New Saskatchewan premier faces challenge keeping competing interests happy
REGINA — Political experts in Saskatchewan say the province’s new premier has to figure out how to keep fiscal conservatives happy, while also winning the trust of many voters who were dismayed by last year’s austerity budget.
Scott Moe, who won the Saskatchewan Party leadership on Saturday, will also have to find a balance between urban and rural voters, and figure out whether he wants to wait for the next scheduled election in 2020 to seek a mandate.
“I’m one of these people that doesn’t think they’ll wait until 2020, frankly. I would expect an election sometime in 2019,” said Tom McIntosh, professor of politics and international studies at the University of Regina.
“It’s just an awfully long time to go without a mandate. Possibly two years without an actual mandate of your own — that can cause a few problems.”