Sask. PC Party calls off potential merger with Buffalo Party

The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan has decided not to merge with the Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan.

PC Leader Rose Buscholl called a news conference on Thursday to announce an agreement could not be reached.

"While there were a few things that we had in common with the Buffalo Party, including the love we all have for this great province, unfortunatelythere were many things that kept us apart," Buscholl said.

Buscholl pointed to what she described as the Buffalo Party's "extensive focus on out-of-scope federal and international issues."

"Compromise and co-operation are essential in a democracy, but not at the expense of our core beliefs. We could not give up on and compromise what we believe as a party as wanting to stay in the centre as Diefenbaker intended."

Buscholl said the PC Party reached out to the Buffalo Party about the merger.

"We did not come to this decision lightly. We were hoping to come to some sort of compromise but unfortunately, it just isn't going to work out at this time."

The Buffalo Party debuted in the 2020 provincial electionand received 2.6 per cent of the vote while running candidates in 17 of Saskatchewan's 61 constituencies.

It finished second to the Saskatchewan Party in Cannington, Cypress Hills, Estevan and Kindersley.

The PC Party ran 31 candidates and picked up 1.9 per cent of the vote.

Buscholl, the PC candidate for Humboldt-Watrous, did not rule out future merger discussions after the election.

"We truly would like to thank the representatives from the Buffalo Party that we've met with. There are some amazing people with them. We wish them all the best with this upcoming election and beyond that as well."

Buscholl did not provide specifics as to where the two parties diverged, but mentioned issues that are not provincial ones.

"There are certain topics underneath the federal umbrella that are protected in the Constitution, which honestly as a party we don't even want to entertain and discuss."

She said she did not want to "bash anybody" and said the Buffalo Party's policies are readily available on their website.

As for the upcoming election, Buscholl said her party has 14 candidates so far, with more to be announced soon.

"My goal is still 61 candidates. Realistically, I don't know. I don't have a crystal ball in front of me to tell you what that's going to look like."

Buffalo Party leader 'disappointed' with PC decision

In an interview with CBC on Thursday, Buffalo Party Leader Phillip Zajac said he was disappointed in the PCs' decision.

"I think the pros outweigh the cons of working together as a team."

Zajac also did not rule out future discussions with the PC Party.

He said he is excited about the upcoming election.

"We have a lot of momentum from the last election and we're going to carry that forward to this one," Zajac said.

When it comes to running a full slate of candidates, Zajac said that is "everybody's goal."

"We're not going to just take a candidate just to take a name. We want quality candidates to represent their communities and we are very strong in the rural ridings. We'll have all of the rural seats filled and we have had quite a bit of interest
recently, now, in Regina and Saskatoon."

Zajac said his party adopts policies voted on and passed by its members.

"In terms of ability for us to change our policy, we can't. We're not a top-down party. We're bringing politics back to the grassroots concept of the people are the ones who matter in this province and we serve them."

When asked about his thoughts on thenear-merger of the two partiesand whether it concerned him, Premier Scott Moe said the Saskatchewan Party is concerned about all parties running in the next election, but primarily about its own platform.

He made references to vote splitting that had happened in provincial elections in neighbouring provinces, specifically the Alberta NDP'selection win in 2015.Then-leader Rachel Notleywon more than 41 per cent of the popular vote compared with the Wildrose Party's 24 per cent and the Progressive Conservatives's 28 per cent.

"[The Saskatchewan]party was formed on the very basis of not allowing that to happen and bringing together that centre, centre-right coalition to represent the vast majority of Saskatchewan people," he said.