The Saskatchewan Party retained both Prince Albert seats following the 2024 provincial election on Monday, but the results in Prince Albert Carlton were much closer than four years ago.
Saskatchewan Party candidate Kevin Kasun claimed victory with 3,007 votes, a less than 500 vote edge over the NDP’s Carolyn Brost Strom. Kasun sought to hold the seat after incumbent Joe Hargrave dropped out of the race in May.
“I just thank the constituency of Prince Albert Carlton for their support, (and) their belief in not only myself, but the party to continue on the path we’ve been on,” Kasun said after being declared the winner late Monday evening. “I just can’t wait to serve them, hit the ground, … continue conversations, and just keep PA strong.”
Kasun also thanked his campaign volunteers for their work over the past few weeks. He also thanked his family for their support.
“When you make this decision, it’s not only your decision, it’s the family’s decision, and my whole family was behind me,” he said.
Kasun won a contested nomination to represent the Saskatchewan Party in Prince Albert Carlton. He said many residents he talked to were happy with the province’s direction under Scott Moe’s government, and weren’t interested in replacing it.
“A lot of people said, ‘we don’t want change. We’re not ready for change. We like the way things are,’” Kasun said on Monday. “I actually got that at quite a few doors.”
Kasun joins a much smaller Saskatchewan Party government than in 2020. The party won 48 seats four years ago, but held just 35 by the time counting finished late Monday night.
Former cabinet ministers Paul Merriman (Saskatoon Silverspring), Christine Tell (Regina Wascana Plains), Gene Makowsky (Regina University), and Bronwyne Eyre (Saskatoon Stonebridge-Dakota) all failed to win re-election. When combined with cabinet ministers like Hargrave, Dustin Duncan, Don McMorris, Gordon Wyant, and Donna Harpauer not running again, the party leadership will look quite different when MLAs reconvene at the legislature.
“It was a tough fight,” Kasun said when asked about the province-wide race. “We’re not done yet. Results aren’t completely in yet, but I believe the province has hope to keep going and we’ll just keep it strong.”
NDP candidate Carolyn Brost Strom made healthcare a central plank in her Prince Albert Carlton campaign, but also hammered the Saskatchewan Party on education spending and crime. She finished 474 votes behind Kasun on Monday, a major improvement over the NDP’s 1,305 vote loss in 2020, but not enough to flip the seat.
“We ran a very positive, hopeful campaign and I’m very proud of our team,” Brost Strom said. “We had a very small but mighty team. We had to make up a lot of votes from the last election. We didn’t quite get there, but I’m proud of the work we did.”
Going forward, Brost Strom said she’s concerned about what the NDP loss will mean for healthcare and education in Saskatchewan. She plans to return to work as a registered nurse, but said she’d rather work for change in the legislature.
“I’m an optimist, but unfortunately for PA, fear won out, which is disappointing,” she said.
Saskatchewan United Party (SUP) candidate Denneil Carpenter finished third in Prince Albert Carlton with 230 votes, while the Green Party’s Andrew Muirhead finished fourth with 66 votes.
All results are accurate as of the evening of Monday, Oct. 28. The final count, which includes all vote by mail ballots, will not be completed until Nov. 9.
