Saskatchewan Party’s Everett Hindley re-elected in Swift Current
Swift Current voters re-elected Saskatchewan Party candidate Everett Hindley in the provincial election, Oct. 26.
His win in Swift Current was part of a decisive victory by the Saskatchewan Party, which secured its fourth consecutive majority mandate since first coming to power in 2007.
Hindley first became the elected representative of the city after a by-election in March 2018, when he won 73.4 per cent of the vote. His support in the 2020 provincial election increased to nearly 80 per cent of votes counted, but the current result excludes the votes by mail ballot.
Hindley received 5,240 votes in the provincial election. Stefan Rumpel of the Saskatchewan NDP was supported by 1,230 voters. George Watson of the of the Saskatchewan Green Party received 112 votes.
Hindley watched the election night results with a small group of supporters at his campaign office in Swift Current.
“It's a bit of a relief,” he said about his re-election during an interview with media. “This has been the third time in three years for me between a nomination meeting and a by-election a couple of years ago and now this one. So I think I'm campaigned out for the next little while. So it's nice to have been re-elected.”
He thanked his family for their support and he thanked the Swift Current voters for again providing him with the honour to serve as their MLA.
This election campaign took place during a global pandemic, which was also evident at his campaign office. There was a limit on the number of people in the office, and temperature checks were done on everyone.
“It was an interesting campaign, obviously because of the COVID stuff,” he said. “It was a different type of campaign for us. You could see tonight, a maximum of 15 people allowed in the campaign office. So quite a bit different from two years ago when we had the by-election win and there was a big crowd there.”
He felt the pandemic also played a role in the decision made by voters during the election about the party they want to support.
“It was a choice between the two main political parties as to which of these parties is best suited to lead the province through this pandemic and help recover the economy, and I think we've seen the results here loud and clear tonight in Swift Current and across Saskatchewan,” he said.
The Saskatchewan Party is the third incumbent party to secure a majority win during a provincial election held during this pandemic in Canada.
“I think it's stability that people are looking for and I think it's a reassurance from the people of the province and here in Swift Current that the government is on the right track,” he said about the Saskatchewan election. “In order for the government to change, the people have to be not only dissatisfied with the policies and the leadership of the current government, but they also have to be comfortable with what the opposition is proposing.”
He felt the Saskatchewan Party’s success to win four consecutive provincial elections since 2007 is a result of an ability to respond to what voters want.
“A party that responds to the people and listens to the people of their constituencies and reacts to what those people are looking for from a government,” he said. “I think we're seeing that tonight that the people in Swift Current and across the Saskatchewan are pleased with the direction that the Saskatchewan Party has been taking the province through this pandemic and they're satisfied with that direction in order to provide us with the opportunity to have a mandate here for another four years.”
His campaign used phone calls and social media to reach out and connect with voters, but they also still used the more traditional approach of door knocking. Hindley estimated he personally knocked on close to 6,000 doors of homes in Swift Current during the 28 days of the campaign.
“People were very appreciative I think that they had politicians to talk to them on the doorstep,” he said. “I know just in my personal interactions I had some great conversations with people and again, a little bit different. It wasn't the handshaking and the big rallies that we normally have, but it was good to go door to door nonetheless and speak to people face to face.”
He noted the overwhelming concern he heard from people during the campaign was related to the economy.
“By and large, people were most concerned about the state of the economy,” he said. “It's about the jobs, it's about being able to pay their bills. … People are concerned about is there going to be a second wave and how is that going to impact my job and my business, will I have to close down again. That's been the biggest question I think, because that affects everybody. If you aren't allowed to open or operate your business because of the restrictions, that's a serious concern.”
He pointed to several campaign promises made by the Saskatchewan Party that will be beneficial to residents of Swift Current and the southwest region.
“I think the home renovation tax credit will be beneficial to people, not only to home owners that are looking to perhaps do some renovations to their homes, but also to the local construction industry, the contractors here,” he said.
He also highlighted the party’s campaign promise to help seniors by reducing ambulance fees for them. There is the one-year, 10 per cent rebate on electricity charges for all SaskPower customers, including Light and Power customers in Swift Current. He referred to the increase in the Saskatchewan Advantage Scholarship, and the reduction of the small business tax rate for three years.
“So those are some of the key ones for this particular area, but I think there's a lot there that will benefit the people of Swift Current,” he said.
Hindley has served as legislative secretary to the minister of trade and export development and as the government whip for the Saskatchewan Party caucus since his election as MLA in 2018. He said he will be ready to serve in whatever capacity he is requested to by Premier Scott Moe, but his personal priority for the next four years will be to represent the people of Swift Current honourably and professionally in the legislative assembly.
“It's important for me as the MLA to have my ear to the ground, and to continue to talk to people as I always do, and to represent their views and hopefully address some of the concerns that they've seen,” he said.
The incumbent Saskatchewan Party candidates were also successful in the other constituencies in southwest Saskatchewan.
Doug Steele won the election in Cypress Hills with 4,508 votes. Crystal Tiringer of the Buffalo Party received 1,365 votes, the NDP’s Kelly Genert was supported by 603 voters, John Goohsen of the Progressive Conservative Party received 321 votes, and the Saskatchewan Green Party’s Dianna Holigroski received 105 votes.
David Marit was re-elected in Wood River with 6,133 votes. The NDP’s Roger Morgan received 956 votes and the Green Party’s Kimberly Soo Goodtrack received 235 votes.
All the above results exclude the mail ballots in each constituency, but these votes will not have an influence on the outcome due to the significant voter support for the winning candidates in each riding.