Name (required):

  Expression ^{(Optional mood/title along with your name) Examples: (happy, sad, The Joyful, etc.) help)}

  E-mail address (optional):

* Type your message here:
>There are a handful of competitive seats, though the >largest number are in Saskatoon. > >There are possibly four seats in Regina where the NDP >is potentially vulnerable: > >Regina South -- the NDP won this seat for the first >time ever in 1991, with former Crown Prosecutor Serge >Kujawa. As Serge became increasingly pixelated >towards the end of that Legislature, he chose not to >run again. The NDP candidate, Andrew Thomson, had >actually run with the expectation of losing and going >on to greater things later. Much to his surprize, he >won in 1995 and was re-elected in 1999. The youngest >member of the NDP caucus through most of that period, >he was in an awkward spot since Roy Romanow, who was >Attourney-General and Deputy Premier at 29, refused to >consider anyone under the age of 39 for Cabinet. >Appointed to Cabinet by Calvert, Thomson has performed >reasonably well. The Liberal candidate is former >Catholic school trustee, Debbie Ward, who has also >served as president of the Saskatchewan School >Trustees Association and of the national organization >for Catholic school trustees. She is possibly the >strongest Liberal candidate in the province. The >SaskParty candidate is a real estate agent of no >particular profile -- and the SP is running third in >Regina. But if the momentum shifts to a sweep, he >could be a factor. > >Regina Wascana Plains -- Doreen Hamilton, the MLA >since 1991, routinely topped the polls when she ran >for city council and briefly served as mayopr of >Regina when Larry Schneider was elected to Parliament >one month before the civic elections in 1988. >Unfortunately, her service in Cabinet was >undistinguished, and she really got nailed by the SIGA >scandal, where the CEO of the Saskatchewan Indian >Gaming Authority had been getting outrageous >compensation and expense allowance. Ironicaly, the >fact that the story became a scandal was because the >system had caught up to Dutch Lerat, so really Doreen >was brought down by the fact the regulatory system >worked. The seat also includes a significant number >of neighbourhoods that are not natural NDP territory. >The Liberals are running prominent businessman Frank >Proto and the SaskParty another businessman, Dan >Thibaut. This has the best chance of becoming a three >way race between the major parties on election night. > >Regina Qu'Appelle Valley -- United Church and Highways >Minister Mark Wartman was first elected in 1999. He >has been effective as an MLA and in Cabinet, but his >SaskParty opponent, Darlene Hincks, has lots of >exposure as a city councillor for about 20 years. >Also, parts of this seat are not natural NDP territory. > >Regina Walsh Acres -- This should be a safe NDP seat, >but the former MLA, Lindy Kasperski, quit the party >after he was challenged for the nomination. At the >end of the day, a Safeway clerk outorganized Jason >Nystrom, son of MP Lorne Nystrom to take the NDP nod. >The problem is not so much the SP or Lib opponent as >the possibility that Kasperski, running as an >independent, may split the vote. > >There are also a few rural seats worth watching: > >In Saskatchewan Rivers, SaskParty incumbent Darrel >Wiberg made an idiot of himself, first opposing, then >supporting, then opposing, then supporting a forestry >centre in Prince Albert. His position on this >initiative switched so many times, most of us are >cloudy as to where he ended up. > >In Weyburn - Big Muddy, SaskParty incumbent Brenda >Bakken should have been virtually invulnerable after >she used he influence as a former franchisee to >persuade Dairy Queen to use all Canadian beef in their >hamburgers. But Hermanson is not letting her make hay >with that issue. Her campaign almost seems to be >getting undermined from the centre. The NDP have >nominated Sherry Leach, prominent in the business and >education communities -- who got some additional >profile in the leadup to the election as a regular >participant in a CBC TV political panel. This seat is >the only one in the province sure to elect a woman >MLA, since all the major party candidates are women. > >North Battleford -- I'm hearing that Liberal incumbent >Jack Hillson is in third. The NDP candidate, Len >Taylor, is a former MP (the first incumbent to be >re-elected in the NB seat since the 1950s, winning in >1988 and 1993) and he topped the civic ballot in 2000. > The SaskParty has nominated a successful auto dealer. > The cryptosporidium issue is important here, but >Hillson was a member of the city council that chose >not to upgrade the water treatment plant. > >Wood River SaskParty incumbent Delmar (Yogi) >Huygebaert is a complete loon. The former Snowbird >stunt pilot wanders around the seat nattering on about >the fight against communism. Still, it could be a >long shot for NDP candidate Trevor Davies to knock him >off this round. But Davies is young. > >Melville Saltcoats will also be a three way race, >maybe. But the Liberals will not be a factor here. >The third candidate is former Tory MLA Grant Schmidt, >who won the SaskParty nomination but was ousted as the >candidate by the SP's utter contempt for democracy. >Schmidt, it should be noted, won the nomination by a >substantial margin, at a convention held as far as >geographically possible from hi Melville power base. >As a result, while it could be a three way race, >chances are you can stick a fork in SaskParty >candidate Bob Bjornrud (how do you get ben-rod out of >that?). The NDP candidate is former Liberal Ron Osika.

Notice: Copies of your message may remain on this and other systems on internet. Please be respectful.