Time to look at this mess

As a liberal I am not happy today with the results in Northwest. Our provincial party need to some major redoing. Why are not people not coming to the provincial party? is our message wrong? Is it because of our history? or is our leadership or lack of us in the party getting the message out. I will be the first to say that I was no help in this by election for various reasons. It time we all look at things and talk about the future of our party. because about 3% of the votes is terrible in a riding that we once held.

Tell me what you think? If you even care??


Gord Wyant wins Saskatoon Northwest byelection for Sask. Party
The StarPhoenix October 19, 2010 •Story•Photos ( 1 )
The Saskatchewan Party celebrated holding onto Saskatoon Northwest, as Gordon Wyant
By unofficial count, the lawyer and Ward 5 city councillor took the seat with 3,051 votes, defeating second-place finisher Jan Dyky of the NDP by a margin of over 1,300 votes.

Wyant’s 59 per cent of the vote marked an increase from the 54 per cent won by Sask. Party candidate Serge LeClerc in the 2007 general election.

Speaking to supporters at a celebration at the Ramada Golf Dome, both Wyant and Premier Brad Wall claimed a strong endorsement for the Sask. Party government and a rejection of the Opposition NDP.

“We had a significant percentage of the vote and I think what that says is that the people of this constituency, particularly, they’re saying no to the politics of envy, they’re saying no to the politics of loathing, they’re saying no to the politics of character assassination and we saw that coming up in this election,” said Wyant.

The win buoys the government just ahead of the new legislative session that begins next week.

Wall said byelections are often difficult for parties in power because voters want to send a message.

“The people of Saskatoon did send a message tonight,” he told the crowd.

“They want to see Saskatchewan continuing to move forward . . . they chose the future over the past.”

The byelection became necessary because of the resignation of LeClerc at the end of August. He had left the government caucus in the spring after the airing of drug allegations, which he has consistently denied.

Wyant had served as business manager for LeClerc in the last election, a fact that was pointed out in an NDP brochure which also slammed him for his work as a lawyer.

However, most candidates suggested that LeClerc’s situation otherwise played little role in the campaign.

The NDP had not won the seat since 1995 but Dyky, a health-care facilities manager, and party officials said a simmering undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the government over issues such as health care and cost of living had made Saskatoon Northwest winnable.

Both parties poured resources into the seat, each saying they would hit the Elections Saskatchewan spending limits for both party and candidate.

But NDP Leader Dwain Lingenfelter said Monday the party always knew Saskatoon Northwest — “one of our toughest urban seats” — would be a longshot.

“The strength of the campaign, if they had a strength, was their candidate Gord Wyant. He’s a very popular civic leader, he’s well-known, he’s been around for many years. Jan Dyky is new in the game,” said Lingenfelter, who rejected the notion the byelection win was a vote of confidence in the government and Wall.

“In a way, I suppose I hope he continues to believe that because the fact of the matter is that a lot of the people in the province aren’t happy with Premier Wall.”

Lingenfelter also scoffed at the Sask. Party claiming the high ground, noting the televised ad campaigns that have been targeting him specifically for most of the year.

Dyky said she was happy with the progress made during the 28-day campaign and said she intended to stand again in the 2011 general election.

This was the fourth byelection since the Sask. Party took office in 2007 but the first where the NDP had a chance to take a seat back from the government. The party did improve its vote to 33 per cent.

The three other parties contesting the race ended up being non-factors, with third-place Liberal Eric Steiner, fourth-place Progressive Conservative Manny Sonnenschein and fifth-place Green Party Leader Larissa Shasko each taking well under five per cent of the vote.

Voter turnout was 55 per cent.

Wall wouldn’t comment about what specific role Wyant would play in government beyond serving as MLA. He has said he does not intend to shuffle his cabinet before the next election.

Wyant’s victory will force a byelection to fill his city council seat.

After years of non-partisan civic politics, Wyant will enter one of the most partisan and hard-edged legislatures in years.

“I’m a very easygoing guy so we’ll have to wait and see how the partisan piece plays. But I’m confident I can adjust to it,” he told reporters.

jwood@thestarphoenix.com

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