Former Member of Parliament Rob Clarke announced he would be among the contenders for leadership of the Saskatchewan Party in a Facebook live video on
Nov. 15.
Clarke is the sixth person to announce a bid for the party’s leadership and the only candidate who is not a current Saskatchewan Party MLA.
In his rhetoric so far, Clarke has targeted the opposition NDP, as well as the establishment of the Saskatchewan Party itself, saying he would create change in provincial political culture if elected.
“All the candidates in the race are talking about renewal, but they only represent more of the same,” he said in his campaign announcement.
From 2008 to 2015, Clarke served as the MP for Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River, which includes the entire north of Saskatchewan, including Creighton, Denare Beach, Pelican Narrows, and Sandy Bay. Clarke lost his spot to former La Loche Mayor Georgina Jolibois in 2015.
An RCMP officer by profession, Clarke has no previous experience in Saskatchewan provincial legislature. Despite his experience in federal politics, Clarke has never run for provincial office.
Clarke may find opposition in his own backyard, as northern Saskatchewan has been an area of wide NDP support in recent elections. Neither of the two largest provincial ridings in northern Saskatchewan have ever elected a Saskatchewan Party candidate.
Despite announcing his campaign a day before the last Saskatchewan Party leadership debate – held in North Battleford on Nov. 16 – Clarke did not take part in the debate. Party officials said Clarke’s absence was due to not having fully submitted his campaign papers.
Clarke intends to take part in the two remaining debates in Weyburn on Nov. 30 and in Regina on Dec. 7.
