Saskatoon Meewasin byelection: NDP claims victory as Teed takes commanding share of vote
Saskatchewan New Democratic Party candidate Nathaniel Teed had a strong lead once the count got underway in the Saskatoon Meewasin byelection — a trend that never faltered as the night wore on.
Just before 10 p.m., with all 53 ballot boxes reporting, the mood was jubilant at Teed's election night party at the Park Town Hotel after the NDP candidate captured a commanding 57 per cent of the vote.
In a news release issued later in the evening, NDP Leader Carla Beck claimed victory.
“I am truly honoured to welcome Nathaniel Teed to the NDP team – our newest and youngest member of the Saskatchewan legislature," Beck said in the release.
"Nathaniel inspired so many people in the riding with his hard work, dedication, and unbridled enthusiasm."
According to the NDP, Teed is the first openly gay person elected to the Legislative Assembly.
"I can only imagine what this win means to the 2SLGBTQ+ community, both young and old," Beck said.
"Representation is really important to me," Teed said while speaking with reporters while celebrating his win.
"And I believe that this is a step forward in ensuring that diverse voices are heard in the legislature," Teed said.
The NDP also said Teed's win was notable for another reason. Teed took the largest percentage of the vote of any candidate in 40 years, the party said.
Saskatchewan Party candidate Kim Groff came in second place with 37 per cent of the vote.
While the initial counts showing promise were greeted with cheers, the mood soon became somber at Groff's election night gathering at his downtown Saskatoon campaign office.
Groff said he believed the race would be "closer."
"Just the conversations we had with people on the doorsteps were excellent. They're a very engaged electorate and (they were) good conversations, and we anticipated it to be closer," Groff said.
"We hoped for a different result tonight, certainly that's why we ran. We had a good candidate, a great team," Premier Scott Moe said while speaking to media at Groff's campaign office.
"You know at the end of the day, this is this is a challenging seat — not only for us — but it has been a challenging seat for the opposition NDP as well in elections gone by," Moe said.
By the end of the night, Saskatchewan Liberal Party leader Jeff Walters and Buffalo Party candidate Mark Friesen trailed far behind with just under 3 per cent of the tally each.
The Green Party's Jacklin Andrews captured just over one per cent of the vote.
The byelection was triggered following former NDP leader Ryan Meili's departure from the legislature in June.
Meili stepped down as leader following a bylection loss earlier this year in a constituency widely seen as an NDP stronghold.
According to Elections Saskatchewan, 2,575 votes were cast during five days of advance polling.
That represents a significant uptick from the last Saskatoon Meewasin byelection held in 2017, where 1,737 votes were cast in advance polling.
Monday evening's tally represented the first preliminary count in the byelection.
A second preliminary count of mail-in ballots which will occur on Sept. 28 is unlikely to significantly affect the outcome of the byelection.
The final count is set for Oct. 8.
With files from Dan Shingoose and Laura Woodward.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.