Moe coy on potential snap election
REGINA Both of Saskatchewan’s major parties look like they’re already in campaign mode, as the spring sitting of the Legislative Assembly opened with no clarity about whether the premier will call a snap election.
Premier Scott Moe has previously indicated the government is still planning an October election, but he has refused to rule out setting an earlier date. On Monday, he said the Saskatchewan Party is prepared.
“There’s been a number of individuals that have called for myself to receive a mandate. It’s not uncustomary to go to the polls after four years of service as a government,” he told reporters in the rotunda of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building.
The previous general election was held on April 4, 2016.
“We’re ready to go any day,” Moe added. “However, we’re planning for October the 26.”
Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili pressed Moe to commit one way or the other.
“When will the people of Saskatchewan be going to the polls?” asked Meili during question period. “Straight answer.”
But Moe declined to even broach the question. Instead he launched into an attack on Meili’s past statements of support for carbon pricing. He tested out a slogan that mimics Saskatchewan Party advertising.
“We have a leader of the Opposition that is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Justin Trudeau,” said Moe. “And he quite simply is not on our side.”
Meili denied supporting the federal carbon pricing plan and turned the tables on Moe, suggesting it’s the premier who loves the tax — and the political distraction it creates.
“Every time we talk about the problems in our economy, he talks about carbon tax,” said Meili. “Every time we talk about the problems in health care and education, he talks about carbon tax.
“The fact of the matter is, he could have come up with a better plan, but he didn’t want to. Why would he kill the goose that laid the political golden egg?”
‘RECORD IS ABYSMAL’
Moe said Meili’s promises would push Saskatchewan $1 billion into the red, and castigated the record of the past NDP government for closing schools and hospitals.
But Meili countered the past two years matter more than what happened 12 years ago. He pointed to slow wage growth, high rates of child poverty and nation-leading bankruptcy figures.
“Their record is abysmal and getting worse,” he said.
Meili tried to connect those figures to Moe’s stewardship. But the premier noted that Saskatchewan is an “economy based on exports” that is facing “headwinds,” natural resource challenges and a “regulatory environment that is coming from Ottawa.”
After question period, Moe walked back comments he made Friday in Estevan, where he suggested that the economic uncertainty caused by the novel coronavirus outbreaks could be a reason for an early election.
“That would not be a factor in calling the election,” he said Monday.
But he declined to specify which factors would matter, or what could happen this spring to push him to move the date. He would only point to “a number of factors” that are impacting the economy.
Meili criticized the premier’s obscurity in remarks to reporters.
“It’s pretty clear that the premier is playing political games when it comes to the question of election timing,” he said.
“He should be straightforward with the people of Saskatchewan.”
The Saskatchewan NDP has just 30 candidates nominated for the race, far fewer than the Saskatchewan Party.
But Meili said the party has “contingency plans” to help it deal with the uncertainty.
“We’re always working to get ready for an election,” said Meili.
“This will speed some things up.”