Cypress Hills

Cypress Hills spans the southwestern corner of Saskatchewan, taking in ranching country, oil fields, and the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. Incumbent Saskatchewan Party MLA Doug Steele, first elected in 2016, sought a second term in 2020. The riding drew notable attention for the strength of the Buffalo Party, which fielded Crystal Tiringer and finished second—one of the party’s strongest showings province-wide. The contest illustrated a broader dynamic in rural Saskatchewan: a right-of-centre electorate where the main challenge to the governing party came not from the NDP but from a new populist movement demanding greater autonomy from Ottawa.

Candidates

Doug Steele (Saskatchewan Party) — Before entering politics, Steele worked in the grain industry for nineteen years, progressing from local elevator manager to marketing manager at an inland terminal. He had served on the council of the Rural Municipality of Gull Lake for roughly two decades, including time as reeve, and had been vice-president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities. As MLA, he served as Legislative Secretary to the Minister responsible for SaskPower and SaskEnergy.

Crystal Tiringer (Buffalo Party) — Tiringer was born and raised in rural southern Saskatchewan in a farming family. She had worked in the natural gas industry before shifting to part-time agricultural work, and she and her husband operated a cattle ranch near Leader. She was also known locally for organizing an annual community music event.

Kelly Genert (NDP) — Genert was born and raised in Maple Creek and worked as an auto body technician in the constituency. She was an advocate for women in the skilled trades and was running for elected office for the first time.

John Goohsen (Progressive Conservative) received a modest share of the vote. Dianna Holigroski (Green Party) also ran but fell below the two-percent threshold.

Local Issues

The Cypress Hills economy depends heavily on cattle ranching, dryland farming, and oil and gas production. The 2020 oil price collapse hit the region hard. Saskatchewan’s oil production dropped by more than 28 percent between March and May 2020, and by the summer, drilling across the province had effectively ceased. In a riding where the energy sector was a major employer, the downturn deepened anxieties about long-term economic prospects and intensified opposition to the federal carbon tax.

The Buffalo Party’s strong second-place finish in Cypress Hills reflected broader western alienation sentiment that surged after the 2019 federal election. The Conservatives had swept all of Saskatchewan’s federal seats, yet Justin Trudeau’s Liberals formed a minority government. The Buffalo Party—which had rebranded from WEXIT Saskatchewan in mid-2020—called for Saskatchewan to control its own tax structures, replace the RCMP with a provincial police force, manage its own immigration, and renegotiate the equalization formula. In a riding far from any major urban centre, these appeals to provincial self-reliance found a receptive audience.

Rural infrastructure and services were also front of mind. Residents across southwestern Saskatchewan contended with long travel distances for healthcare, limited broadband connectivity, and aging municipal infrastructure. The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities had called on the province to declare broadband an essential service, arguing it was fundamental to economic development, healthcare delivery, and education in rural communities.