Sask. NDP's election promises borrow from Wab Kinew's winning Manitoba campaign

The NDP in Saskatchewan, if elected this fall, say they will temporarily ditch the provincial gas tax, launch a school nutrition program, provide rebates for households to buy security equipment and go after the "unexplained wealth" of organized criminals.

That's on top of promises the Opposition party has made to be tough-on-crime and hold the line on taxes.

If those pledges sound familiar to Manitobans, that's because all of them could be found in the playbook the Manitoba NDP successfully deployed last year, when the party wrested power from the Progressive Conservatives in a convincing election victory.

Christopher Adams, a political scientist in Manitoba, said the Saskatchewan NDP, under leader Carla Beck, is looking to emulate its neighbour's success.

"I mean, it'd be foolish if they didn't look at the Manitoba NDP for some examples of how to run a good campaign," he said.

"The NDP in October last year … ran, I would say, one of the most successful campaigns I've seen in Manitoba in decades."

The New Democrats sailed to victory last fall, winning 34 of the province's 57 seats — nearly doubling the party's pre-election count and almost wiping the governing Progressive Conservatives off the electoral map in Winnipeg. The NDP added another seat in a June byelection, taking the riding that had been held by former Manitoba PC leader Heather Stefanson.

Nearly a year after the election, Premier Wab Kinew has made progress on a number of election promises, while enjoying the approval of nearly two-thirds of Manitobans, according to recent polling — the highest tally of any premier in the country.

'Great ideas' from Manitoba: Sask. NDP

It's not uncommon for New Democrats in any province to draw inspiration from elsewhere, especially in the Prairies, where "pragmatism" is a guiding principle, said Cheryl Oates, who is running the Saskatchewan NDP's election campaign.

But she notes the similarities with the Manitoba campaign are intentional.

"That's because they were great ideas, and in many cases they worked and they made a lot of difference for people," said Oates, who advised the Manitoba NDP election campaign in 2023.

"And people in Saskatchewan are facing issues that are not different from Manitobans. We're faced with the high cost of living and an affordability crisis, a health-care crisis."

Oates said she's confident the promises inspired by the Manitoba NDP will make a difference in Saskatchewan.

For example, temporarily lifting the gas tax — the type of move previously the domain of right-leaning governments — is one of the few things a government can do to control inflation, she said.

"When Premier Kinew took the gas tax off, that's a real impact. The public is saving money every time they fill up the car."

New Democrats on the Prairies have looked outside ideology to find "really practical solutions" to what people care about, even if it's not the traditional left-leaning approach, said Oates.

"I look at it more as a response to what the voters are looking for in a party rather than [moving] the party toward the centre" of the political spectrum, she said.

The Saskatchewan Party, which has governed for 17 years, has rejected the NDP's calls to temporarily suspend the gas tax there, arguing the revenue is needed to pay for road repairs.

Recent polls suggest Saskatchewan is on the verge of its tightest election in years, as the NDP appears to have narrowed the popular-support gap with the governing party. The election must be held on or before Oct. 28.

While the election has yet to be called, the New Democrats kick-started their election campaign in late August.

Some of the party's notable promises include creating a school nutrition program, a Manitoba NDP election promise that became a reality this month.

As well, the NDP in Saskatchewan is promising a security equipment rebate program for households, small businesses and places of worship. The party is budgeting $2 million if elected, the same amount Manitoba's government has spent.

A Saskatchewan NDP government would also target suspected criminals by forcing them to account for "unexplained wealth," the party has promised — though Saskatchewan's NDP is planning a task force while the Manitoba NDP's approach was to change legislation.

Both parties have pledged to balance the provincial budget in four years. The Manitoba NDP's first budget, delivered in April, projected an $800-million deficit.

The Saskatchewan's NDP decision to start its campaign before writs are issued — marking the official start of the campaign period — also echoes a Manitoba NDP move.

The fact the official start to Saskatchewan's election campaign is in the hands of the government "puts any opposition party on the back foot," Oates said.

"We want our announcements to be in our control."

Controlling the message

Adams, an adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba, noted Kinew's NDP used the pre-election period to define the party as a moderate one that would be careful spenders and tough on crime.

He sees the NDP in Saskatchewan already making the same case. In the opening days of its campaign, the party has promised not to hike taxes and unveiled a tough-on-crime platform.

Any party seeking office in Saskatchewan must win rural seats, as sweeping every riding in the province's two largest centres — Regina and Saskatoon — isn't enough. Most of the Saskatchewan NDP's support is in urban areas.

"That means that the leader can't stay in the major cities, and we can't have policies that only appeal to an urban audience," Oates said.

She said she's in talks with the Manitoba NDP about bringing over some staff to help her party's campaign. It is common practice across political parties in Canada for staff to take leave from their positions to assist in election campaigns elsewhere.

The Manitoba NDP declined to comment.