Sask. NDP Leader Carla Beck was asked to speak Tuesday night at a joint Annual General Meeting held by the Saskatchewan NDP ridings of Prince Albert Northcote, Prince Albert Carlton, Batoche, and Saskatchewan Rivers. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Campaigning

Sask. NDP Leader commits to winning over Prince Albert region

May 28, 2025 | 12:06 PM

Reflecting on the results of the last provincial election that included losses in both Prince Albert constituencies, Saskatchewan New Democrat Leader Carla Beck told a crowd of party supporters that there are lessons to be learned and that they cannot shy away from mistakes that were made.

Beck was speaking Tuesday night at a joint Annual General Meeting held by the Saskatchewan NDP ridings of Prince Albert Northcote, Prince Albert Carlton, Batoche, and Saskatchewan Rivers.

“I don’t make promises I don’t intend to keep. We came short last time, but we’re not gonna come short next time,” she said.

Sitting down with local members of the media, Beck reflected more on the election results and what comes next for the party. While noting there were a lot of things to celebrate in the last election, such as an overall increase in vote share, and key wins in both Saskatoon and Regina, Beck acknowledged the fact they did not win seats in Prince Albert is something that they have been focused on since the election.

“I think the number one answer to that is to spend more time in Prince Albert, to spend more time with businesses, with people here in Prince Albert,” she said.

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Beck listens to a comment from the audience. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

While it’s unknown when the next provincial election will be called, Beck confirmed the NDP will be ready and through doorknocking, plan to make sure they are connecting with the issues that are most important, and allowing people more time to get to know the candidates. When asked if there was one issue that perhaps divided people, she acknowledged it is something they have to be curious about.

“We can’t just assume that doing exactly what we did harder or more next time is going to be sufficient. We have to allow ourselves to be on the doorstep to ask people,” she replied.

Beck also noted that sometimes when people hear the message, whether through the media or social media, they don’t have the opportunity to work through what some of their concerns might be or misinformation that maybe they’ve heard about the NDP or what their plan is.

“I’ve since had the opportunity, not here in Prince Albert, but to be in front of rooms and talk about things that we said in the election, only to have people say, well if you would have said that during the election, you would have won the election. In this case, it was our position on the carbon tax.”

Party supporters listen to Beck’s address. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

Noting it’s the NDP who represents the northern half of the province, Beck said she’s also proud of the fact they increased their vote share in almost every constituency outside of the major cities including Yorkton, which saw over 30-per-cent swing in votes.

“It’s not going back to the drawing board. It is just continuing with the work and continuing to build those connections,” Beck said.

Speaking to the crowd of supporters, Beck mentioned the region’s vibrant energy and economic potential and said the city and region deserves a better government.

“That’s exactly what the Saskatchewan NDP will deliver,” she said. “It’s time to build our economy — more rail lines, more pipelines and more powerlines — from Canadian coast to Canadian coast.

Beck also claimed Scott Moe and the Sask. Party are only focused on holding onto power and pandering to those who keep them there, and have failed Prince Albert repeatedly, doing nothing to address severe crime, lower the cost of living or to get Saskatchewan healthcare and education out of last place in the nation.

“I say enough is enough. We don’t need a government dragging us backwards.”

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Blue Sky: @nigelmaxwell.bsky.social