REGINA - Results are in for the Saskatchewan provincial by-elections held Thursday, and the NDP are winners in two of the three ridings.
With all polls reporting In Regina Walsh Acres, the NDP's Jared Clarke is the winner with 2395 votes for 54 per cent compared to 1783 votes for 40.2 percent for Nevin Markwart of the Sask Party. Rose Buscholl of the Progressive Conservatives received 215 and Joseph Reynolds of the Green Party 38.
With all polls reporting in Regina Coronation Park, Noor Burki was the easy winner with 2039 votes for 56.6 per cent of the vote compared to 1131 votes and 31.4 per cent for Riaz Ahmad of the Sask Party. Olasehinde Ben Adebayo of the Progressive Conservatives ran third with 222 votes, Kendra Anderson of the Green Party received 122 votes, and Reid Hill of the Sask. Progress Party received 85.
In Lumsden-Morse with all 23 polls reporting Blaine McLeod has held on for the Sask Party with 2648 votes or 53.7 per cent, compared to 1121 or 22.7 per cent for Jon Hromek of the Sask United Party, and 1064 or 21.6 per cent for Kaitlyn Stadnyk of the NDP. Les Guillemin of the Buffalo Party got 56 votes for 1.1 per cent while Isaiah Hunter of the Green Party got 38 votes for 0.8 per cent.
The results spell bad news for the Sask Party, with the government losing two of the three seats that they held in the legislature. The results also bring to 14 the number of seats the NDP hold in the legislature, which is their largest seat count since 2011.
The NDP were jubilant at their victory celebration at the Hilton DoubleTree in downtown Regina, where leader Carla Beck celebrated the wins of Clarke and Burki. She attributes the win to "hard work" and dedication, noting the candidates had knocked or doors "three or four times."
"They were talking about the things people on the doorsteps wanted to hear, wanted to have us raising, but to actually see the results that these candidates brought in, all three of them, results that we haven't seen for a very long time out there not only gives us a lot of hope -- I think you saw it in the room and I think there are others out there who will see that the NDP is not out here looking for second place. We are serious about forming government in 2024 and we just got a little step closer to that tonight."
Burki pointed to affordability as an issue he had heard at the doorsteps from voters.
"The grocery prices went up... energy power rates that went (up) almost three times in eight months, it was frustrating. People were really angry on that and that was one of the main concerns of people on the doorstep."
Clarke said he was "honoured to serve in Regina Walsh Acres, serve with Carla Beck and the Saskatchewan NDP to find solutions for the problems that people are facing in this province right now."
"Again, we've got a government that doesn't seem interested in finding those solutions and I know I've been out on the doorstep with Carla for weeks now, and we've knocked on doors together and to listen to her leadership, listen to her listening to the people in this province, and what needs to be changed and what needs to be better, I'm just excited for the challenge."
