Saskatchewan Party convention ponders rebuild in cities as Scott Moe's leadership up for review

Jeremy Simes · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Nov 07, 2025 1:16 PM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Saskatchewan's governing enactment is hoping to regain enactment from voters successful the province's 2 large cities arsenic members hole to conscionable astatine the party's biennial normal this weekend.

One of the themes astatine Saturday's lawsuit is being called "Earn Back Saskatoon" and "Earn Back Regina," says Advanced Education Minister Ken Cheveldayoff.

Cheveldayoff is the Saskatchewan Party's lone legislature subordinate from the 2 cities. He said the propulsion to instrumentality them backmost follows past year's predetermination that saw the enactment wiped retired successful Regina and astir eliminated successful Saskatoon.

"We consciousness that we person to bash better," Cheveldayoff told reporters this week erstwhile asked astir the convention. "We person to enactment harder and we person to perceive much to instrumentality those seats."

Premier Scott Moe's authorities has 34 seats successful the legislature portion the Opposition NDP has 27.

Party stalwarts accidental members were disappointed successful the predetermination effect and that Moe's authorities needs to absorption much connected metropolis issues.

Donna Harpauer, who was concern curate successful Moe's past government, said successful an interrogation that the enactment operation should beryllium reviewed.

She said portion the enactment winning its 5th consecutive bulk is phenomenal, it needs to bash much outreach successful Regina and Saskatoon.

"Is it a situation astatine this point? No, it's not," Harpauer said. "It's just, 'Hey, let's admit that possibly there's issues we could bash better.'"

Paul Merriman, who served arsenic Moe's wellness curate and mislaid his re-election effort past twelvemonth successful Saskatoon, said the enactment needs to absorption much connected societal issues, specified arsenic intelligence wellness and addictions.

"Are they starting to bash that? Yes," helium said.

Merriman added there's nary 1 other successful the enactment who could negociate issues Moe has dealt with, including COVID-19 and frosty relations with erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau.

"I'm hoping Premier Moe stays connected for a while," helium said.

Laura Ross, who mislaid her Regina spot successful the past predetermination and was Moe's civilization minister, said the enactment needs to signifier successful the cities. "We request to reconnect, possibly little talking and much listening," she said.

The normal successful Saskatoon volition diagnostic argumentation resolutions, a code from Moe and a enactment reappraisal vote. Moe received an support of 97 per cent during the past normal successful 2023.

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Political watchers accidental the Saskatchewan Party mislaid the cities owed to increasing issues of overcrowded classrooms and hospitals.

"You've got an aged authorities successful power, decaying societal services and each these antithetic problems that I deliberation are antithetic successful municipality settings," said Charles Smith, a prof of governmental studies astatine St. Thomas More College successful Saskatoon.

"Winning backmost municipality centres is evidently a mode that the enactment tin clasp onto powerfulness but besides support it comfortably."

Tom McIntosh, a governmental idiosyncratic astatine the University of Regina, said astir 35 to 40 per cent of voters successful the cities formed their ballots for the governing enactment successful 2024.

"It makes cleanable consciousness that they request to deliberation astir however to get them back," helium said. "The Sask. Party has cemented its ain representation arsenic a enactment of agrarian Saskatchewan. There whitethorn beryllium an uphill conflict to this that they're going to person to see their ain image."

Cheveldayoff said the enactment is demonstrating it's moving for the cities by readying to physique much schools and urgent attraction centres.

There are rumours of immoderate enactment members banding unneurotic to ballot against Moe's leadership, perchance pushing his numbers down.

Harpauer said she doesn't deliberation it's a ample radical of radical trying to bash that.

Some successful the enactment stay unhappy with the restrictions Moe's authorities imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, she added.

"Did it marque immoderate radical very, precise angry? It did," she said. "Have they fto it go? Not everybody."

Merriman said if there's a faction of upset people, it's precise small.

"The Sask. Party faithful would emotion to person 45-plus seats successful each election. Well, that's a spot of a situation to support that up each the time," helium said.

Some besides person questions astir what the enactment volition look similar successful 4 years and who volition pb it, helium added.

"Is (Moe) going to beryllium here? What's the improvement of the party?" Merriman said.

Gordon Wyant, a curate nether Moe's authorities who didn't question re-election, said helium expects Moe to person a precocious percent of support.

Moe told reporters this week that helium plans to tally arsenic person successful the adjacent election.

"(The convention) volition beryllium an accidental for america to motorboat our speech astir the enactment we're going to bash … by earning backmost the bulk of Saskatchewan people's spot truthful that we tin person a sixth-term government," helium said.

At the convention, members volition besides ballot connected a connection that would let lone Canadian citizens and adults to beryllium voting members successful the party. Moe has defended the measure, arguing it aligns with predetermination laws that don't let imperishable residents and those nether 18 to vote.

McIntosh said astir young radical and imperishable residents yet go eligible voters.

"(Will) they retrieve that this is the enactment that didn't privation them earlier they were citizens?" helium said.