Politics of Saskatchewan

The Politics of Saskatchewan are part of the Canadian federal political system along with the other Canadian provinces. Saskatchewan has a Lieutenant-Governor (Gordon Barnhart, who is the representative of the Crown in Right of Saskatchewan), a premier (Lorne Calvert) leading the Cabinet, and a unicameral legislature.

Early politics

For many years, Saskatchewan has been one of Canada's more left-leaning provinces, reflecting many of its citizens' feelings of alienation from the interests of large capital. In 1944 Tommy Douglas became premier of the first avowedly socialist regional government in North America. Most of his MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly) represented rural and small-town ridings. Under his CCF Cooperative Commonwealth Federation government, Saskatchewan became the first province to have Medicare, billed at the time as government-funded mandatory universal medical insurance. In 1961, Douglas left provincial politics to become the first leader of the federal New Democratic Party.

Postwar period

During most of the postwar period, the CCF and its successor, the Saskatchewan New Democrats have dominated provincial politics with Douglas, Allan Blakeney, and Roy Romanow all serving long periods as premier and becoming national figures. Urbanization since the Second World War has altered the provincial economy away from its agricultural basis, and there has been a steady migration from farms to cities and towns. There was a corresponding shift in the NDP's focus from rural to urban concerns, so that the NDP gradually represented voters in cities and towns.

The Saskatchewan Liberal Party was the province's main centrist party for several decades early in Saskatchewan's existence, ruling from 1905–29 and from 1934–44. It regained power in 1964, but became insignificant following the defeat of Ross Thatcher's Liberal government in 1971. The Progressive Conservatives led by Grant Devine gradually replaced the Liberals as the NDP's main rival and soundly defeated the New Democrats in 1982's "Monday Night Massacre". But the Conservatives' popularity plummeted after running up large deficits and being closely aligned with the Mulroney-led federal PC government; Devine was defeated soundly in 1991. Many PC MLAs, including some cabinet ministers, were convicted for misappropriation of public funds, and the PC Party itself went into suspension, though it has recently announced its intention to run a full slate in the next provincial election.

Contemporary politics

Today, the official opposition in the province is the Saskatchewan Party, a new party built since 1997 out of the remains of the Tories and former Liberals and even a small number of New Democrat frustrated by the NDP's inability to "grow" the economy and population. The current premier of Saskatchewan is New Democrat Lorne Calvert, whose government was re-elected in the 2003 election with a slim majority -- the NDP won 30 seats in the 58-seat Legislative Assembly, while the Saskatchewan Party won the remaining 28 seats. Most NDP MLAs represent cities and towns while most SP MLAs represent rural ridings.

Paradoxically, despite the NDP's three long stretches as the provincial government, the province leans more to the right in federal politics. Of the 14 federal constituencies in Saskatchewan, 12 are currently member of the Conservative Party of Canada. While the province has a slim majority NDP provincial government, the federal NDP has been shut out of the province for two consecutive elections. The only Liberal MPs are former Finance Minister Ralph Goodale and Gary Merasty, whose election win brought allegations over possible election fraud.

See also

• List of Saskatchewan Premiers
• List of Saskatchewan general elections

External links

• Government of Saskatchewan