Sask. Party releases leadership convention details

It was announced on Saturday that Premier Brad Wall’s successor will be named at the Saskatchewan Party leadership convention in January 2018.

Patrick Bundrock, the party’s executive director, will be the electoral officer for the leadership election process.

He said they will be using the one-member, one-vote preferential voting system, meaning each of the around 12,000 Sask. Party members will rank candidates by preference. Then, the candidate with the least amount of votes will drop off, leaving their votes to be dispersed among the remaining candidates.

Bundrock expects voting to begin less than a month prior to the convention.

“Voting would probably open, potentially, up to two or three weeks before (the leadership convention) to help facilitate the mail-in ballots,” he explained. “We’re also working very hard to ensure we have at least four to six leadership forums across the province.”

Before the Bridge City was chosen as the spot for the leadership convention, Bundrock said Regina was also an option.

“We had some availability at the Queensbury, we had availability at Prairieland, and the provincial council overwhelmingly decided to go with Saskatoon,” he said.

According to Bundrock, the one-day leadership convention will start in the midafternoon on Jan. 27. The program will begin with speeches, followed by a tribute to Premier Brad Wall and it will finish with the election results.

The last day for candidates to join the Sask. Party leadership race is Nov. 24.