Buffalo Party leader loses confidence vote at AGM

The first leader of the Buffalo Party that was elected by members was voted out of his position at the party's annual general meeting on Saturday.

In a conference room at the Days Inn in Estevan, 13 voted against Phil Zajac maintaining the leadership, while 8 voted in favour. The party has more than 500 members in Saskatchewan and has run candidates in general elections in 2020 and 2024.

The decision to depose Zajac shocked some present, including Tim Kasprick, who represented the party in Yorkton in the last general election.

"A lot of unexpected things happen in politics," Kasprick told the Western Standard by email, saying, "The list goes on and on" of Zajac's contributions to the party and province.

"Phil deserves a lot of credit for the sacrifices he put it in to help make Saskatchewan a better place. He championed Estevan getting MRI services in the face of the Sask Party spiking a $2 million donation to establish the service. He fought against Moe’s embrace of Trudeau and the Liberal’s forced Net Zero agenda to eliminate Saskatchewan’s coal power and replace it with American nuclear reactors that require importing enriched uranium from other countries. Here in Yorkton, Phil supported residents that deserved a new hospital 10 years ago," Kasprick said.

The Buffalo Party favours western autonomy and was birthed out of anti-Ottawa sentiment after the Justin Trudeau Liberals won the 2019 election. Though previous leaders were appointed, Zajac became the first leader elected by the membership on March 25, 2022.

In an interview with Western Standard, Zajac declined to comment on the confidence vote, but pointed to the "dramatic" accomplishments of his party through its influence.

"The Sask Party creating the Ministry of Autonomy was due to our strong showing in 2020. They've created the Saskatchewan Revenue Agency, which is our policy in case we they want to take over federal taxation. They have now announced that coal in the power plants should be renewed and kept running. We were the only party that stated that," Zajac said.

The Sask Party has had majority governments since 2007, but Zajac said his party is bringing political renewal.

"The Sask Party has absorbed our policy on several issues because it's good policy that's written by the members. And when you've been in politics for a long time, that's what happens. You run out of ideas."

The Buffalo Party was initially registered under the name Wexit Saskatchewan, imitating the Brexit moniker used when Britain left the European Union. Its rebrand recalled the desire of Sir Frederick Haultain, the premier of the North-West Territories, who wanted Alberta and Saskatchewan to be brought into Confederation in 1905 as a single province named Buffalo.

In 2020, the Buffalo Party took second place in four ridings, gaining 11,298 votes and 2.54% of the provincial total. This was third best in the province, ahead of the 10,031 votes for the Greens and 8,404 votes for the Progressive Conservatives (PCs).

Phil Zajac ran federally for the People's Party in 2019 in Souris-Moose Mountain before representing the Buffalo Party in the Estevan riding in the 2020 election. His 1,713 votes were 24% of the total, placing him second to the Sask Party's Lori Carr.

In the 2024 election in the realigned Estevan-Big Muddy riding, Carr won handily again with 5277 votes. She was trailed by the NDP's Phil Smith with 973 votes, Zajac with 755, Sask United Party candidate Andrew Cey with 453, and Green Party candidate Billy Patterson with 84.

Prior to the 2024 election, the party approached the PC Party to join forces, but the two sides could not reach an agreement.

The Buffalo Party won 3,267 votes in the 2024 election for 0.7% of the total, trailing the PC's who took 4,397 votes. The Greens won 7,957 votes; Sask United, 18,023 votes; the NDP, 188,373 votes; and the Sask Party 244,037 votes for 52.3% of the provincial share.

The Buffalo Party has not announced a process or timeline for selection of a new leader. Its first leader was Jake Wall, followed by Wade Sira, Shirley Huber, and Zajac.