A former Estevan resident is returning to the Saskatchewan Legislature for a second term as MLA.
Greg Lawrence, who resided in southeast Saskatchewan until 2004, was elected as the MLA of Moose Jaw Wakamow during the April 4 provincial election. A Sask. Party MLA, Lawrence received 3,459 votes to finish 674 votes ahead of New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate Karen Purdy.
The riding was regarded as one to watch on election night, since it had been held by the NDP until Lawrence’s victory in 2011. Lawrence was trailing Purdy after the first few polling stations had reported, but he rallied to take the lead, and pulled away as the night progressed.
“I was very nervous,” he said in an interview with the Mercury. “Nothing was in the bag.”
He wasn’t surprised that his election victory was relatively narrow, since he views both provincial Moose Jaw constituencies as “swing ridings.”
“It’s the nature of the city and where people are,” said Lawrence. “As long as the MLA for Moose Jaw North, Warren Michelson, and I do a good job, we’ve got a good shot of keeping the city (for the Sask. Party).”
He did notice a difference between being the challenger trying to knock off a sitting MLA, which he was in 2011, and being the incumbent this time around. Name recognition made a big difference, as more people knew who he was this time.
“The biggest difference was the amount of folks we had helping out,” said Lawrence. “We had a ton of volunteers. Otherwise, it was the same. It was getting out there, knocking on doors and listening to what people have to say, and explaining our platform.”
Infrastructure was a recurring theme during the campaign. Lawrence noted Moose Jaw is experiencing many of the same challenges as other cities in the province.
He reminded voters about the municipal operating grant system introduced by the Saskatchewan Party government in 2009, and how it has increased revenue sharing from provincial to municipal governments.
“I want to see us grow as a province, and continue growing, so our kids don’t have to leave,” said Lawrence. “Right now, all three of my boys are in the province, and even my foster kids are around. It’s really good to see that our kids don’t have to leave to make a good life for themselves.”
Lawrence was pleased to see Lori Carr of the Sask. Party was elected as Estevan’s new MLA. He knows Carr casually from when they attended church together in Estevan, and he is looking forward to working with Carr in the Sask. Party caucus.
