The is a
Centre-right Political Party in the
Canadian Province of
Saskatchewan . The party was established in 1997 by a coalition of former
Progressive Conservative and
Liberal members and supporters who sought to remove the
Saskatchewan New Democratic Party from power. While it has been a conservative party since its creation, it is now attempting to attract moderate voters. The Saskatchewan Party serves as the province's Official Opposition, holding 27 of the 58 seats (1 vacant due to a recent resignation) in the province's
Legislative Assembly in
Regina .
For the first 30 years of Saskatchewan's history, the provincial Liberals could be argued to have been its liberal party, too, assiduously courting ethnic minorities as well as agrarian and labour activists.
But with the collapse of the provincial Conservative party in the
1934 Provincial Election and the first steps of the Farmer-Labour coalition that grew into the leftist
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (forerunner of the NDP), the Liberals moved steadily to the right.
So powerful did the CCF and its successor, the New Democratic Party, become in the province that a basic rule of Saskatchewan politics held that (in the words of one veteran political journalist) "Saskatchewan politics shall for evermore consist of the NDP -- and one other party". The only question was, "what other party?"
The Liberals fulfilled that role from 1934 until the late 1970s, when the provincial Progressive Conservative party returned, first under
Dick Collver and then under
Grant Devine . The PCs won their first majority government ever in
1982 and held power until
1991 , when a corruption scandal virtually destroyed the party. The Liberals and PCs both did poorly in the province's 1991 and 1995 elections, leading some prominent members of both parties to suggest a merger under a new name.
During the
2003 Provincial Election , the Saskatchewan Party campaigned on a platform of tax reduction and decreased government involvement in the private sector. The party won 28 seats, while the New Democratic Party won 30 seats.
The party was hounded by voters accusing the party of planning to privatize the province's crown corporations; this was something that various members had stated over the years since the party's formation that they were willing to do. The leader,
Elwin Hermanson , was put on the defensive, stating he would not sell the four largest crown corporations to private business. It was rumoured that
Preston Manning , the former leader of the Reform Party, had been hired by Hermanson to develop a transition team for government takeover, likely to implement the Saskatchewan Party's platform plank of a
Core Services Review , similar to that which had taken place in
British Columbia (and which had resulted in the civil service there being reduced substantially in numbers).
The party's current leader is
Brad Wall . He came to office on
March 15 ,
2004 , after being the only declared candidate for the leadership. Other caucus members who had expressed interest in running included
Jason Dearborn ,
Allan Kerpan (a former Reform MP), and Ken Cheveldayoff, a Saskatoon-based MLA who at one time was the President of the
Young Progressive Conservatives Of Saskatchewan . Wall's political roots were in the Progressive Conservative Party of former premier Grant Devine. He was employed in the office of The Honourable John Gerich, Associate Minister of Economic Development until the PCs defeat in 1991. Wall ran for the PC nomination in his home town of
Swift Current that year, but was unsuccessful.
Wall is seen by many as a more politically moderate leader than his predecessor. Following his appointment as leader, the party unveiled a more moderate policy platform that included, among other things, plans for more treatment beds for
Crystal Meth addicts, democratic workplaces, and a new model for economic development in Saskatchewan. With significantly revised core policies, the party is attempting to win over skeptical left-of-centre voters with more emphasis on social issues. The entire Saskatchewan Party caucus voted in favour of the NDP's ''Crown Corporations Public Ownership Act'', which provided legislative entrenchment for the ownership of the major crown utilities and services.
However, the party has had difficulty in shaking its right-wing image and making the Party in to a more centrist party, in the face of opposition to some of its policies. Its agriculture policy, for example, is based on market-choice in the
Canadian Wheat Board , a policy shared with the
Progressive Conservatives Of Alberta . The Saskatchewan Party still rejects both the notion of excessive public involvement in the economy, and government
Red Tape .
In 2004, the Saskatchewan Party had attacked the provincial NDP government over a bad investment, named
SpudCo , and the actions of a cabinet minister,
Eldon Lautermilch who was forced to apologize for misleading the legislature, a fact that only became apparent once sworn evidence was acquired from a civil lawsuit against the province. The party requested a
Public Inquiry .
While not officially aligned with any federal political party, some of the Saskatchewan Party's supporters are also involved with the
Conservative Party Of Canada , with others being associated with the
Liberal Party Of Canada . Brad Wall, in the
2004 Federal Election , personally endorsed Conservative candidate
David L. Anderson , Member of Parliament for
Cypress Hills-Grasslands .
In the
2006 Federal Election , Brad Wall stated he supported the Conservative Party, but would not personally get involved with a federal election. The previous leader, Hermanson, was a member of the
Reform and
Canadian Alliance federal parties.
