Ryan Meili has won the Saskatoon-Meewason byelection for the opposition NDP in what some political watchers said could be a message to the Saskatchewan Party about the state of the province’s finances.
This is the first time Meili, a high-profile member of the party, has run for office.
READ MORE: Saskatchewan byelection will be a ‘big test,’ political scientist says
Meile took 54.2 per cent of the vote.
The Saskatchewan Party’s Brent Penner placed second with 39.9 per cent.
Meili said the result sends a message to the government.
“This is something quite big in the province, not because I’ve been elected, but because people have chosen a message – a message that this government is past its best-before date and that they want to see things done better,” Meili said.
WATCH BELOW: Ryan Meili says his win in the Saskatoon-Meewasin byelection is a reflection on the current state of the Saskatchewan Party government
“We get messages every day – we don’t need a byelection to be hearing and listening to Saskatchewan people,” Premier Brad Wall said on Thursday.
But he allowed “there’s concerns about the budget upcoming, and obviously we hear that loud and clear.”
READ MORE: Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall warns deficit has climbed to $1.2B
The province is currently running a $1.2-billion deficit and Premier Brad Wall has hinted at wage freezes, layoffs and unpaid days off for public-sector workers.
“It would be a very unusual circumstance to see that people would be willing to give a vote of confidence to the government given the uncertainty around the budget and the future of the province,” said University of Regina public policy Prof. Ken Rasmussen .
University of Saskatchewan political studies Prof. Joe Garcea previously said the NDP could use the result to gauge how voters feel about the deficit.
READ MORE: Saskatoon-Meewasin byelection could send message about anxiety over deficit: prof
Turnout for the byelection was 40.6 per cent.
Penner said he plans to carry on in his role as the executive director of the Downtown Saskatoon Business Improvement District.
“Life just continues on,” Penner said. “Back to work tomorrow morning.”
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The riding was left vacant after the Saskatchewan Party’s Roger Parent passed away from cancer in November 2016.
He had been re-elected by just over 500 votes in the 2016 provincial election.
Meili’s election will likely fuel speculation about whether he will enter the NDP leadership race, expected next year.
He has run twice before for leader, losing to Dwain Lingenfelter in 2008 and Cam Broten in 2012.
Broten stepped down as leader after the 2016 provincial election.
Wall said Meili’s position in the NDP was a factor in the byelection.
“I think Ryan Meili is going to be the leader of the party,” he said. “He’s got a very high profile, and a good reputation in Saskatoon.”
The other candidates included Liberal Leader Darrin Lamoureux, who finished third with 3.7 per cent of the vote, followed by Saskatchewan Green Party Leader Shawn Setyo and Tory David Prokopchuk.
The standing in the legislature is now 49 seats for the Saskatchewan Party, 11 for the NDP and one Independent.
With files from The Canadian Press
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