Political pundits largely had Saskatoon-Grasswood and Saskatoon-University leaning towards the Conservatives, while Saskatoon-West was considered a toss-up between the NDP and Conservatives.
Though the finish line is in sight for the federal election candidates on Monday, campaigning won’t stop until the polls close. That was evident in Saskatoon’s Caswell Hill neighbourhood, where volunteers were going door-to-door in the final hours in a Saskatchewan riding deemed too close to call.
Sheri Benson, the NDP incumbent in Saskatoon West, is running neck-and-neck with Conservative challenger Brad Redekopp in a race watched closely not only locally but also with a keen eye by their party’s leaders. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh both visited Saskatchewan once during the campaign and each chose to spend that visit in Saskatoon-West with their respective candidates, suggesting both believed it would be close.
One of Benson’s volunteers, who was making his way down a leafy street in the neighbourhood thought to be a bastion of support for 56-year-old Benson, acknowledged that it is likely to be a tight race and said he had been to around 20 homes. Down the street, another volunteer, clipboard in hand, made his rounds.
Stacey Dyck-Jiricka, Benson’s campaign manager, said around 325 people were volunteering to reach out to potential voters.
“We’re driving folks like we’ve never driven folks before,” she said.
“We know it’s not a runaway for us by any means,” Dyck-Jiricka said, adding that it remains unclear how the NDP’s recent surge nationally, driven by leader Jagmeet Singh’s debate performances, will affect Saskatoon West.
Volunteers from other Conservative campaigns in the Saskatoon area, meanwhile, joined members of Saskatoon West candidate Redekopp’s team for last-minute flyer drop-offs and help with get-out-the-vote efforts. One staffer said around 200 volunteers had been pounding the pavement since Monday morning.
Sprawling across the Saskatoon’s west side, Saskatoon West is the most diverse and least affluent of the three constituencies covering the city. Like each riding in Saskatoon, it was redrawn in 2012 ahead of the 2015 election.
Benson has hoped her constituency work over the last four years would be an asset while Redekopp campaigned on a desire for change in government.
Benson, a former chief executive officer of the United Way in Saskatoon, was convinced to enter politics ahead of the 2015 election, and is favourably regarded by people across the political spectrum. Redekopp, a homebuilder who lives in Warman, lost the nomination in Saskatoon-University to former Saskatchewan Party MLA Corey Tochor before winning the chance to represent the Conservatives in Saskatoon-West.
Also on the ballot this year in Saskatoon West are Liberal candidate Shah Rukh, Green Party candidate Shawn Setyo and People’s Party candidate Isaac Hayes.
In the 2015 election, Benson received 14,921 votes, finishing ahead of Conservative candidate Randy Donauer, who received 12,401.
Political pundits largely had Saskatoon-Grasswood and Saskatoon-University leaning towards the Conservatives, while Saskatoon-West was considered a toss-up between the NDP and Conservatives LINDSEY WASSON / REUTERS
Conservatives are widely expected to claim the other two Bridge City ridings.
Incumbent Kevin Waugh is favoured to win in Saskatoon-Grasswood while Corey Tochor, who stepped down as a Saskatchewan Party MLA to take a run at federal politics, was tracking to win in Saskatoon-University.
Saskatoon-University and the riding that preceded it have long been a bastion of support for the Conservatives, with outgoing MP Brad Trost representing the region for the previous 15 years. In the 2015 campaign, Trost won by nearly 4,500 votes over NDP candidate Claire Card.
Running against Tochor on Monday are NDP candidate Card, Liberal candidate Susan Hayton, People’s Party candidate Guto Penteado, Green Party candidate Jan Norris and Christian Heritage Party candidate Jeff Willerton.
Like Saskatoon-University, Saskatoon–Grasswood is comparatively affluent and well-educated. The largest and most rural riding in Saskatoon, Waugh’s riding was expected to be a safe one for the Conservatives. Waugh won the seat by more than 5,000 votes in 2015.
Also running in Saskatoon-Grasswood are Liberal candidate Tracy Muggli, NDP contender Erika Ritchie, People’s Party candidate Mark Friesen and Neil Sinclair with the Green Party.
Cheryl Loadman, who ran Ritchie’s campaign, said her initial sense was that turnout for the party, which finished second in the riding four years ago, was “really good,” in part due to “soft” Liberal voters opting to vote for the New Democrats. Loadman said around 150 volunteers were out working for Ritchie’s campaign on election day.
The NDP’s message, she said, has “resounded well on the doorsteps.”
Kelly Block, the Conservative incumbent in the Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek riding just outside Saskatoon, was done the heavy lifting on Monday after more than a month of campaigning. In the final hours, she was encouraging voters to exercise their right to vote.
“We ran an exceptional campaign for a large, rural riding,” said Josh Boyes, Block’s campaign manager.
“In an urban riding, you can be on any doorstep in the riding in 20 minutes,” he added, contrasting that with drives of well over one hour in Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek.
