Questions surround future by-election for Saskatoon Meeswasin
The seat currently held by Saskatchewan NDP leader Ryan Meili will be up for grabs within six months of his resignation.
Ryan Meili’s recent announcement that he is leaving politics hasn’t given Premier Scott Moe much time to think about a by-election date.
“I haven’t had a lot of time to think about when the appropriate time for that by-election would be,” he explained. “Once we know we certainly will announce it.”
Meili will leave office on July 1st, just a few days after his successor as party leader is chosen. Two people are currently in the running for the position, Regina Lakeview MLA Carla Beck and Saskatoon lawyer Kaitlyn Harvey.
Harvey does not hold a seat in the legislature and could seek to run in Meili’s Saskatoon Meewasin constituency regardless of whether or not she wins the leadership. That by-election likely won’t happen until the fall.
Meewasin was a very close race in 2020. The NDP narrowly won the constituency with 51 per cent of the vote.
The Sask. Party came in second with 46 per cent of the vote with the Green Party distantly following with 3 per cent.
In addition to the Green Party, there could be a new political movement in the race, the Saskatchewan United Party.
Independent MLA Nadine Wilson has attended some Saskatchewan United meetings but hasn’t indicated whether she would be willing to affiliate with them.
“Well I take each day as it comes,” said Wilson. “So I can’t answer that right now.”
The premier believes a second by-election is warranted.
“I’ve been quite clear with respect to Nadine Wilson in Saskatchewan Rivers. She wasn’t elected as an independent. She was elected as a Saskatchewan Party candidate,” he said. “If she’s so confident that she has the support that she feels she has in her constituency, she should put her name on a ballot.”
Wilson is entitled to serve her four year term without facing a by-election although the premier has said he is willing to hold a vote in her Saskatchewan Rivers constituency at the same time as Saskatoon Meewasin.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
NEW High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.