The Saskatchewan Party has become the first party in the province to win a fifth straight government since 1960.
The party was projected by Global News to have won the 2024 election just before midnight, winning its fifth term in government since 2007.
No party has won five consecutive terms in the province since the Co-operative Commonwealth in the 1960 election.
“What a great day to be in Saskatchewan,” Premier Scott Moe said to supporters early Tuesday morning. “First of all to all the people of Saskatchewan, all who exercised their democratic right to vote and voted for a strong economy and a bright future in our province, thank you once again Saskatchewan for placing your trust in our party, in the Saskatchewan Party and thank-you for electing a majority Saskatchewan Party.”
Premier Scott Moe will hold a record last held by former federal NDP leader Tommy Douglas, who led the Co-operative from 1942 until the end of 1961.
As of writing, the Saskatchewan Party was leading or elected in 35 seats, while the NDP held 26. No other party held seats.
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“People were really excited. The message was resonating, people are excited about affordability measures that were introduced,” volunteer Molly Waldman told Global News about her time on the campaign trail.
But though the party won re-election, it was with a much narrower majority the party has seen since it was first elected in 2007, namely due to losses in Regina and Saskatoon.
“It’s disappointing for sure,” Shannon Andrews, Saskatchewan Party deputy campaign coordinator, told Global News. “We had so many great candidates in Regina and Saskatoon, they worked so hard, but the voters have spoken, and we have to be mindful of that too. So we’re definitely going to be listening to that, we’ve definitely got some work to do in Regina and Saskatoon.”
Part of the losses included some of the party’s cabinet ministers.
Laura Ross, who was Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, as well as responsible for the Status of Women, Francophone Affairs, and Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan, was the first to go down nearly three hours after polls closed.
Social Services Minister and longtime MLA Gene Makowski, Environment Minister Christine Tell, and Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman lost their seats as well.
Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre was the last minister to lose her seat, with Saskatoon Stonebridge flipping to the NDP just after midnight.
“This was a much closer election than what we have seen for quite some time in this province, just roughly over half of the voters voted for the Saskatchewan Party and there’s another half of the voters that voted for someone else,” Moe said. “I would say this, that I’ve heard the message that was delivered here this evening and the Saskatchewan Party will be a government that works for all the people of Saskatchewan.”
There would be several new faces though to Moe’s caucus when the new government returns to the legislative assembly as a number of MLAs chose not to run in the election.
Don Morgan, a former cabinet minister, said he looked forward to seeing what those new faces would do.
“People have talked about wanting to see a change, and I think a healthy change from within and I’ll be really excited to see how those people develop as MLAs and as cabinet ministers as their careers take off,” he said. “I’ll be standing somewhat in the background but not afraid to pick up the phone and make comments.”
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