Although the official Saskatchewan Party leadership debates have wrapped up, candidates met for a panel in Yorkton on Thursday night.
The candidates chose to meet in the parkland to give Yorkton residents the chance to meet with leaders prior to the election of a new leader early next year.
“We thought it was important that the constituents here had a chance to see, meet and listen to the candidates,” said Brent Murdock, president of the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce.
The closest debate to Yorkton was in Regina in December.
“I had contemplated going down to Weyburn, but I was busy that night,” said Arlynn Kurtz, who came from Stockholm to take part in the panel. “My next option was to come here.”
Each of the five candidates was given initial questions for the panel and the rest came from the crowd. Topics ranged from the budget and taxes to land and water management.
“It changed my opinion on some of the candidates,” Kurtz said. “They actually impressed me more than, they’ve come up the scale, let’s put it that way, on where they were before I sat and listened to them.”
Although this panel was only for one party, the Yorkton Chamber said it would consider hosting a similar panel for NDP candidates when its leadership debate begins next year.
“It’s something that we think is important to do,” Murdock said. “We’ll try to do it again.”
Based on a report by CTV Yorkton's Cole Davenport
