BIGGAR, Sask. – This is a riding in which two of the province’s political heavyweights are duking it out.
But each is having to watch that when he leads with his most solid hook, he isn’t opening himself to a knockout blow.
Berny Wiens, who is the eight-year MLA for the Rosetown-Biggar riding, is fighting to win his seat for a third term on Sept. 16. Saskatchewan Party leader Elwin Hermanson is trying to win his first seat in the legislature.
Many see this riding as a bellwether for rural Saskatchewan – a test for the feelings of farmers and rural folk.
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“Everybody will be watching this riding,” said Ken Kernohan, the controller of a local gas and oil tank manufacturer.
“It’ll be a feather in the cap for either party.”
This isn’t a riding that Wiens has won easily. In 1991 he won with only 39 percent of the vote. In 1995 he received slightly over 42 percent. Both the Liberal and Progressive Conservative candidates he fought in 1995 are now part of Hermanson’s constituency association.
While the stakes for each party are high, the two candidates are campaigning differently.
Hermanson, because of his position as party leader, has trouble getting to the riding and relies on newspaper and other news media to make him known to the constituency, in which he still operates a farm.
But he thinks his high provincial profile will impress the voters.
“I think there is some pride in Rosetown-Biggar that the leader of the Saskatchewan Party is from the riding,” said Hermanson.
A past NDP premier, Woodrow Lloyd, came from Biggar, and the area is known as an NDP stronghold, but Hermanson said he doesn’t see that as a drawback. In fact, it could help him because the riding obviously likes to elect leaders, he said..
Berny Wiens can’t rely on the daily newspapers or the TV news to take him into every constituent’s house. He is using person to person, handshake to handshake contact to bring him the votes he needs.
“He gets more attention, but I prefer the exposure I get on the doorstep,” said Wiens during a day of campaigning. “I think it’s a disadvantage for him.”
Wiens has said many constituents have noted they haven’t seen Hermanson in the riding. In that way, Wiens said, Hermanson’s high profile might be working against him.
Hermanson said Wiens’ high government profile as one time agriculture minister, former highways minister, former environment minister and presently intergovernmental affairs minister isn’t much to brag about. He said farmers are still mad at Wiens over the cancellation of the Gross Revenue Insurance Plan, the deterioration of the provincial highway network, and failure of the NDP government to get a better farm aid package.
He said Wiens hurt many gas stations by imposing tough storage tank rules, and people will hold that against him.
On the other hand, Wiens was warmly received when he toured Kernohan’s manufacturing plant. The company makes above-ground fuel storage tanks that comply with the rules Wiens brought in. Rosetown-Biggar’s economy depends almost entirely on farming, so agriculture is an issue this election.
But while there is great stress among farmers and those who rely on them, few seem to feel any provincial government will be able to offer easy answers.
During a visit to the local regional college Wiens asked worker Cindy Keith what issues concerned her.
“Just farming,” she answered.
Keith wouldn’t say who she is voting for, but said she was glad all of the political parties are at least talking about the problems farmers are facing.
“They’re doing all they can probably do about it right now,” said Keith.
Wiens tells local people they should re-elect him so that they have a voice on the inside of government, rather than in the opposition.
Hermanson tells local people that electing him would put a stronger voice for rural Saskatchewan into the legislature.
Both men are farmers.
Wiens argues that premier Roy Romanow is the most effective voice they can have. Hermanson says Romanow has failed to support farmers, and farmers should vote against Wiens to show their displeasure.
Caught between these two battling titans is John Hendrickson, the Liberal candidate.
He doesn’t live in the riding. He has almost no campaign funding. Most of the people who were going to help him campaign are busy farming. But he said he isn’t intimidated going toe to toe with either Wiens or Hermanson.
“It puts me in a more relaxed position,” said Hendrickson.
