Caronport dairy farmer Blaine McLeod was the sole Saskatchewan Party candidate to win a seat in Thursday's provincial byelection.
McLeod picked up 53.7 per cent of the vote (2,648 ballots) in Lumsden-Morse, with Jon Hromek of the Saskatchewan United Party coming in a distant second with 22.7 per cent (1,121 ballots). Kaitlyn Stadnyk of the Saskatchewan NDP was a close third at 21.6 per cent (1,064 ballots).
In Regina, the NDP was able to take two longtime seats away from the Sask. Party.
Noor Burki was the top vote-getter in Regina Coronation Park receiving 56.6 per cent of the vote (2,039 ballots), while Jared Clarke garnered 54 per cent of votes (2,395 ballots) in Regina Walsh Acres. The Saskatchewan Party had held those two seats since 2011.
McLeod will replace long-time Saskatchewan Party MLA and former agriculture minister Lyle Stewart who announced he was stepping down due to health reasons in March.
Stewart had been MLA in Lumsden-Morse since the constituency was created ahead of the 2016 provincial election.
McLeod says the results from Thursday's byelection indicated what he was seeing as he knocked on doors, that there was some discontent and that the Saskatchewan United Party would likely take away some votes that had traditionally belonged to the Sask. Party.
"For me, it was what I expected in terms of that level of support but I hoped for better but that's a voice that we need to address and we need to make sure that we are listening to the concerns that they brought forward because that's people that formally voted for the Sask. Party," he said. "We ignore them at our peril."
Bringing back those lost votes will be a key focus for McLeod going forward.
"I think time is one of the factors that needs to be there. It's not just Covid that was the concern, there were other things, loss of what they think is freedoms and democratic principles. I'm not going to say I agree with all the things that they brought to the table but there were some concerns that were very real and need to be addressed. We will do that and we will make sure that families are the important part in the equation as kids are educated in this province, which is one of the wedge issues that they brought forward. The situation that happened in Lumsden, that should never have happened and so we want to make sure that families are engaged again in a very real way in terms of the education that's brought to their children. We can't forget that."
When discussing the defeat in Regina, McLeod says it's always a difficult thing when a governing party loses seats.
"The Sask. Party has governed since 2007 and has done a remarkable job of bringing good economic growth and opportunities for the people of Saskatchewan. Let's never forget that. They are saying in Regina that we'd like you to do better and so let's listen to that. Let's provide the things that the Saskatchewan people are asking for and we are responding in significant ways to it. Healthcare being one, we've been very aggressive in terms of trying to make sure that we recruit, we train, we incentivize, and we retain all of the healthcare workers that we need in this province."
McLeod admits he'll have some big shoes to fill taking over for Lyle Stewart, who joined McLeod at his downtown Moose Jaw office Thursday night to watch as the results came in and to offer his congratulations.
"He built up a solid rapport across this constituency and served for 23 and a half years," remarked McLeod. "I don't know all the people that Lyle knew. As a dairy farmer, I've been pretty close to home. When you run a dairy farm, it doesn't leave a lot of downtime for extra involvement but we've always managed to be engaged and involved. This will take quite a bit more commitment on my part to get to know and to understand the people across this constituency."
The new MLA for Lumsden-Morse revealed that going forward he will be sharing an office at 99 Diefenbaker Drive with Moose Jaw North MLA Tim McLeod (no relation to Blaine).
"I intend to have a presence in that office on a regular basis so that it's a point of focus for the constituency in terms of meeting needs and being available for conversations. That's one thing that I want to bring to the table and make sure that the constituency is acknowledged and has a point of contact at all times."
McLeod noted that he wants to remain engaged on the farm in addition to his new job in politics.
"I think it's really important that you stay engaged in your field of employment that you've been involved in and for me that's the dairy industry and agriculture as whole. This is a rural riding. I understand agriculture. I know the cost, I know the expenses, I know the challenges, I know what grasshoppers can do, I know what drought brings and all those things that put heavy, heavy cost on people."
McLeod has been a dairy farmer for 42 years. He operates Caroncrest Farms Ltd. with his sons and previously served as the Saskatchewan director with Dairy Farmers of Canada. He and his wife Marlie have lived in the hamlet of Caron since 1975 and have three children and 10 grandchildren.
Saskatchewan's next general election is scheduled to take place in October 2024.
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