By Glenn Hicks

Saskatchewan Liberal Party has new leader

May 7, 2018 | 2:00 PM

The new leader of the Saskatchewan’s Liberals says he can revitalize the struggling party.

Naveed Anwar, who was acclaimed by the party Saturday, runs a tax consulting business with offices in P.A. and Saskatoon. He replaces Tara Jijian, who had served as interim leader since last year.

The provincial Liberals are very much a fringe party, well behind the governing SaskParty and opposition NDP in terms of support, but Anwar said that can change.

“I believe the support is there,” he told paNOW. “We just have to energize the people and they will come back to the Saskatchewan Liberals.”

He said the party under his leadership would not have a set agenda and would listen to the electorate before crafting a platform.

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“We will not do anything until the people of Saskatchewan decide,” he said. “We will go to every village, every hotel and lobby … and listen to people on their doorsteps, gatherings, churches, mosques, synagogues, to find out what the people want.”

Anwar, who works one day a week at his recently-opened office in P.A., said he intends to travel extensively around the province to build support. The party managed to secure less than four per cent of the total vote in the 2016 election. Anwar ran in Saskatoon Westview and recorded just 235 votes, though that appeared to play a role in stopping then-NDP Leader Cam Broten from winning the seat. The SaskParty’s David Buckingham defeated Broten by a mere 232 votes.  

Anwar has a history with the NDP, having tried to run for them in 2011, but he claimed he was “undemocratically “ excluded from doing so.

As for his political leaning and style, Anwar said he wants to focus on helping people and not on protecting the party’s values. Anwar would not say which riding he expects to contest in the 2020 provincial election but said the party was well-placed, having run a full slate of 61 candidates in 2016.

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow