It seems my election prediction may be off by one seat but it may be a while before the final results are in.
Although fixed election dates seem to be a reasonable action, it seems that Wall is bound to move quickly on more questionable policies such as his Enterprise Saskatchewan group. This group could steer the Saskatchewan economy in a very right wing direction. It remains to be seen if NDP fears were warranted.
New Sask. premier sets fixed election dates
James Wood
CanWest News Service
Thursday, November 08, 2007
REGINA -- Fresh from a major victory in the provincial election, Saskatchewan premier-designate Brad Wall is making plans already for the next one.
To keep a long-standing party promise of fixed election dates, the Saskatchewan Party leader announced Thursday morning that the next election will be held on Nov. 7, 2011, exactly four years after Wednesday's provincial vote that saw the NDP swept from power after 16 years.
"My goal is to have this legislation, and some other legislative items, ready for discussion in a December session of the Saskatchewan legislature," said Mr. Wall, looking relaxed and confident as he spoke to reporters in the Opposition caucus room.
Other key items the new government expects to move on early include new balanced-budget legislation and establishing Enterprise Saskatchewan, a new public-private partnership of stakeholder groups that will oversee economic development in the province.
"We are in the process of identifying now which ones we can move on quickly, immediately and which ones may need legislative support," he said.
Wall met with outgoing NDP Premier Lorne Calvert on Thursday morning and said Nov. 21 has tentatively been set as the swearing-in date for the new Saskatchewan Party majority government.
Just how many Saskatchewan Party MLAs will be sworn in is still uncertain, however. Mr. Wall said that the deputy returning officer in Meadow Lake had advised the party that one poll count had been reversed -- that former Conservative MP Jeremy Harrison, running for the Saskatchewan Party, now had a 17-vote lead over veteran NDP cabinet minister Maynard Sonntag.
Absentee ballots still need to be counted and nothing is official.
If Mr. Harrison's lead holds, the Saskatchewan Party will hold 38 seats in the legislature to the NDP's 20.
In a wide-ranging news conference, Mr. Wall said the Saskatchewan Party still wants the same equalization deal as other provinces when it comes to natural resources, which would mean more federal dollars for Saskatchewan.
But he said he could not comment on whether his government will continue the constitutional challenge over equalization filed by Mr. Calvert's government against the federal Conservative government until he sees the legal opinions.
"I believe there is an imperative for the federal government to be investing in the priorities of Saskatchewan," he said.
Mr. Wall did say that a Saskatchewan Party government will drop the province's financial support for agricultural groups that have challenged the federal government's push to scrap the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on barley sales.
jwood@sp.canwest.com
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Showing posts with label Sask. election results final. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sask. election results final. Show all posts
Thursday, November 8, 2007
My prediction is right on: Sask Electiion Results final
I can't believe it but the patterns in the seed scattered below my feeder when carefully examined enabled me to predict the exact seat numbers: 37 Sask Party and 21 NDP! I must patent the method. It is better than traditional bird augury that involves examining entrails. PETA would have a fit if that were adopted again.
Saskatchewan Party wins majority government
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 7, 2007 | 8:51 PM CT
CBC News
Only 10 years into its existence as a political force, the Saskatchewan Party will form a majority government and its leader Brad Wall will be the new premier.
With all polls reporting, the party led since 2004 by the Swift Current native was elected in 37 constituencies.
Leader Brad Wall speaks to supporters after winning a majority government.
(CBC)
"I'm just very encouraged and humbled," Wall told cheering supporters in Swift Current. "I am going to work very, very hard to not let you down."
Born in Swift Current, Wall has been involved in politics for virtually all of his adult life. He was a ministerial assistant in the dying days of Grant Devine's regime, a connection the NDP would later try to use against him.
Following the resignation of former Saskatchewan Party leader Elwin Hermanson, Wall quickly emerged as the front-runner for the leadership and ran unchallenged. His family includes wife Tami and three children.
'The people have spoken'
Lorne Calvert's NDP was elected in 21 constituencies. That compares with the 30 seats the party held before the election was called Oct. 10. The Saskatchewan Party had 28 seats in the 58-seat legislative assembly.
The Saskatchewan Party received about 51 per cent of the popular vote, while the NDP received 37 per cent.
"The people of our province have spoken," Calvert said in his concession speech. "They have said it was time for a change."
The Liberals won no seats, with Liberal Leader David Karwacki failing to take Saskatoon Meewasin for a second straight election. The Liberal share of the popular vote was about 10 per cent.
"I think we need to take a step back and see where the future might take us," said Karwacki's brother, Grant, who lost to New Democrat Pat Atkinson in the Saskatoon Nutana constituency.
Historic win for young party
The Saskatchewan Party's projected win comes 10 years after the party formed as a union of Liberal and Progressive Conservative MLAs.
The party's achievement Wednesday avenges the losses of 2003 and 1999. It also ends a 16-year NDP reign that began when Roy Romanow unseated Devine's PCs.
Over 28 days, the 2007 campaign had both Calvert and Wall making promises on improved prescription drug plans and tuition breaks for post-secondary students.
Calvert promised a second day-surgery centre for Saskatchewan. Wall said he would take the provincial sales tax off used cars. Both leaders said they had plans to recruit medical professionals and to help Saskatchewan reduce greenhouse gases.
Calvert told voters that at a time when the province was enjoying unprecedented prosperity, it didn't make sense to take the province in a different direction. Wall's response was that Calvert was looking at his record through rose-coloured glasses and that the real legacy of the NDP was broken-down highways and lengthy surgical waiting lists.
A debate on Oct. 10 gave the three leaders an opportunity to expound on their platforms and take some digs at each other, but there were no knockout blows.
Although the Liberals had candidates in all constituencies, Karwacki admitted from the outset that the party couldn't win, and he said he would focus mainly on urban ridings, including his own constituency.
Four other parties, the Progressive Conservatives, the Green Party, the Marijuana Party and the Western Independence Party, fielded candidates, but none had a full slate and ended up taking less than three per cent of the popular vote.
Voter turnout was 74 per cent, up slightly from the 2003 election.
about?
Saskatchewan Party wins majority government
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 7, 2007 | 8:51 PM CT
CBC News
Only 10 years into its existence as a political force, the Saskatchewan Party will form a majority government and its leader Brad Wall will be the new premier.
With all polls reporting, the party led since 2004 by the Swift Current native was elected in 37 constituencies.
Leader Brad Wall speaks to supporters after winning a majority government.
(CBC)
"I'm just very encouraged and humbled," Wall told cheering supporters in Swift Current. "I am going to work very, very hard to not let you down."
Born in Swift Current, Wall has been involved in politics for virtually all of his adult life. He was a ministerial assistant in the dying days of Grant Devine's regime, a connection the NDP would later try to use against him.
Following the resignation of former Saskatchewan Party leader Elwin Hermanson, Wall quickly emerged as the front-runner for the leadership and ran unchallenged. His family includes wife Tami and three children.
'The people have spoken'
Lorne Calvert's NDP was elected in 21 constituencies. That compares with the 30 seats the party held before the election was called Oct. 10. The Saskatchewan Party had 28 seats in the 58-seat legislative assembly.
The Saskatchewan Party received about 51 per cent of the popular vote, while the NDP received 37 per cent.
"The people of our province have spoken," Calvert said in his concession speech. "They have said it was time for a change."
The Liberals won no seats, with Liberal Leader David Karwacki failing to take Saskatoon Meewasin for a second straight election. The Liberal share of the popular vote was about 10 per cent.
"I think we need to take a step back and see where the future might take us," said Karwacki's brother, Grant, who lost to New Democrat Pat Atkinson in the Saskatoon Nutana constituency.
Historic win for young party
The Saskatchewan Party's projected win comes 10 years after the party formed as a union of Liberal and Progressive Conservative MLAs.
The party's achievement Wednesday avenges the losses of 2003 and 1999. It also ends a 16-year NDP reign that began when Roy Romanow unseated Devine's PCs.
Over 28 days, the 2007 campaign had both Calvert and Wall making promises on improved prescription drug plans and tuition breaks for post-secondary students.
Calvert promised a second day-surgery centre for Saskatchewan. Wall said he would take the provincial sales tax off used cars. Both leaders said they had plans to recruit medical professionals and to help Saskatchewan reduce greenhouse gases.
Calvert told voters that at a time when the province was enjoying unprecedented prosperity, it didn't make sense to take the province in a different direction. Wall's response was that Calvert was looking at his record through rose-coloured glasses and that the real legacy of the NDP was broken-down highways and lengthy surgical waiting lists.
A debate on Oct. 10 gave the three leaders an opportunity to expound on their platforms and take some digs at each other, but there were no knockout blows.
Although the Liberals had candidates in all constituencies, Karwacki admitted from the outset that the party couldn't win, and he said he would focus mainly on urban ridings, including his own constituency.
Four other parties, the Progressive Conservatives, the Green Party, the Marijuana Party and the Western Independence Party, fielded candidates, but none had a full slate and ended up taking less than three per cent of the popular vote.
Voter turnout was 74 per cent, up slightly from the 2003 election.
about?
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