Only 10 years into its existence as a political force, the Saskatchewan Party will form a majority government and its leader Brad Wall will be the new premier.
Withall polls reporting, the party led since 2004 by the Swift Current native was elected in 37constituencies.
Premier designate Saskatchewan Party Leader Brad Wall gives his daughter Faith a hug in Swift Current, Sask., after winning the Saskatchewan election on Wednesday night. ((Troy Fleece/Canadian Press))
"I'm just very encouraged and humbled," Wall told cheering supporters in Swift Current. "I am going to work very, very hard to not let you down."
Born in Swift Current, Wall has been involved in politics for virtually all of his adult life. He was a ministerial assistant in the dying days of Grant Devine's regime, a connection the NDP would later try to use against him.
Leader Brad Wall speaks to supporters after winning a majority government. ((CBC))
Following the resignation of former Saskatchewan Party leader Elwin Hermanson, Wall quickly emerged as the front-runner for the leadership and ran unchallenged. His family includes wife Tami and three children.
'The people have spoken'
Lorne Calvert's NDP was elected in 21constituencies. That compares with the 30 seats the party held before the election was called Oct. 10. The Saskatchewan Party had 28 seats in the 58-seat legislative assembly.
The Saskatchewan Party received about 51 per cent of the popular vote, while the NDP received 37 per cent.
"The people of our province have spoken," Calvert said in his concession speech. "They have said it was time for a change."
The Liberalswon no seats, with Liberal Leader David Karwacki failing totake Saskatoon Meewasin for a second straight election. The Liberal share of the popular vote was about10 per cent.
"I think we need to take a step back and see where the future might take us," said Karwacki's brother, Grant, who lost to New Democrat Pat Atkinson in the Saskatoon Nutana constituency.
Historic win for young party
The Saskatchewan Party's win comes 10 years after the party formed as a union of Liberal and Progressive Conservative MLAs.
The party's achievement avenges the losses of 2003 and 1999. It also ends a 16-year NDP reign that began when Roy Romanow unseated Devine's PCs.
Over 28 days, the 2007 campaign had both Calvert and Wall making promises on improved prescription drug plans and tuition breaks for post-secondary students.
NDP Leader Lorne Calvert talks to reporters after his concession speech in Saskatoon. ((CBC))
Calvert promised a second day-surgery centre for Saskatchewan. Wall said he would take the provincial sales tax off used cars. Both leaders said they had plans to recruit medical professionals and to help Saskatchewan reduce greenhouse gases.
Calvert told voters that at a time when the province was enjoying unprecedented prosperity, it didn't make sense to take the province in a different direction. Wall's response was that Calvert was looking at his record through rose-coloured glasses and that the real legacy of the NDP was broken-down highways and lengthy surgical waiting lists.
A debate on Oct. 10 gave the three leaders an opportunity to expound on their platforms and take some digs at each other, but there were no knockout blows.
Although the Liberals had candidates in all constituencies, Karwacki admitted from the outset that the party couldn't win, and he said he would focus mainly on urban ridings, including his own constituency.
Four other parties, the Progressive Conservatives, the Green Party, the Marijuana Party and the Western Independence Party, fielded candidates, but none had a full slate and ended up takingless than three per centof the popular vote.
Voter turnout was 74 per cent, up slightly from the 2003 election.
