It might feel like it has been underway for weeks but the Sask-atchewan election campaign has finally, officially, begun.
The 27 day campaign kicked off in Saskatoon March 8 after months of television ads and even a few promises.
Saskatchewan Party leader Brad Wall and NDP leader Cam Broten were both scheduled to speak at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities annual convention March 8.
Broten has already made several promises, including a plan to sell the airplanes used by the premier and cabinet ministers and to restore the province’s film industry.
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At an event before the writ was dropped, he said people can trust the NDP to protect health care and education during these tight financial times. He said his platform would cut the Sask Party’s waste, put more money in families’ pockets and fix and invest in services for all people.
“Mr. Wall is talking about just keeping what we have now, but that’s not good enough for me,” Broten said. “I want to make Sask-atchewan stronger.”
Wall has used the “Keeping Sask-atchewan Strong’ slogan, saying he doesn’t want to return to the days when young people left the province because they had no other option.
He cites two terms of strong economic performance and recent second largest-ever exports of $32.6 billion.
Both parties have nominated full slates of candidates for the April 4 vote, as has the Green Party of Sask-atchewan.
The Liberals had nominated 52 candidates as of March 7 including party leader Darren Lamoureux in Regina Pasqua, according to the party website.
The Progressive Conservatives, led by Rick Swenson, are running candidates in 15 constituencies.
At dissolution, the Saskatchewan Party held 47 seats, the NDP held nine and two were vacant.
In May 2013, the legislature approved the addition of three new ridings, two in Saskatoon and one in Regina, for a total of 61.
