New Sask. United Party already has leader in legislature

Saskatchewan has a new political party.

The Saskatchewan United Party has now been registered by Elections Saskatchewan, and its first leader is Saskatchewan Rivers MLA Nadine Wilson, who has been sitting as an Independent in the legislature.

Elections Saskatchewan posted a news release on Wednesday indicating the Saskatchewan United Party had fulfilled the requirements of becoming an official party.

When asked by reporters following question period at the legislature on Thursdayabout her new party and the leadership, Wilson pointed to her website and her push for an inquiry into the government's COVID-19 response.

With Wilson becoming the new party's leader, there are nowthree political parties represented in the legislative assembly.

Wilson resigned from the caucus of the governing Saskatchewan Partyin September 2021, after it was discovered she had misrepresentedher COVID-19 vaccination status.

At the time, the legislative assembly had a policy requiring proof of vaccination or of negative tests for COVID-19.The policy was scrapped in February 2022.

She posed questions to thegovernment during question period on Thursday thatfocused on guests in the assembly who said they have experienced "vaccine injuries."

She called on the government to speak with the delegation, andalso said the Saskatchewan Party should investigate its handling of the pandemic.

Minister of Rural and Remote Health Everett Hindley said as of late November, 2.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in the province and there have been serious or adverse reactions in "less than 0.004 per cent."

"We continue to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 [and] against the flu to protect not only themselves, [but also] their family members, their communitiesand our health-care system. It's the right thing to do," Hindley said.

Since she left the government caucus, cabinet ministers and Premier Scott Moe have called on Wilson to resign her seat and run in a byelection.

Hindleyrepeated that call on Thursday.

"Every one of us is elected to represent our constituents and I would encourage her to do the same," he said.

"She has a new party she's apparently the leader. I encourage her to run in that byelection and put that question to her constituents."

Wilson has not indicated that she intends to do that.

"I don't even have my official letter yet for the new party, but what I will do is continue to fight for the people of Saskatchewan Rivers and the province," she said.

To become a registered party, the Saskatchewan United Party needed the signatures of 2,500 voters, 1,000 of whom must reside in at least 10 different constituencies, with a minimum of 100 voters from each of those constituencies.

The new party'shead office is listed as being in Lloydminster, Sask., according to Elections Saskatchewan.

Former federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz, who was a member of Parliament for Battlefords-Lloydminster, was among those involved in creating the new party.

Saskatchewan now has seven registered political parties.