Armchair politicos take in leaders' debate over beer

Positions may not have changed, but people enjoyed a beer and some conversation as they watched the Saskatchewan leaders' debate Wednesday night.

Since 2012, Cole Hogan has been organizing election debate-watching parties at Saskatoon's Winston's Pub. While he believes most people come to the party with their minds up, he said it's a fun way to meet others with an interest in politics.

"I imagine most people who come out to these things already have their mind made up," Hogan said. "But it's nice to hear opinions from across the aisle, just over a couple of beers."

The people watching the debate said they were interested in a number of issues that affected them directly, from post-secondary education to the health care system.

Some also expressed criticism with how the leaders handled the open portion of the debate. Many debate watchers said it was difficult to hear the leaders because both the Saskatchewan Party's Brad Wall and the NDP's Cam Broten repeatedly spoke over each other.

Others said they were unhappy leaders of other parties weren't invited to the debate.

The Saskatchewan election is set for April 4.