Conservatives must find middle ground between West, urban ridings in East: political scientist

Scott Larson · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 29, 2025 3:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The Conservatives again dominated national predetermination ridings successful Saskatchewan and Alberta, but it wasn't capable to signifier government.

Justin Leifso, an adjunct prof successful governmental studies astatine the University of Victoria, says rumblings of occidental alienation volition proceed due to the fact that of the result.

Leifso said westerners indispensable look the information that if Conservatives are to signifier government, they indispensable besides entreaty to municipality voters successful Ontario and Quebec.

"Are [voters successful Saskatchewan and Alberta] going to support parking our governmental interests with a enactment that is truthful focused connected grievance?" Leifso, who grew up successful Moose Jaw, Sask., asked Tuesday on CBC Saskatchewan's The Morning Edition.

"Or are we OK with a enactment trying to broaden its scope successful presumption of getting capable seats to signifier government?"

Liberal campaigner Buckley Belanger is projected to triumph Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River, the lone Liberal from Saskatchewan heading to Ottawa.

Conservatives won Saskatchewan's 13 different ridings without overmuch competition. The NDP ran 3rd successful each riding.

Leifso said those results were not surprising.

Belanger's projected triumph successful the northbound riding of Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River had much to bash with bound changes than thing else, helium said.

"We didn't spot the aforesaid benignant of reddish question that the polls, possibly similar astir 3 weeks ago, nationally were showing."

The NDP fell to 3rd spot successful fashionable ballot successful the state for the archetypal clip successful years. Leifso said that effect had everything to bash with U.S. President Donald Trump and the commercialized war.

"This was progressive centre-left voters who were frankly spooked by Donald Trump, his authoritarian tendencies and of people the tariffs, who voted strategically successful their ain minds, giving their ballot to the Liberals," Leifso said. "I person nary thought if that's going to remain.

"The question of the fortunes of the NDP successful the mid- to long-future is wholly up successful the aerial due to the fact that of that."

Doug Richardson, a Saskatoon lawyer and erstwhile main of unit for Liberal premier curate John Turner, said having the Liberals' Belanger elected successful bluish Saskatchewan volition beryllium a invited dependable successful Parliament.

"The information that we present person a dependable elected astatine the array from Saskatchewan is simply a large measurement forward on the unity question, connected the span gathering that Prime Minister [Mark] Carney alluded to precocious past night," Richardson said successful a Tuesday interrogation with CBC Saskatchewan's Blue Sky.

'Our enactment is strong': Conservative MP

Conservative Kevin Waugh, the projected victor successful the Saskatoon South riding, pointed retired that the Tory ballot held dependable successful Saskatchewan and Alberta portion making immoderate gains successful Ontario.

"I deliberation our enactment is strong. We person 144 [projected MPs], truthful astir 25 much MPs heading to Ottawa," Waugh said Tuesday connected CBC's Saskatoon Morning.

The large story, Waugh said, was the crumbling enactment for the NDP, which was projected to garner just 7 seats nationally — not capable to support authoritative enactment status.

"Perhaps if they would person moved their ballot up a small spot we'd beryllium successful authorities today. But still, 40 per cent nationally for the Conservative Party, with astir 8 cardinal votes, speaks volumes," helium said.

Waugh said helium has implicit religion successful Pierre Poilievre, contempt the Conservative leader being projected to lose his ain seat.

"We're gonna reconvene present successful May and we're gonna person a crippled plan," Waugh said. "I deliberation Pierre needs to beryllium our leader. I deliberation we request to find a spot for him successful this Parliament, and that's what we're going to sermon erstwhile we travel backmost in."

Leifso said Conservative Party members are going to person immoderate pugnacious conversations.

"It's already been happening wherever you commencement seeing immoderate beauteous high-profile Conservatives — some elected and benignant of strategists — sniping astatine each other," Leifso said.

Former Saskatchewan Party MLA Paul Merriman agreed.

Speaking with Blue Sky, Merriman said the Conservatives request to person a treatment connected where they spell from here.

"What happened betwixt January and yesterday, and how tin they determination forward?" Merriman said. "And possibly that is immoderate collaboration with the Liberals. Maybe that is immoderate treatment connected communal points of agreement. Let's determination guardant connected those and not person the petty fights."

Claire Card, a erstwhile national NDP campaigner successful Saskatoon, said this a clip for unity crossed parties.

"I deliberation it's clip successful this state that each of the members of Parliament travel together, and this is simply a precise captious moment," Card told Blue Sky.

Merriman said helium hopes the West will person amended relations with Carney than with the erstwhile Justin Trudeau  government.

"I'm hopeful and somewhat optimistic that we tin bash a reset here, and the premiers tin beryllium down with the premier curate and beryllium capable to plead the lawsuit of Western Canada, and however we tin assistance retired the remainder of Canada."