The Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan offered a by-election debate, but no one wanted to join..Saskatchewan has three by-elections Aug. 10, including one in Lumsden-Morse, a riding north and west of Regina. Les Guillemin, a crane company employee from the city, is flying the banner for the Buffalo Party and was ready to debate fellow candidates..Alas, no one was interested..Mark Friesen, who will run for the party in Saskatoon Meewasin in the 2024 general election, openly wondered why..“Serious question. Why won’t any of the establishment [parties] as part of the democratic process, accept a debate for the upcoming by-election in #Lumsdenmorse so the people of that riding can thoroughly understand what each party represents? It’s very concerning. The Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan has put out an invitation to all [parties] fielding a candidate, to which we have not received a response,” Friesen wrote in a recent Facebook post..“What are they afraid of?”.The simple, straightforward reason no one responded was they did not think it was in their best interests to do so — and they were probably right..The biggest reason the other parties responded was that it was the Buffalo Party themselves organizing the event..If a neutral group, such as a community club or church, had hosted a debate, the parties may have been more receptive. But the Buffalo Party? No..If Buffalo Party is hosting the debate, it can set the questions, the venue, and the time to their own advantage. US World War II General George S. Patton said, “Never let the enemy pick the battle site” because this is a basic strategy for war..Those more fond of pop culture references can think of Guardians of the Galaxy 3. When the bad guys invited the good guys to their headquarters, Gamora said it was a trap. Few would think of the proposition like Quill, who said if you know it’s a trap, it’s not – it’s a faceoff..Let’s grant for a moment that the Buffalo Party would give the other parties a fair shake at the format and questions..How far would the parties, who so fundamentally disagree, agree on any of it? Why would they show any trust? And why would they allow BP to get credit for having the event happen at all?.The last time I can recall two political leaders who mutually and genuinely planned to debate each other was Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Barry Goldwater prior to the 1964 presidential election..They wanted a campaign reminiscent of ones 100 years prior, as rivals toured the country together to debate the issues. Those were two special people..However, it’s unclear whether such plans would have ever been allowed by their party apparatus, or how long such a tour would have happened, even if JFK had not been shot..From a strategic perspective, an underdog party has everything to gain and nothing to lose by hosting a debate..Presence at a debate removes some of the fringe factor and makes longshots look like credible equals (so long as they debate well). That means, good on the Buffalo Party for trying, but dumb on the Saskatchewan Party if they agree..The latter has ruled the province since 2007 and former MLA Lyle Stewart has represented the riding for even longer. Inertia can carry them to their goal, and only a series of disasters could spoil that..Established parties have a core group that is loyal to them no matter what. Even if an upstart party comes along with a few or even many policies they like, they won’t choose it unless they have significant disillusionment with their traditional party..Choosing the same party for many elections, especially if one is more actively involved, creates an emotional and mental pattern that people don’t want to break with..It’s like someone who always cheers for the same hockey team, buys the same brand of farm equipment or the same brand of truck..Strategically, Sask Party candidate Blaine McLeod would have everything to lose and nothing to gain by having a debate. He’s been a dairy farmer near Caronport for 42 years and is the current Saskatchewan Director with Dairy Farmers of Canada. His profile and party are enough to win him the election so long as he does nothing drastic to screw it up..NDP candidate Kaitlyn Stadnyk, a university student pursuing a human justice degree, would not gain much by a debate, given that leftist values are out of sync with rural voters, who have few union voters and fewer of the 'woke,' as it were. It’s not clear how Green Party candidate Isaiah Hunter, who has also run federally, would fare any better..Saskatchewan United Party candidate Jon Hromek has already captured a few disillusioned former Sask Party voters by his public stance against planned parenthood 'sex cards' shown to grade 9 students in Lumsden..His challenge now, as it is for the other candidates, is to get his face in front of as many people as possible at the doors and rallies his party organizes, not debates a rival party organizes..Politics is about people as much as it is about issues..Debates require a lot of preparation time and, given how large the constituency is, crowds that would attend a debate in August would be limited at best..Electoral politics is also about strategy as much as it is about policy and probably more so. Altruistic motives aside, politics is about winning..Candidates such as Mark Friesen and Les Guillemin wouldn’t run unless they cared deeply about the issues and would like others to debate them on the same..Hopefully in Saskatchewan’s general election in 2024, some impartial group in their constituencies sets up a debate and allows the Buffalo Party to join. Otherwise, that discussion will never take place.
The Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan offered a by-election debate, but no one wanted to join..Saskatchewan has three by-elections Aug. 10, including one in Lumsden-Morse, a riding north and west of Regina. Les Guillemin, a crane company employee from the city, is flying the banner for the Buffalo Party and was ready to debate fellow candidates..Alas, no one was interested..Mark Friesen, who will run for the party in Saskatoon Meewasin in the 2024 general election, openly wondered why..“Serious question. Why won’t any of the establishment [parties] as part of the democratic process, accept a debate for the upcoming by-election in #Lumsdenmorse so the people of that riding can thoroughly understand what each party represents? It’s very concerning. The Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan has put out an invitation to all [parties] fielding a candidate, to which we have not received a response,” Friesen wrote in a recent Facebook post..“What are they afraid of?”.The simple, straightforward reason no one responded was they did not think it was in their best interests to do so — and they were probably right..The biggest reason the other parties responded was that it was the Buffalo Party themselves organizing the event..If a neutral group, such as a community club or church, had hosted a debate, the parties may have been more receptive. But the Buffalo Party? No..If Buffalo Party is hosting the debate, it can set the questions, the venue, and the time to their own advantage. US World War II General George S. Patton said, “Never let the enemy pick the battle site” because this is a basic strategy for war..Those more fond of pop culture references can think of Guardians of the Galaxy 3. When the bad guys invited the good guys to their headquarters, Gamora said it was a trap. Few would think of the proposition like Quill, who said if you know it’s a trap, it’s not – it’s a faceoff..Let’s grant for a moment that the Buffalo Party would give the other parties a fair shake at the format and questions..How far would the parties, who so fundamentally disagree, agree on any of it? Why would they show any trust? And why would they allow BP to get credit for having the event happen at all?.The last time I can recall two political leaders who mutually and genuinely planned to debate each other was Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Barry Goldwater prior to the 1964 presidential election..They wanted a campaign reminiscent of ones 100 years prior, as rivals toured the country together to debate the issues. Those were two special people..However, it’s unclear whether such plans would have ever been allowed by their party apparatus, or how long such a tour would have happened, even if JFK had not been shot..From a strategic perspective, an underdog party has everything to gain and nothing to lose by hosting a debate..Presence at a debate removes some of the fringe factor and makes longshots look like credible equals (so long as they debate well). That means, good on the Buffalo Party for trying, but dumb on the Saskatchewan Party if they agree..The latter has ruled the province since 2007 and former MLA Lyle Stewart has represented the riding for even longer. Inertia can carry them to their goal, and only a series of disasters could spoil that..Established parties have a core group that is loyal to them no matter what. Even if an upstart party comes along with a few or even many policies they like, they won’t choose it unless they have significant disillusionment with their traditional party..Choosing the same party for many elections, especially if one is more actively involved, creates an emotional and mental pattern that people don’t want to break with..It’s like someone who always cheers for the same hockey team, buys the same brand of farm equipment or the same brand of truck..Strategically, Sask Party candidate Blaine McLeod would have everything to lose and nothing to gain by having a debate. He’s been a dairy farmer near Caronport for 42 years and is the current Saskatchewan Director with Dairy Farmers of Canada. His profile and party are enough to win him the election so long as he does nothing drastic to screw it up..NDP candidate Kaitlyn Stadnyk, a university student pursuing a human justice degree, would not gain much by a debate, given that leftist values are out of sync with rural voters, who have few union voters and fewer of the 'woke,' as it were. It’s not clear how Green Party candidate Isaiah Hunter, who has also run federally, would fare any better..Saskatchewan United Party candidate Jon Hromek has already captured a few disillusioned former Sask Party voters by his public stance against planned parenthood 'sex cards' shown to grade 9 students in Lumsden..His challenge now, as it is for the other candidates, is to get his face in front of as many people as possible at the doors and rallies his party organizes, not debates a rival party organizes..Politics is about people as much as it is about issues..Debates require a lot of preparation time and, given how large the constituency is, crowds that would attend a debate in August would be limited at best..Electoral politics is also about strategy as much as it is about policy and probably more so. Altruistic motives aside, politics is about winning..Candidates such as Mark Friesen and Les Guillemin wouldn’t run unless they cared deeply about the issues and would like others to debate them on the same..Hopefully in Saskatchewan’s general election in 2024, some impartial group in their constituencies sets up a debate and allows the Buffalo Party to join. Otherwise, that discussion will never take place.
