Wagantall re-elected as Yorkton-Melville MP
May 7, 2025, 11:41 am
Ryan Kiedrowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Conservative Cathay Wagantall will return as the MP for the riding of Yorkton-Melville after winning with 77.5 per cent of the vote during the April 28 federal election. Next in votes was Liberal Luke Guimond with 14.4 per cent of the vote, followed by the NDP’s Michaela Krakowetz with 5.5 per cent, the Green Party’s Valerie Brooks at 1.9 per cent, and Libertarian Alec Guggenmos with 0.6 per cent.
“I am blown away,” said Wagantall when asked for her reaction to the support.
“People were very motivated to voice their preference, so that means a lot to me. It gives us another very solid voice from Saskatchewan to go back to the House.”
Just over 65 per cent of eligible voters in Yorkton-Melville showed up to cast their ballot after a speedy five-week campaign.
“It was very truncated and more difficult to manage getting around the 43,000 square kilometers that I normally take in as best I can during a campaign,” Wagantall said. “I really didn’t have the time to door knock the way I love to, but my husband drove me everywhere and put up signs at the same time, because, of course that was a challenge, too, with the snow and everything. I had good conversations and a really good sense of the perspective of the folks that live in Yorkton-Melville.”
The election brought mixed emotions of celebrating the win in the riding, but seeing another Liberal minority government being formed at the same time.
“Bittersweet is the term that I had to use four elections in a row, so that’s not fun,” Wagantall said. “But at the same time, we have moved significantly in our accomplishments as far as the overall vote, and the increase in seats.
We’re very excited to get back to the Hill and do our job.”
Wagantall noted that it’s time to look beyond what’s happening south of the border and focus those concerns more on situations affecting Canadians.
“The reality is that, yes, Mr. Trump is an extreme priority at the moment, but at the same time the emphasis on life affordability—and not just improving it slightly, we’re talking about making life affordable, reducing the crime, and ownership of housing to be attainable for our young people—is still a very high priority, to get that all cleaned up,” Wagantall explained. “We’re ready to hold them accountable and be part of that processing with the U.S. and with the President, but also to hold the Liberal government to account on behalf of Canadians who spoke very strongly about their concerns with the past decade of leadership.”
Looking to the silver lining of an increased presence in Ottawa, Wagantall stressed that the Conservatives will be holding Prime Minister Mark Carney to account with election promises made.
“We will be again, obviously, His Majesty’s Official Opposition in larger numbers, but the fact that they did get so close to a majority, and that the other parties do have enough strength to be their partners in whatever it does change the dynamics,” she said. “I want to take the Prime Minister at his word right now. What he has said in his speech is he’s humbled and he’s made mistakes, and that he’s going to govern for everyone.”
One key point that perked up the ears of many Conservatives and political pundits pertained to the energy sector is something Wagantall is not going to let Carney forget about.
“He did mention pipelines in there, so we will do what we can to take him at his word,” she said. “It’s just that his word is so antithetical to his behavior in the past decade. We need to see them fleshed out on behalf of Canadians, so that will be our priority.”
