SASKATOON — With both major provincial parties holding conventions this fall, the state of party unity in both is being raised as an issue.
At the Saskatchewan NDP provincial convention in Saskatoon this weekend, the NDP made claims of unrest within the Saskatchewan Party. Former Speaker Randy Weekes, who had acrimoniously torn up his Sask Party caucus card on the final day of the session in 2024 and is now a supporter of the NDP, spoke to reporters about his former party.
In his remarks, Weekes said it had turned into an “extreme right wing party.” He also pointed to disunity within the ranks.
“I think under Scott Moe, the internal bickering that you’re seeing behind the scenes about his leadership and the Sask Party’s having the convention coming up in November — there's an all-out war within the party,” Weekes said.
“Moe and his people are trying to get people to go to the convention to vote in favour of his leadership, and there’s MLAs, former cabinet ministers that are actively phoning around to get people to go to the convention to vote no to his leadership. So I think it’s been a big distraction within the Saskatchewan Party government because of the leadership uncertainty.”
Weekes also said he believed Moe was not planning on running in the next provincial vote.
“I don't think he has any intention of running in the next election, which begs the question: why is he going into a convention? Why didn't he announce that he was not going to be there for another election? I think that's part of really the personal agenda that's going on with Scott Moe and the people around him.”
The Sask Party is due to hold its party convention on Nov. 7 and 8 in Saskatoon, at which time Premier Moe will face a leadership review vote as is customary following an election. Moe received overwhelming support following review votes at both the 2021 and 2023 conventions.
In a emailed response the Sask Party had this response to Weekes' remarks:
"Randy Weekes is a disgruntled former MLA who lost his 2024 Saskatchewan Party nomination by a substantial margin, then joined the NDP to help them lose the election.
"Premier Scott Moe led the Saskatchewan Party to its’ fifth consecutive majority government and enjoys the strong support of his party and caucus.
"The only thing more irresponsible than the lost and reckless NDP spreading unsubstantiated rumours, in an attempt to deflect from their failed record, is the media reporting those falsehoods."
Premier Moe is set to serve eight years on the job as premier early in 2026, a milestone that is also usually associated with increased talk on whether a leader will stay or go.
Speculation has also increased following the 2024 provincial election, in which the governing Sask Party was reduced to 34 of 61 seats.
While there have been increasing references by the NDP this year to current sitting cabinet ministers as “potential leadership candidates,” Moe has given no indication so far that he intends to step aside.
This fall, Moe is scheduled to appear at several Sask Party fundraising events prior to the party convention, with premier’s dinners set for Lloydminster, Prince Albert, Regina and Estevan.
Premier Moe is also to lead the government back into a new session of the Legislature which begins Oct. 22.
Weekes’ claim that “MLAs and former cabinet ministers” are actively working to remove Moe as leader is not verified; it is also unclear whether the individuals Weekes is referring to are currently inside or outside the Sask Party.
However, there have been some prominent defections from the Sask Party ranks in recent years. In addition to Weekes, former MLAs Glen Hart and Mark Docherty as well as Ian Hanna, former top aide to Premier Brad Wall, endorsed Carla Beck and the NDP in the 2024 election.
Meanwhile, on the more conservative side there have been defections to the Sask United Party. Among the former Sask Party MLAs who joined were former Saskatchewan Rivers MLA Nadine Wilson, former Rosthern-Shellbrook MLA Denis Allchurch and former Arm River MLA Greg Brkich. It is not known if any defectors to either party are actively involved in any efforts to remove Moe.
Sask United was wiped out in the 2024 election. There has been talk since then that Sask United supporters might join up as members of the Sask Party to try to influence the upcoming leadership review vote against Moe.
That talk was fuelled after former Sask United leader Jon Hromek, who left after the election, publicly indicated he might be interested in running for the Sask Party leadership.
In a radio interview earlier this year, Hromek said he encouraged those who “wanted to see change” in the province to get involved and get a Sask Party membership, saying a leadership review was coming down this year. He also said if a leadership race happened within the Sask Party, that he would be interested in running.
