REGINA -- It's been nearly a year since Saskatchewan New Democrats lost their leader in the provincial election and it's going to be another year before the next top person is chosen.
University of Saskatchewan political science professor Charles Smith says the reasons for putting off the leadership vote elude him.
"The party's probably well-positioned to make some inroads in terms of the Sask. Party's popularity, but they're going to have to start offering alternatives at some point," said Smith. "That's not going to happen, I don't think, until they have permanent new leadership in place."
The NDP added only one seat to their pre-election total of nine in the April 4 vote, but leader Cam Broten lost his Saskatoon constituency and resigned.
Regina legislature member Trent Wotherspoon took the helm of the party on interim basis, but has already said he won't pursue the top job because he doesn't want to lose time with his young family.
"I'm actually really enjoying the work that we're taking on, but I'm in the same place and I feel good with that," Wotherspoon said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Smith speculated that the NDP needed time to figure out where to go after election loss.
"But I don't think on the horizon they saw that the government would be so vulnerable, so quickly," he added.
He noted there's now a massive fiscal hole in the budget to the tune of about a $1 billion deficit.
Premier Brad Wall has also faced a lot of questions about a controversial land deal for the Global Transportation Hub in Regina, Smith said. Economy Minister Bill Boyd, who was responsible for the project, asked to leave cabinet.
Boyd had been a cabinet minister since the Saskatchewan Party was first elected in 2007, but he said it was time to step back so others can have a chance to serve.
There were also questions about political donations coming from corporations with headquarters outside Saskatchewan, Smith noted.
"You see the snowballing effect of all these different things coming up at once and then within six months of a huge election victory, suddenly the government's on the defensive big time and it looks vulnerable in a way that you couldn't have predicted, I think, this spring," he said.
The NDP leadership vote is expected in the spring of 2018. Wotherspoon said people will use that time to rebuild.
He said people across the province are reaching out to the NDP.
"It's an important time with lots at risk for Saskatchewan people, so we'll focus on the spirited fight in front of us right now, as well as doing all that work reaching out across the province to build the party, but most importantly to build the province," said Wotherspoon.
