Athabasca

The sprawling Athabasca constituency covers the far northwest corner of Saskatchewan, anchored by communities such as La Loche, Buffalo Narrows, and Ile-a-la-Crosse. For decades this was dependable NDP territory, but the Saskatchewan Party's Jim Lemaigre stunned observers by winning a February 2022 by-election, becoming the first right-of-centre MLA to hold the seat. That upset gave the governing party a foothold in a region long frustrated by gaps in healthcare, education, and basic services. Heading into the 2024 general election, the NDP was determined to reclaim the riding, while Lemaigre argued that his presence in the government caucus had delivered tangible investments to the north.

The contest attracted three candidates and drew significant attention as a bellwether for whether the Saskatchewan Party's northern gains could survive a general election.

Candidates

Leroy Laliberte (NDP) — Originally from Beauval, Laliberte has devoted more than two decades to youth and community wellness programming across northern Saskatchewan. He serves as the Community Wellness Manager for Flying Dust First Nation near Meadow Lake and founded Burn Youth/BURN Consulting, an organization that delivers programming on suicide prevention, positive youth development, and healing in Indigenous communities. His deep roots in the constituency and extensive network of community relationships made him a formidable challenger.

Jim Lemaigre (Saskatchewan Party) — A member of Clearwater River Dene Nation and a fluent Dene speaker, Lemaigre spent 14 years as an RCMP officer before transitioning to a role as First Nations and Indigenous policing and programs manager with the provincial government. He won the 2022 by-election and served as the sitting MLA heading into the general election, pointing to new infrastructure commitments, including a new elementary school in La Loche and EMS enhancements for Beauval, as evidence of government investment in the north.

Raven Reid (Green Party) received a small share of the vote.

Local Issues

Healthcare access dominated the campaign in Athabasca. Residents in remote communities consistently raised the lack of local medical services, particularly dialysis treatment and elder care. Patients requiring specialized treatment often faced long drives south to Prince Albert or Saskatoon, a hardship compounded by the vast distances within the riding. The broader provincial crisis of emergency room closures and health staffing shortages hit northern Saskatchewan especially hard, where recruiting and retaining physicians and nurses has been a persistent challenge.

Education and infrastructure were also top of mind. While the government pointed to school construction in La Loche, many residents argued that the pace of investment had not kept up with need. Road conditions on northern highways, which serve as the sole link between isolated communities and urban centres, remained a longstanding grievance. The cost of living in the north, where groceries and fuel are significantly more expensive than in southern Saskatchewan, added to the sense among many voters that the region was being left behind despite the province's overall economic growth.