Labour activists make gains in provincial elections

Toronto – November 4, 2024 – October was a busy month for provincial elections across the country. With elections in New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, UFCW members campaigned steadily for workers’ rights.

In New Brunswick, Susan Holt of the Liberal Party flipped governments and become the first female premier in New Brunswick’s history. This flip came after six years of the Conservatives being in power. Former New Brunswick premier Blaine Higgs called an early election this October, leading to his party’s defeat and loss of his own seat.  66% of eligible voters turned out to the polls, this has been a consistent number in New Brunswick in past elections. The Liberals now hold a majority of 31 seats, the Conservatives as the official opposition with 16 seats and 2 remaining seats belong to the Green Party.

In Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Party has maintained power in the province. However, thanks to the dedication of labour activists including UFCW 1400 members, the NDP more than doubled their seats from the last election and maintain their status as official opposition. The NDP went from 10 to 27 seats from 2020, a major increase. We also saw an increase in voters from the 2020 election sitting at 54%. UFCW members in Saskatchewan were very active among the campaign trails assisting in all parts of this election. There are still recounts in the Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert regions as votes were so close. This month we have seen a clear trend that getting out the vote is of the utmost importance.

Lastly, in the provincial election in British Columbia, the BC NDP have maintained power after a long week of recounts. British Columbia law ensures if a result is within 100 votes there is an automatic recount, which happened in many ridings. It took seven days for the preliminary results and over two weeks for the official results. UFCW Canada’s youth internship program (YIP) met in BC prior to the election receiving training on political campaigns, progressive governments and volunteering throughout many phases of this election. Results have the BC NDP holding government with 47 seats, the Conservatives as official opposition with 44 seats and the Green Party with 2 seats.

Now more than ever, we can see that every vote matters. It is unheard of for the results in British Columbia to take over a week … and this is because the election came down to every last vote. With a provincial election just being called in Nova Scotia, and the looming potential of a federal election, now is the time to research who you want as your next leader. You do not need to be a political expert to be engaged in politics. We are excited for the new possibilities in these provinces and look forward to continue the fight for worker-focused legislation. The results are in, and we maintain the fight!