Politics

Saskatchewan has the same form of government as the other Canadian provinces with a premier, legislature, and lieutenant-governor.

For many years Saskatchewan has been one of the more left leaning provinces. In 1944 they elected Tommy Douglas Premier of the first socialist government in North America. Under his Cooperative Commonwealth Federation government Saskatchewan became the first province to have Medicare. In 1961, Douglas left provincial politics to become the first leader of the federal New Democratic Party .

During the post-war 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 .

The Saskatchewan Liberal Party was the province's main centrist party for several decades but became insignificant following the defeat of Ross Thatcher's government in 1971. The Progressive Conservatives displaced the Liberals but imploded and officially withdrew from politics following the defeat of the scandal ridden government of Grant Devine.

Today, the official opposition in the province is the Saskatchewan Party, a new party built out of the remains of the Tories and former Liberals. The current premier of Saskatchewan is New Democrat Lorne Calvert, whose government was re-elected in the 2003 election with a slim majority government--the NDP won 30 seats in the 58-seat Legislative Assembly, while the Saskatchewan Party won the remaining 28 seats.

Demographics

While Europeans are the largest number, Aboriginal peoples in Saskatchewan constitute a significant proportion of the population. Ethnicities that are neither of these two groups constitute an extremely small number.

Racial Groups

• 83.7% European
• 13.5% Aboriginal
• 0.8% Chinese
• 0.4% Black
• 1.6% other

Religious Groups

• 46.6% Protestant
• 31.7% Roman Catholic
• 4.3% other Christian
• 0.3% Buddhist
• 17.1% other, non-religious

Police Agencies

Estevan Police Service

Moose Jaw Police Service

Prince Albert Police Service

Regina Police Service

RM of Corman Park Police Service

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Saskatoon Police Service

Weyburn Police Service

Correctional Facilities

Saskatoon correctional centre

Regina Correctional Centre

Prince Albert Correctional Centre

Pine Grove Correctional Centre

Saskatchewan Penitentiary

Regional Psychiatric Centre

Saskatchewan Cities

• Estevan
• Flin Flon (mostly in Manitoba)
• Humboldt
• Lloydminster (partly in Alberta)
• Melfort
• Melville
• Moose Jaw
• North Battleford
• Prince Albert
• Regina - provincial capital
• Saskatoon
• Swift Current
• Weyburn
• Yorkton

10 Largest Municipalities by population