Coronavirus, political unrest has premier reluctant to commit to fixed election date

Moe unclear on election date Watch: So far, Scott Moe has not given a clear answer as to when campaigning for the next election will begin. Wayne Mantyka explains.

REGINA — Premier Scott Moe says political unrest and the coronavirus are keeping him from fully committing to holding the upcoming election as scheduled, on Oct. 26.

Moe said the Sask. Party is currently preparing for an October election, but he’s reluctant to say for certain.

“The premier does have the prerogative to call [an election] early,” Moe said. “And I won’t commit to either way.”

Saskatchewan has a law that says provincial elections occur on a fixed date. Moe said the current political climate and risks of coronavirus are reasons he’s “reserving the opportunity” to call an early election.

“There’s a tremendous amount of unrest in this nation,” Moe said. “We’ve had a very busy time on conference calls with respect to the federal government, other provinces and the impact of the rail blockades.”

He said the Health Minister has been on the phone “virtually daily” with his colleagues across Canada to try and deal with the spread of the coronavirus.

The Saskatchewan NDP’s leader Ryan Meili said his party will be ready either way

“It’s worth noting that these are the folks who brought forward the fixed election laws, and they seem more interested in fixing the election,” Meili said.