented her values.
"I love rural Saskatchewan, and I just want to see rural Saskatchewan thrive and be its best," she said.
All the candidates thanked the public for their support.
The other candidate was Natalie Lund-Clysdale of the Saskatchewan Green Party, who finished fifth with 196 votes. She could not be reached for comment, and her bio and photo were never uploaded to the Green Party website.
