Ruling party to stay in power in Canada's Saskatchewan

By Ed White

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Premier Scott Moe's right-of-center Saskatchewan Party is extending its hold on power in the western Canadian province after winning a small majority in Monday's election, preliminary results showed on Tuesday.

The party, which won 32 seats, has held power in Saskatchewan since 2007. The opposition New Democratic Party under leader Carla Beck won 22, with seven unclear.

Moe's victory is expected to continue his government's promotion of the province's prodigious agriculture, minerals and energies industries, which have all expanded in recent years.

Saskatchewan has more than 40% of Canada's cropland, is the world's second or third largest uranium producer depending on the year, is Canada's second-largest crude oil producer, and is the globe's largest producer and exporter of potash.

North America's first commercial-scale rare earths refinery went into production in 2024 in Saskatoon.

Saskatchewan is home to the headquarters of fertilizer producer Nutrien and uranium miner Cameco Corp.

Moe's victory is likely to continue the headaches for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose government has repeatedly clashed with the Saskatchewan government on a number of issues.

The election centered on healthcare, education and affordability. Moe introduced the issue of transgender changing room access in schools, saying he would require children to use only facilities dedicated to their sex at birth, and make that his government's "first order of business." Beck described Moe's move as "the most ugly kind of politics."

The incumbent premier also won British Columbia's election on Monday evening, after the NDP earned just enough seats to form a majority government more than a week after voting took place.

(Reporting by Ed White; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Alison Williams)