School trustee gets Sask. Party byelection nod
Cameron Scott acclaimed as nominee for upcoming Saskatoon Fairview race
Saskatoon public school board trustee Cameron Scott was acclaimed as the Saskatchewan Party candidate for the upcoming Saskatoon Fairview byelection.
On Thursday, the party issued a news release announcing it had selected Scott, a former corrections officer, noting his time as a school board trustee and in public service “gives him a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing Saskatoon and the province.”
“I’m very humbled to be able to represent the Sask. Party in this upcoming election and I’m excited to get on the proverbial campaign trail and get in contact with people in the neighbourhood and in the constituency,” Scott said, adding he hopes to bring a middle class, blue-collar point of view to the Saskatchewan legislature.
“That’s, I think, something that’s important, is to be able to be the voice of the community and to be able to provide that input to help keep maintaining the Saskatchewan advantage and keeping our province going and moving in the right direction.”
The Saskatoon Fairview seat opened in June when Sask. Party MLA Jennifer Campeau left politics for the private sector.
She won the constituency, which includes the Confederation Park, Pacific Heights and Kensington neighbourhoods, by less than 200 votes in 2016.
Sask. Party spokesman Dale Richardson said the executive has “a lot of confidence” in Scott as a candidate.
“The last election, it was of course very close, but Cameron is a pretty well-known guy in that area,” he said, noting Scott toppled longtime school board trustee Dan Danielson to win his seat on the board.
“Cameron works hard, he’s a very good campaigner.”
University of Saskatchewan political scientist Joe Garcea said an acclamation can have advantages and disadvantages, noting while a nomination period can serve as a time to assemble a campaign team, acclamation allows the candidate to focus on the election ahead rather than the nomination.
While Sask. Party support across Saskatchewan is still strong, the Saskatoon Fairview constituency has been a close race in the last two provincial elections, and this may have discouraged people from coming forward for a Sask. Party nomination, Garcea said.
“It’s by no means a safe seat for the Sask. Party and that may explain in part why there’s not the same degree of willingness to contest the nomination.”
Scott was the only person to file papers on time for the Sask. Party. Meanwhile, three people are making bids for the opposition NDP nomination: former MLA candidate Vicki Mowat, alongside Chris Sicotte, who works as the business development manager of Indigenous partnerships with Affinity Credit Union, and Saskatoon educator Keith Jorgenson.
Mowat, a University of Saskatchewan instructor who lost to Campeau by only 194 votes in 2016, said from her perspective people are “ready to get involved” in the nomination process. Cuts outlined in the recent provincial budget indicate the Sask. Party is “out of touch” with Saskatchewan voters, she said.
John Tzupa, provincial secretary for the NDP, said the party “instantly saw a lot of interest” from people seeking the nomination.
“We have a great race that will come to a conclusion on Monday night (July 24) and we’re really excited about getting our candidate in place,” he said.
Under provincial legislation, the byelection must be held within six months of the seat opening up, so Saskatoon Fairview voters will head to the polls by the end of December.