The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
By-elections can be interesting, a predictor of things to come, a referendum on the governing party, or none of the above. The June 25 vote in the northeastern Saskatchewan riding of Cumberland was of considerable interest to the governing Saskatchewan Party, the defeated NDP, and those who want to see more government favours for the North. The NDP wanted to hang onto a seat they had held for decades, and also to show they still are a strong factor in the province. In last yearÕs general election, Joan Beatty, an NDP cabinet minister, raked in two-thirds of the vote even though most predicted the government would lose the province Ð not a great choice for the North. As we all know, Beatty was conned into running Liberal in the federal by-election by Stphane Dion, who didnÕt even allow a nomination meeting. Beatty caused a provincial by-election at a cost to the taxpayers of over $200,000. And for what? She was soundly defeated by Tory Rob Clarke. In the provincial by-election, most pundits predicted an NDP landslide, but why? Doyle Vermette was a good candidate, but he was well matched by the Sask PartyÕs Dale McAuley. Dale is articulate, well known, and had a strong message: ÒElect a government member and get things done for Cumberland.Ó Knocking on doors for Dale in Creighton and Denare Beach a few days before the vote, we found the message very acceptable to most voters, plus many who felt that Beatty betrayed the area, causing an unnecessary and costly by-election. The NDPÕs 66 per cent lead evaporated and McAuley almost won (he took Creighton and got over 80 per cent of the vote in Denare Beach.) A Sask Party insider told me that if more party people had made more effort in the by-election, Dale would have prevailed. Realistically, it would have been clever of the Cumberland voters to elect a government member. The Saskatchewan Party is solidly in control and an opposition member is powerless to get things for his/her area. What was needed in Cumberland was a cabinet minister with influence and power. Maybe next time. In Manitoba, the provincial electoral boundaries may be changing, as they do by law every decade, according to the population shifts. Often, but not always, this has been bad news for the governing party, as governments often change in the election following redistribution. Boundaries expert Jae Eadie, a former longtime Winnipeg city councillor, informed The Corner of a number of the proposed changes from the supposedly independent commission, and the changes sure do not favor the Tories, especially in their rural bastions. The commission was not allowed by law to increase the number of seats, which has been 57 for nearly 50 years. The number really should be increased by at least three seats to give the group some flexibility and prevent huge differences in size of the ridings, some of which are virtually impossible to represent for one MLA. The proposal for Flin Flon, for example, will include Churchill and Gillam, wrapping around Thompson. St. Rose and Springfield disappear into new ridings and Minnedosa and Russell are to be combined. Rupertsland shrinks and is almost totally on the east side of the province, representing reservations. In fairness, the commission only has an allowable 10 per cent difference in population between the ridings, giving it little flexibility in electoral map-making. Jae recommends a 20 per cent allowance, but the timid legislature would likely not agree. Public hearings on the proposed changes will take place next month, but donÕt expect too many changes. Readers may wish to view the proposals on the Manitoba Electoral Divisions Boundaries CommissionÕs website. RogerÕs Right Corner runs Wednesdays.
