The second-largest constituency in the province is sure to see a big political battle as the Saskatchewan Party seeks to unseat the NDP.
The riding of Cumberland encompasses more than a quarter of the province in the Northeast. It includes La Ronge, Creighton, Pelican Narrows and several First Nations.
This has been solid NDP or CCF country since 1952. If the Sask. Party manages to win it, it would be historic. Despite the uphill battle, Sask. Party Cumberland candidate Thomas Sierzycki thinks now just might be the time.
Sierzycki is taking his first run at provincial politics, although he is no stranger to holding public office. He was elected to La Ronge town council at the age of 18 and he has been mayor since 2009. He is currently on leave.
He says he knows northern issues and he knows northern people – both on and off reserve.
He says if he gets elected, constituents will finally have a voice on government.
”We want to ensure that people know how important it is to have government representation,” he says. “It is projected the Saskatchewan Party will again form a majority government and I believe it is important to have that vital link between the people of the north and the government in Regina. “
The riding is currently represented by the NDP’s Doyle Vermette, a Metis man with strong ties to the community and a long history with the constituency. He has represented constituency since 2008, posting easy wins during the last two campaigns. In the 2011 provincial election, he had a victory margin of almost two-to-one.
He is taking nothing for granted as he asks voters to return him to office for another term. He says the Sask. Party has not paid much attention to the north.
“I have said this before, we have a government that has had eight years of record revenue,” he says. “It had just about a 100 billion to spend and the north did not seem to be its priority, and I don’t know why all of a sudden it would.”
Vermette says the NDP has a strong record in the north, making sure the voices of the people are heard and that the government takes notice and takes action.
Despite the vastness of the riding it is home to only about 20,000 people. Both Vermette and Sierzycki say just the size of the riding makes it gigantic task to share their message with the voters.
Other candidates in the Cumberland riding include George Morin with the Liberals and the Green Party’s Michael Lessard.