Lone Liberal win in sea of Saskatchewan blue, former MLA Belanger lands northern seat

By: Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Monday, Apr. 28, 2025 Last Modified: 12:15 AM CDT Tuesday, Apr. 29, 2025

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Saskatchewan stayed blue in Monday's federal election, with voters sending Conservatives back to Ottawa to fight a bigger Liberal government in all its ridings — except one.

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Saskatchewan stayed blue in Monday's federal election, with voters sending Conservatives back to Ottawa to fight a bigger Liberal government in all its ridings — except one.

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Saskatchewan stayed blue in Monday’s federal election, with voters sending Conservatives back to Ottawa to fight a bigger Liberal government in all its ridings — except one.

Liberal Buckley Belanger, a former provincial NDP cabinet minister, won his second attempt for a federal seat in the sprawling northern riding of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River.

“We will tell Ottawa we are now a part of you. We want you to be a part of us. So let’s rock ’n’ roll,” Belanger told a cheering crowd at his La Ronge office.

Elections Canada signage is seen at an advance polling location in Toronto on Friday, April 18, 2025.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor

Belanger said he won’t be shy and is looking forward to fighting for his northern constituents. He wants Ottawa to help Saskatchewan’s northern communities build more houses and roads.

“Every single road should be paved, every single family should have a house … let’s have those hard discussions. Because our future, our communities need it.”

The Liberals won their fourth mandate with Prime Minister Mark Carney, rebounding after Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives had been favoured to win earlier in the year.

Of Saskatchewan’s 14 ridings, 12 Conservative incumbents were re-elected, including former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer in Regina—Qu’Appelle, a seat he has held since 2004.

Conservative Steven Bonk, a former Saskatchewan Party cabinet minister, handily won in Souris—Moose Mountain, where Conservative member of Parliament Robert Kitchen announced last year he would not be running again.

Kevin Waugh, first elected for the Conservatives in 2015, was re-elected in Saskatoon South. Kelly Block won for the Conservatives in Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek, a region she was first elected to represent in 2008.

Randy Hoback, also first elected in 2008, won again in Prince Albert.

Former Saskatchewan Party government backbencher Jim Lemaigre, running in the northern riding, had hoped to make it a sweep for the Conservatives. He lost his seat in the provincial election last October.

The area was redrawn as part of regular redistribution and no longer includes the Conservative stronghold of Meadow Lake, a city of 5,300 people. It mostly makes up Indigenous communities, which have tended to vote Liberal or NDP in past elections.

Conservative Gary Vidal, who beat Belanger in the 2019 federal vote, announced last year he was not running again because of the boundary changes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2025.