Buffalo, Progressive Conservative parties rule out merger

Two Saskatchewan political parties have decided against merging to form a coalition ahead of the fall election.

The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan and the Buffalo Party held talks about a potential merger, but PC leader Rose Buscholl said the two parties are simply too far apart in their platforms for a successful coalition. That means many voters in Saskatchewan will have three conservative options in the voting booths next month.

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“We did not come to this decision lightly,” Buscholl said.

The Progressive Conservatives noted that the current Buffalo platform “focuses heavily on federal and international agendas that do not align with what the Progressive Conservative Party believes in.”

Buscholl didn’t elaborate what those specific agenda items were, saying she didn’t want to “bash anyone.”

She said there are bigger issues closer to home that deserve to be at the forefront of provincial politics.

“We honestly believed that they (Buffalo Party) were coming more to the centre, just upon further discussion it just wasn’t going to work out at this time,” Buscholl said. “It doesn’t mean we aren’t open for discussions in the future, but it’s definitely something that’s going to need a lot more time.”

While the main goal of the potential merger was to fill the 61 candidate spots across the province and give voters another option beyond the governing Saskatchewan Party and opposition NDP, Buscholl said her party is still going to do its best to run a full slate of candidates.

The Progressive Conservative Party was founded in 1905 as the Provincial Rights Party, and most recently served as the provincial government between 1982 and 1991. None of its candidates have been elected since 1995. In the 2020 election the party finished finished fifth in the popular vote, with 1.9 per cent of the ballots.

The Buffalo Party was founded in 2020 as Wexit Saskatchewan on a platform of western separatism, and began using its current name later that same year. It ran 17 candidates in the 2020 provincial election and while none were elected, the party finished third in the popular vote with 2.6 per cent.

Saskatchewan’s general election will be held on or before October 28.

Scott Moe and Carla Beck react

Premier Scott Moe said he is going to continue to focus on the Sask. Party.

“We’re concerned about all parties that might be running in the election,” he said. “But our primary concern is with our own party and the platform that we’re putting forward for a stronger economy.”

He acknowledges that the ballot will look a little different this year.

“There’s going to be a number of different choices on the ballot at this election, probably more than in previous elections. We’ve seen where for example vote splitting will get in other juristictions.”

NDP Leader Carla Beck echoes Moe’s statement about her own party’s platform.

“Other parties are going to make decisions about what they do or don’t do, I do know that Saskatchewan people are looking for change,” Beck said.

-with files from 980 CJME’s Gillian Massie