The federal campaign should be anything but dull for voters in Saskatchewan’s Palliser riding if the lead-up is any indication.
The race features two former Moose Jaw mayors, a former Regina police chief and a university student. 
No matter who wins, voters will elect a new MP.
Incumbent Conservative Dave Batters confirmed Sept. 2 he would not run again, just moments after federal Liberal leader Stephane Dion announced a replacement for his party’s candidate, who spent months working the riding before abruptly resigning in August.
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The first inkling of change came in early July, when media outlets reported Batters was on medical leave. The MP first elected in 2004 issued a statement saying he was dealing with a serious health issue, was focused on recovery and asked for privacy.
Rumours swirled about his health and his status as a candidate, but in late August workers were still polling to determine Batters’ level of support. In the meantime, Liberal Garry Oledzki resigned his candidacy Aug. 7, citing personal and professional reasons.
A week later, the Law Society of Saskatchewan suspended him from practising law, saying it had reasonable grounds to believe Oledzki was guilty of conduct unbecoming a lawyer.
Then last week Batters issued a statement announcing his decision not to seek re-election.
“I have been ill for the past few months, dealing with anxiety and depression,” he said. “As well, I overcame a dependency on certain prescribed medications (benzodiazepines).”
That medication is normally used to help people deal with anxiety and sleeping disorders.
Batters said he hoped his public disclosure would help others seek treatment.
“There is still a stigma attached to such illnesses and I want to make sure people realize these are conditions that can strike anyone and need to be treated,” he said.
On Sept. 7, just hours after the election was called, the Conservatives announced their new choice, Ray Boughen.
A former educator and mayor of Moose Jaw from 1994 to 2000, Boughen in 2003 served as commissioner for a provincial review of how education is funded.
He recommended the province lift the burden from property tax, but replace that funding with an increase to the provincial sales tax.
The then-NDP government did not take his advice.
Boughen’s predecessor at city hall, Don Mitchell, is running for the NDP.
Mitchell was mayor from 1991 to 1994 after a term as an alderman. The one-time candidate for the provincial NDP leadership and longtime local food activist is the author of The Politics of Food, which focused on the cost-price squeeze and its effect on rural communities.
At a recent local food event Mitchell said the NDP had to make a national food policy a priority. But he noted the party’s exposure is driven by the parliamentary agenda.
“That’s not where the food debate is taking place,” he said, adding he was frustrated by the lack of agricultural discussion within the party as well.
In Palliser’s short history – it was formed in 1996 – the NDP’s Dick Proctor held office until Batters replaced him. Batters won the riding in 2006 by 3,446 votes.
The Liberals traditionally run third, but are hoping that well known former Regina police chief Cal Johnston can make inroads.
Dion praised him for cutting Regina’s crime rate and called him a hero.
But Johnston himself noted that he has an uphill climb, saying the Liberals are “probably not the party of choice” even though he thinks they have the best approach to dealing with crime.
Larissa Shasko, a University of Regina political science student, is already a campaign veteran. She ran for the Green Party of Canada in 2006 and for the provincial Green party in 2007.
The Conservatives hold 13 of 14 ridings in the province and most observers don’t expect that to change. The lone Liberal is former agriculture and finance minister Ralph Goodale in Wascana.
