The party dominated Saskatchewan politics for the province's first forty years and provided six of the first seven Premiers who served between the province's creation in 1905 and World War II. Located on the middle of the political spectrum, it assiduously courted "ethnic" (i.e., non-British) voters and the organized farm movement. It refused to pander to "nativist" sentiment that culminated in the short, spectacular existence of the Ku Klux Klan in Saskatchewan in 1927–28.[citation needed] During the party's only spell out of power during this time following the 1929 election, it was the largest party in the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly. It did not command a majority of seats and was relegated to the opposition benches after Progressives and independents decided to join with the Conservatives in a coalition government.
Varying fortunes (1944–1978)
In the 1944 election, however, Saskatchewan experienced a dramatic change when it elected the first democratic socialist government in North America under Tommy Douglas and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). The Liberals were nearly wiped off the map, dropping from a strong majority of 38 seats to only five—the second-worst defeat of a sitting government in the province's history. The Liberals moved to the political right and stay there since. The Liberals remained out of power for twenty years until Ross Thatcher's victory in 1964 election. Thatcher led the Liberals to re-election in 1967.
After the defeat of the Liberals in the 1971 election at the hands of the CCF's successor, the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party, the party remained the principal opposition party in the province, albeit with a dwindling number of seats. However, in the 1978 election, the Liberals were completely shut out of the Legislature for the first time. The Progressive Conservatives replaced them as the principal opposition party in Saskatchewan.
Comeback (1986–1996)
The Liberals didn't return to the Legislative Assembly until 1986, when party leader Ralph Goodale (later federal Deputy Liberal leader) was elected as the party's sole member.
The Liberals came under the leadership of future Lieutenant GovernorLynda Haverstock in 1989. The Liberals were only able to take limited advantage of the collapse of Grant Devine's scandal-ridden Conservative government in the 1991 election, but Haverstock was able to win her Saskatoon seat. Liberal candidate Anita Bergman also won a by-election in 1994.
Dissatisfaction within the Liberal caucus led to the resignation of Lynda Haverstock as party leader. On November 24, 1996, the Saskatchewan Liberal party elected Jim Melenchuk on the third ballot as party leader. In 1997, four Liberal Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) joined forces with four MLAs from the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan to form the Saskatchewan Party.[2]
The 1999 election reduced the Liberals to only four seats and third party status in the Legislature. The result in the fourth seat, Wood River, was later overturned; a by-election was held and won by Yogi Huyghebaert, the Saskatchewan Party candidate. The governing New Democrats, however, had only won exactly half the total seats, effectively leaving them with a minority government since the governing party is traditionally expected to provide the Speaker of the Legislature. Following secret negotiations, the NDP and three Liberals elected announced that they had formed a coalition government, the second such government in the province's history following the Conservative-led government of 1929-34. Under the terms of the coalition agreement, two Liberals, Jim Melenchuk and Jack Hillson, were then appointed to positions in the Cabinet while the third, Ron Osika, was elected Speaker of the Legislature. Rank-and-file Liberals were against the coalition government and called for a leadership convention. On 27 October 2001 Saskatchewan Liberals elected businessman David Karwacki as the new leader over Hillson, who had withdrawn from the coalition. Karwacki soon ordered the other two Liberal MLAs, Melenchuk and Ron Osika, to disband the coalition. They refused, left the party, sat as independent Members of the Legislative Assembly, continued in the coalition and eventually ran for re-election (in both cases, unsuccessfully) as NDP candidates in the 2003 election.
The internal party feud hurt Liberal fortunes, as did a polarized electorate. A poorly run election campaign left the party shut out of the Legislature in 2003, the first time in over 20 years in which the Liberal Party was unable to win a single seat. In the 2007 election the Saskatchewan Liberal Party was again shut out of the Legislature, this time finishing better than third only in Regina Walsh Acres. In that riding, the Saskatchewan Party (which won power from the NDP in this election) had been forced to withdraw its candidate after the close of nominations.[3]
Karawacki resigned as Liberal leader one month later. Ryan Bater was ratified as the Liberal leader at the Liberal Party convention on 21 February 2009. At the same convention, the party passed a declaration of principles, which sought to reposition the Liberals as the party of "Personal Liberty, Free Enterprise, and Responsible Government".[4] As well, a proposal was approved separating the federal and provincial Liberal parties in Saskatchewan into two independent organizations.
In the 2011 general election, the Liberals ran only nine candidates. Seven Liberals ran in Saskatoon while one ran in Regina, however, the party put most of their resources behind Bater's own attempt to win a seat in the Battlefords. The Liberals again failed to win a seat in the Legislature. Overall, they fell to fourth place behind the third-place finishing Green Party of Saskatchewan, polling 2,237 votes in the nine constituencies in which they were on the ballot. Of these votes, more than a third of were earned by Bater in the Battlefords, who nevertheless finished a distant third in his own riding. Besides Bater, only two out of the eight other Liberals running were able to out-poll their Green Party opponents for a distant third-place finish. The other six Liberals finished fourth, compared to only one who finished worse than third in 2007. The party's platform focused on cutting the provincial sales tax, curbing government expenditures and creating a sovereign wealth fund entitled the Saskatchewan Future Fund.[5][self-published source?]
Ryan Bater resigned as leader on January 31, 2012.[6] Greg Gallager was appointed interim leader on March 12, 2012.[7] In the party's 2013 leadership election, Reid Hill was the only candidate to put his name forward by the close of nominations, and was thus to be named as the party's new leader.[8] He decided not to take on the job, however, stating that he had wanted to partake a competitive race to revive public attention for the party, rather than simply being handed the leadership due to lack of interest.[9] Darrin Lamoureux was appointed as new interim leader on December 16, 2013 and was acclaimed on August 21, 2014, when no other candidates ran for the position.[10]
The party managed to field a full slate of 61 candidates for the 2016 general election. They were once again shut out of the Legislature, collecting about 3.6% of the vote.[11] Lamoureux resigned as party leader on September 9, 2017.[12] Tara Jijian was appointed interim leader later that month.[13] Naveed Anwar was acclaimed as leader on May 5, 2018.[14] Anwar resigned as leader in September 2020.[15] Robert Rudachyk was appointed as the party's interim leader on September 28, 2020 ahead of the 2020 general election.[16]
In the 2020 provincial election, the party won no seats in the legislature.[17] It ran only three candidates and received only 355 total votes, or 0.08% of the popular vote.[18]
Walters era (2021–present)
Jeff Walters announcing the launch of Accountability Saskatchewan
Following the disastrous 2020 provincial election, the party set about looking for a new permanent leader. At the 2021 Party Convention in Davidson, members unanimously elected University of Regina lecturer, Jeff Walters.[19][20] Walters ran on the slogan "New Way Forward", offering renewal for both the party and the province.[21] Walters described his party as a centrist alternative, distinct from the Liberal Party of Canada and embodying Saskatchewan's tradition of "prairie Liberalism".[22]
On Feb. 5th, 2022, Walters organized a rally in front of the Saskatchewan Legislature to oppose Premier Scott Moe's immediate rolling back of COVID-19 mandates, tracking, and tracing.[23] Walters also launched the "Accountability Saskatchewan" initiative, collecting signatures to trigger a plebiscite on a public inquiry into the provincial government's handling of COVID-19.[24][25][26] The petition was initially available only online and on social media, provoking an official ruling from Elections Saskatchewan affirming the validity of electronic signatures in Saskatchewan.[27]
On March 25, 2023, the Saskatchewan Liberal Party voted to change their name in their annual general meeting in order to distance themselves from the non-affiliated federal Liberals. Walters called the process "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity".[28] The new name currently has not been chosen yet.[29]
Scott, Martin and Dunning were Premiers for the duration of their party's leadership. Patterson was Premier for all but two years of his leadership. Thatcher became Premier after five years as the Leader of the Opposition and remained leader until the end of his Premiership.
The Saskatchewan Party is a centre-right political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Since 2007, it has been the province's governing party; both the party and the province are currently led by Premier Scott Moe. The party was established in 1997 by a coalition of former provincial Progressive Conservative and Liberal party members and supporters who sought to remove the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP) from power.
The 2003 Saskatchewan general election was held on November 5, 2003, to elect the 58 members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (MLAs). The election was called on October 8 by Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Lynda Haverstock, on the advice of Premier Lorne Calvert.
Ralph Edward Goodale is a Canadian diplomat and retired politician who has served as the Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom since April 19, 2021.
The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP) is a social-democratic political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It currently forms the official opposition, but has been a dominant force in Saskatchewan politics since the 1940s. The party is the successor to the Saskatchewan section of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), and is affiliated with the federal New Democratic Party.
The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan is a conservative political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Prior to 1942, it was known as the Conservative Party of Saskatchewan. Members are commonly known as Tories.
Kevin Lamoureux is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. On November 29, 2010, he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada for the constituency of Winnipeg North in a by-election. He was re-elected during the 2011 election by a margin of just 44 votes. Lamoureux previously served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1988 to 1999 and from 2003 to 2010, and he twice sought the leadership of the Manitoba Liberal Party. He serves in the House of Commons as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
The 1934 Saskatchewan general election was held on June 19, 1934, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.
The 1995 Saskatchewan general election was held on June 21, 1995 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.
The 1999 Saskatchewan general election was held on September 16, 1999 to elect members of the 24th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. The new Saskatchewan Party took more votes than any other party but the NDP took more seats, taking half the seats in the Saskatchewan Legislature. The NDP formed a coalition with five elected Liberal Party MLAs to hold majority government.
David Karwacki is a Canadian politician, was Leader of the Saskatchewan Liberals between October 2001 and December 2007.
The 2007 Saskatchewan general election was held on November 7, 2007 to determine the composition of the 26th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.
Kenneth Patrick Krawetz is a Canadian former provincial politician. He was the Saskatchewan Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for the constituency of Canora-Pelly, and was Deputy Premier of Saskatchewan and Deputy Leader of the Saskatchewan Party.
James Williams Melenchuk is a Canadian former politician. He represented the electoral district of Saskatoon Northwest in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 1999 to 2003.
The 24th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan was elected in the 1999 Saskatchewan election. It was controlled by the New Democratic Party under Premier Roy Romanow. Romanow resigned as New Democratic Party leader in 2001 and was succeeded by Lorne Calvert for the remainder of the 24th Assembly.
Ronald (Ron) Osika is a Canadian former politician, who served in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 1995 to 2003.
The 2011 Saskatchewan general election was held on November 7, 2011, to elect 58 members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (MLAs). The election was called on October 10 by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, on the advice of Premier Brad Wall. Wall's Saskatchewan Party government was re-elected with an increased majority of 49 seats, the third-largest majority government in the province's history. The opposition New Democratic Party was cut down to only nine ridings, its worst showing in almost 30 years.
The 2020 Saskatchewan general election was held on October 26, 2020 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. This date was set by Saskatchewan's fixed election date law. The writ was dropped on September 29 just in time to hold the election on October 26.
The Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan is a libertarian provincial political party in Saskatchewan. The party was established in 2020 and contested its first election that same year.
The 30th Saskatchewan general election will be held on or before October 28, 2024 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.
A by-election was held in the provincial district of Athabasca in Saskatchewan on February 15, 2022, following the resignation of incumbent New Democrat MLA Buckley Belanger. After 16 years in Parliament, Belanger resigned from the legislature on August 15, 2021, to run in the 2021 Canadian federal election, as a federal Liberal in the riding of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River. He was defeated.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
