Saskatchewan Premiers Of The Twentieth Century

From the optimism associated with provincial status in 1905, through the trials of Depression and war, the boom times of the post-war period, and the economic vagaries of the 1980s and 1990s, the twentieth century was a time of growth and hardship, development, challenge and change, for Saskatchewan and its people. And during the century, twelve men, from a variety of political parties and from very different backgrounds, led the government of this province. The names of some--like T.C. Douglas and Roy Romanow--are still household names, while others--like Charles Dunning and WIlliam Patterson--have been all but forgotten. Yet each in his unique way, for better or for worse, helped to mould and steer the destiny of the province he governed. These are their stories.

From the optimism associated with provincial status in 1905, through the trials of Depression and war, the boom times of the post-war period, and the economic vagaries of the 1980s and the 1990s, the twentieth century was a time of growth and hardship, development and change, for Alberta and its people. And during the century, twelve men, from a variety of political parties and from very different backgrounds, led the government of this province. The names of some--like William Aberhart, Ernest Manning, and Peter Lougheed--are still household names, while others--like Arthur Sifton, Herbert Greenfield and Richard Reid--have been all but forgotten. Yet each in his unique way, for better or for worse, helped to mould and steer the destiny of the province he governed. These are their stories.

The essays in this volume cover a broad range of topics on Saskatchewan politics, including: the role of the legislature and the Governor General; political institutions (premiers, cabinets, public service, judiciary, commissions); political parties and their history; and social issues & the economy (public finance, health care reform, economic development, rural life, demographics, First Nations, public welfare, federal relations, the media). Appendices include a table of provincial electoral results 1905-99 and lists of Saskatchewan premiers, Lieutenant Governors, and presidents & chiefs of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.

This report traces the evolution of Saskatchewan's trade centre system for the 40 years between 1961 & 2001. For assessing & classifying communities into functional categories, 68 variables are used. In assessing a community's status & future prospects, the systematic trade centre relationships, the demand thresholds required to support trade & service activities, and the impact of non-systematic events such as the establishment of a manufacturing plant or mine are taken into account. The relationship between infrastructure & economic development is also discussed. The events summarized emphasize a continuous extension of the geographic framework within which people journey to work, shop, attend school, obtain health care and, in general, live their everyday lives. In this process, the concept of community, as a functional entity, has evolved from village or town to a region large enough to satisfy the everyday requirements of rural dwellers.

Thomas Walter Scott was a newspaper owner and successful businessman before being elected to the House of Commons in 1905 as member for Assiniboia West. He became leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party by 1905 and premier of the new province. This biography covers the life of this respected political leader from birth through his political career to his retirement years, giving a picture of his labours in the fields of education, female suffrage, agriculture, and public policy whose fruits continue to be of influence in the province.

In his 2001 volume on politics in Saskatchewan, Howard Leeson observed that vast changes were underway in the Saskatchewan polity, and he predicted that the familiar politics of the past would soon look jarringly antiquated. The contributors to this new volume--Saskatchewan Politics: Crowding the Centre--come to the conclusion that this process of change is now largely complete. As its subtitle makes clear, this new study suggests that political parties in the province have crowded closer and closer to the ideological centre. Without the fulcrum of ideological division, politics in the province appears to be more and more about personal and administrative clashes and less and less about substantive differences as to how the economy and society should be organized. In short, left and right are increasingly being left out of provincial politics. Includes a dvd of the 2006-08 Throne and budget debates between NDP leader Lorne Calvert and Saskatchewan Party leader Brad Wall.