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The birthplace of Canada's free healthcare system. The province also produces nearly half of Canada's grain, and is sacred ground for "Rider Nation", the devoted fans of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Saskatchewan was first settled when the Canadian North-Wast Mounted Police were dispatched to the west, marking the land with a Canadian presence. The Canadian Pacific Railway brought more settlers, and Louis Riel's failed rebellion caused the Métis, disenfranchised of the Red River Valley, to head west. It was in Regina that Riel was tried and hanged for treason. After joining Canada in 1905, early politics in Saskatchewan were dominated by the Liberal party. The Cooperative Commonwealth Party of Saskatchewan was the first socialist party to hold power in Canada. Tommy Douglas was a member of the CCF, and he went on to create Medicare and lead the federal New Democratic Party. The Conservatives made a brief appearance in Saskatchewan in the 1980s, but the NDP and the Saskatchewan Party have been the two main players in the province since 1991. Brad Wall recently led the Saskatchewan Party to victory over the NDP, ending that party's remarkable sixteen year run in provincial power. |
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