2003 Saskatchewan general election

Canadian provincial election December 2024 December 2024 2003 Saskatchewan general election Saskatchewan parliamentary no no 1999 Saskatchewan general election 1999 2003 11 05 2007 Saskatchewan general election 2007 58 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 30 70.9% http://www.elections.sk.ca/media/news-releases/final-voter-turnout/ Voter turnout figures for 28th Saskatchewan election released 2017-06-17 2018-05-14 https://web.archive.org/web/20180514213949/http://www.elections.sk.ca/media/news-releases/final-voter-turnout/ live (5.4pp) 150x150px SK NDP nohash Lorne Calvert SK NDP name January 27, 2001 Saskatoon Riversdale 29 28 30 2 190,923 44.68% 5.95pp Saskatchewan general election, 2003 results by riding.svg 380px Popular vote by riding. As this is an FPTP election, seat totals are not determined by popular vote, but instead via results by each riding. Premier Lorne Calvert SK NDP name Premier after election Lorne Calvert SK NDP name 24th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan members 150x150px SK Saskatchewan nohash Elwin Hermanson SK Saskatchewan name April 20, 1998 Rosetown-Elrose 25 26 28 2 168,144 39.35% 0.26% LIB SK Liberal nohash David Karwacki SK Liberal name October 27, 2001 Ran in Saskatoon Meewasin (lost) 4 1 0 4 60,601 14.18% 5.97pp thumb|Seating Plan After the Election The 2003 Saskatchewan general election was held on November 5, 2003, to elect the 58 members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (MLAs). The election was called on October 8 by Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Lynda Haverstock, on the advice of Premier Lorne Calvert. Campaign Going into the election, the popularity of the New Democratic Party of Saskatchewan (NDP) had declined because of several controversies. Voters in this agrarian province were disgruntled because of a mediocre harvest, a disastrous summer for cattle producers — the American border had been closed to Canadian beef due to fears of mad cow disease; and the actions of a member of the NDP Cabinet who was found to have misled the people of the province on the nature of the Saskatchewan Potato Utility Development Company ("SPUDCO") — a publicly owned potato company that was inappropriately characterized as a public-private partnership that went bust in 2000.http://www.prairiepolicycentre.com/site/pdf/spudco_chronology.pdf 'SPUDCO' CHRONOLOGY Prairie Policy Centre 2009-09-11 2015-12-24 2015-12-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20151225052823/http://www.prairiepolicycentre.com/site/pdf/spudco_chronology.pdf dead New Liberal leader David Karwacki was elected on a platform of disbanding the coalition with the NDP. After ordering Liberal MLAs to leave government, MLAs Ron Osika and Jim Melenchuk left the party and continued to sit in government before ultimately joining the NDP.2003-09-05 Former Liberals join Sask. NDP https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/former-liberals-join-sask-ndp/article20451017/ 2024-09-16 The Globe and Mail en-CA Election issues included emigration (the province's population was falling because young people were leaving the province to look for work), honesty and integrity, privatization of public inter-city transit and energy supplies, and utility rates. During the campaign, the NDP was attacked for an internal cartoon that had been leaked to the media. It depicted Saskatchewan Party leader Elwin Hermanson directing persons labeled 'NDP sympathizers' onto railway boxcars. The cartoon referred to speculation that, if elected, Hermanson would replace civil servants who were NDP supporters with Saskatchewan Party supporters. However, many associated it with the Holocaust – in particular Nazi Germany's deportation of Jews to concentration camps.http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sask-ndp-distances-itself-from-holocaust-cartoon-1.394771 CBC News Sask. NDP distances itself from 'Holocaust' cartoon October 15, 2003 June 4, 2015 September 24, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924183808/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sask-ndp-distances-itself-from-holocaust-cartoon-1.394771 live The campaign as a whole was seen as being quite negative, as the NDP constantly claimed that the Saskatchewan Party had a 'secret agenda' to privatize crown corporations to finance large tax cuts for business; the Saskatchewan Party had a difficult time refuting these claims, as several party members made comments that seemed consistent with this view. Unlike many of the other provincial elections held in 2003, the election was widely regarded as too close to call up until a large proportion of the polls had reported. To the surprise of observers who believed the NDP would be affected by the poor pre-election conditions, the NDP won its fourth term in government. It actually picked up the one seat it needed for a bare majority. The election was ultimately decided in Regina Wascana Plains, which the NDP won by only 543 votes. Had the Saskatchewan Party won here, both parties would have had 29 seats each. All of the NDP's ministers were re-elected; except for two who had defected to the party from the Liberals. The Saskatchewan Party cemented its grip on most of the rural seats, yet was unable to make further gains in urban areas. It won two additional seats in Saskatoon, but was completely shut out in Regina (though as mentioned above it nearly won Regina Wascana Plains). Believing he had taken the party as far as he could, Hermanson resigned as leader on November 18, 2003. Although speculation was high that they could form the balance of power in the case of a minority government, the Liberals lost their one seat, shutting them out of the legislature for the first time since 1982. They would never again return to the legislature — in 2023 they re-branded as the Saskatchewan Progress Party. Results PartyParty leader# ofcandidatesSeatsPopular vote1999Dissol.Elected% Change#%% Change SK NDP row New Democratic Lorne Calvert 582928 30+7.2%190,92344.68%+5.95% SK Saskatchewan row Saskatchewan Party Elwin Hermanson 582526 28+7.7%168,14439.35%-0.26% SK Liberal row Liberal David Karwacki5841 –-100%60,60114.18%-5.97% SK Western Independence row-name Bruce Ritter 17*––*2,6150.61%* SK New Green Alliance row-name Ben Webster 27–– ––2,3230.55%-0.46% SK Independent rowIndependent 5–3 –-100%1,9970.47%+0.37% SK PC row Progressive Conservative Iris Dennis 11––––6810.16%-0.24 Total 2345858 58 427,284100% Source: Elections Saskatchewan Note: * Party did not nominate candidates in previous election. Percentages Popular vote #ddd 600px 410px New Democratic SK NDP 44.68 Saskatchewan SK Saskatchewan 39.35 Liberal SK Liberal 14.18 Others SK Independent 1.79 Seats summary #ddd 600px 410px New Democratic SK NDP 51.72 Saskatchewan SK Saskatchewan 48.28 Ranking Party SeatsSecondThirdFourthFifthSixthSK NDP row New Democratic Party30280000 SK Saskatchewan rowSaskatchewan Party28264000 SK Liberal rowLiberal Party0453100 SK New Green Alliance row-name0002160 SK Western Independence row-name0001421 SK PC rowProgressive Conservative 000650 SK Independent rowIndependent001220 6 closest constituencies Lloydminster: Milt Wakefield (SK Party) def. Wayne Byers (NDP) by 64 votes Humboldt: Donna Harpauer (SK Party) def. Bryan Barnes (NDP) by 173 votes Saskatoon Northwest: Ted Merriman (SK Party) def. Jim Melenchuk (Ind.-NDP) by 266 votes Carrot River Valley: Allan Kerpan (SK Party) def. Mark Pitzel (NDP) by 360 votes Weyburn-Big Muddy: Brenda Bakken (SK Party) def. Sherry Leach (NDP) by 385 votes Meadow Lake: Maynard Sonntag (NDP) def. Ron Dosdall (SK Party) by 414 votes Riding-by-riding results People in bold represent cabinet ministers and the Speaker. Party leaders are italicized. The symbol " ** " represents MLAs who are not running again. Northwest Saskatchewan Electoral DistrictCandidatesIncumbentNew DemocraticSaskatchewanPartyLiberalWesternIndependenceProgressiveConservative     Athabasca Buckley Belanger2,508 (70.67%)Greg Ross 806 (22.71%)Philip Derocher 212 (5.97%)Sean Gilchrist 23 (0.65%) Buckley BelangerCut Knife-Turtleford John Vinek 2,520 (39.02%)Michael Chisholm3,114 (48.21%)Larry Ingram 649 (10.05%)Josiah Rise 176 (2.72%) Wally Lorenz**Battleford-Cut KnifeLloydminster Wayne Byers1,926 (47.98%)Milt Wakefield1,990 (49.58%)Richard Sparks98 (2.44%) Milt WakefieldMeadow Lake Maynard Sonntag3,472 (50.27%)Ron Dosdall 3,058 (44.27%)Don Coupland 377(5.46%) Maynard SonntagRosthern-Shellbrook John Serhienko 2,598 (36.54%)Denis Allchurch3,604 (50.69%)George Cameron 747 (10.51%)Laverne Isaac 161 (2.26%) Ben HeppnerRosthernMerged district Denis AllchurchShellbrook-SpiritwoodThe Battlefords Len Taylor3,056 (42.53%)Larry Doke1,856 (25.83%)Jack Hillson2,134 (29.70%)Gordon Elias 139 (1.94%) Jack HillsonNorth Battleford Northeast Saskatchewan Electoral DistrictCandidatesIncumbentNew DemocraticSaskatchewanPartyLiberalNew GreenAllianceOther     Batoche Ava Bear 2,778 (36.32%)Delbert Kirsch3,356 (43.87%)Bill Yeaman 1,300 (16.99%)Gordon Robert Dumont 76 (0.99%)Florence Rabut (WIP) 140 (1.83%)New DistrictCanora-Pelly Brian Rusnak 3,008 (37.80%)Ken Krawetz4,198 (52.75%)Arlene Cote 580 (7.29%)David Sawkiw (WIP) 172 (2.16%) Ken KrawetzCarrot River Valley Mark Pitzel 3,114 (42.02%)Allan Kerpan3,474 (46.88%)Kathy McIntyre 823 (11.10%) Allan KerpanCumberland Joan Beatty3,281 (68.96%)Winston McKay 1,035 (21.75%)Allan Adam 388 (8.16%)Ari Avivi (PC) 54 (1.13%) Keith Goulet**Kelvington-Wadena Ryan Calder 2,461 (31.43%)June Draude4,515 (57.66%)Harry Kerr 542 (6.92%)Neil Fenske (WIP) 312 (3.99%) June DraudeMelfort Garnet Davis 2,833 (38.25%)Rod Gantefoer 4,060 (54.82%)Bernie Yuzdepski 513 (6.93%) Rod GantefoerMelfort-TisdalePrince Albert Carlton Myron Kowalsky3,865 (58.59%)Bert Provost 1,891 (28.66%)Carman Cripps 744 (11.28%)Jayna Lacey 71 (1.08%)Davey Clinton (Ind.) 26 (0.39%) Myron KowalskyPrince Albert Northcote Eldon Lautermilch3,286 (56.89%)Peter Abrametz 1,554 (28.90%)Brent Zbaraschuk 783 (13.56%)Ben Webster 153 (2.65%) Eldon LautermilchSaskatchewan Rivers Lon Borgerson3,446 (47.65%)Daryl Wiberg2,833 (39.27%)Cliff Rose 765 (10.58%)Gerald Regnitter 188 (2.60%) Daryl Wiberg West Central Saskatchewan Electoral DistrictCandidatesIncumbentNew DemocraticSaskatchewanPartyLiberalWesternIndependenceOther     Arm River-Watrous Carol Rowan 3,193 (38.23%)Greg Brkich4,009 (48.01%)Steven Barlow 922 (11.04%)Gord Anderson 162 (1.94%)Gord Pederson (Ind.) 65 (0.78%) Greg BrkichArm RiverMerged districtDonna HarpauerWatrousBiggar Lee Pearce 2,639 (36.11%)Randy Weekes3,917 (53.61%)Steven Dribnenki 751 (10.28%) Randy WeekesRedberry LakeHumboldt Bryan Barnes 3,291 (39.89%)Donna Harpauer3,464 (41.99%)Les Alm 1,495 (18.12%)Del Anderson 138"VOIDED – Candidacy Withdrawn" (see "Humboldt" under Elections Saskatchewan: Twenty-Fifth Provincial General Election https://web.archive.org/web/20110515111255/http://www.elections.sk.ca/elections/election25/results.php 2011-05-15 .) Arlene Julé**Kindersley Blair McDaid 1,443 (22.05%)Jason Dearborn3,960 (60.50%)Del Price 1,142 (17.45%) Jason DearbornMartensville Zane Dmytryshyn 1,836 (26.87%)Ben Heppner3,778 (55.28%)Allan Earle 1,135 (16.61%)Warren Fehr 85 (1.24%) Ben HeppnerRosthernRosetown-Elrose Jack Randall Mason 2,200 (27.06%)Elwin Hermanson5,173 (63.62%)Janay Volk 758 (9.32%) Elwin HermansonRosetown-Biggar Southwest Saskatchewan Electoral DistrictCandidatesIncumbentNew DemocraticSaskatchewanPartyLiberalWesternIndependenceNew GreenAlliance     Cypress Hills Eric August 1,418 (20.81%)Wayne Elhard4,458 (65.42%)Barry Thienes 938 (13.77%) Wayne ElhardMoose Jaw North Glenn Hagel4,580 (57.86%)Darin Chow 2,838 (35.85%)Dean Legaré 431 (5.44%)Michael Wright 67 (0.85%) Glenn HagelMoose Jaw Wakamow Deb Higgins4,394 (62.60%)Gwen Beitel 2,129 (30.33%)Robert Cosman 429 (6.11%)Marcella Gall 67 (0.96%) Deb HigginsSwift Current Dean Smith 2,707 (36.64%)Brad Wall4,312 (58.37%)Mike Burton 369 (4.99%) Brad WallThunder Creek Larry Hall 2,572 (30.92%)Lyle Stewart4,450 (53.50%)Rod Haugerud 1,132 (13.61%)Harold Stephan 164 (1.97%) Lyle StewartWood River Trevor Davies 2,043 (25.98%)Yogi Huyghebaert4,350 (55.32%)Louis Stringer 1,264 (16.07%)Nick Yorga 207 (2.63%) Yogi Huyghebaert Southeast Saskatchewan Electoral DistrictCandidatesIncumbentNew DemocraticSaskatchewanPartyLiberalWesternIndependenceOther     Cannington Henry Friesen 1,569 (21.70%)Dan D'Autremont5,115 (70.74%)John Atwell 547 (7.56%) Dan D'AutremontEstevan David Pattyson2,154 (31.39%)Doreen Eagles3,522 (51.32%)Tim Seipp1,095 (15.96%)Sigfredo Gonzales (NGA)91 (1.33%) Doreen EaglesIndian Head-Milestone Lorne Scott3,258 (39.43%)Don McMorris4,070 (49.26%)Anthony Gavrielides724 (8.76%)Ron Borys 211 (2.55%) Don McMorrisLast Mountain-Touchwood Jordon Hillier3,055 (39.75%)Glen Hart3,722 (48.42%)Greg Burton704 (9.16%)Merv Werk 205 (2.67%) Glen HartMelville-Saltcoats Ron Osika 2,858 (32.20%)Bob Bjornerud 3,462 (39.01%)Brian Tochor 880 (9.92%)Grant Schmidt (Ind.)1,675 (18.87%) Ron OsikaMelvilleMerged district Bob BjornerudSaltcoatsMoosomin Robert Stringer2,268 (30.89%)Don Toth4,400 (59.92%)Bryn Hirsch 506 (6.89%)Frank Serfas 169 (2.30%) Don TothWeyburn-Big Muddy Sherry Leach3,491 (40.64%)Brenda Bakken3,876 (45.12%)Janet Ledingham1,223 (14.24%) Brenda BakkenYorkton Clay Serby3,993 (51.53%)Randy Atkinson 3,163 (40.82%)Chuck Gunning 371 (4.79%)Bruce Ritter 222 (2.86%) Clay Serby Saskatoon Electoral DistrictCandidatesIncumbentNew DemocraticSaskatchewanPartyLiberalNew GreenAllianceProgressiveConservative     Saskatoon Centre David Forbes3,607 (61.85%)Roger Parent1,165 (19.98%)Richard Clatney907 (15.55%)Betty Korkin153 (2.62%) David ForbesSaskatoon IdylwyldSaskatoon Eastview Judy Junor4,164 (44.64%)Robin Bellamy2,572 (27.57%)Rob Norris2,482 (26.61%)Sandy Ervin110 (1.18%) Judy JunorSaskatoon Fairview Andy Iwanchuk3,105 (55.28%)Jim McAllister1,383 (24.62%)Rik Steernburg1,037 (18.46%)Jason Hanson41 (0.73%)Gwen Katzman51 (0.91%) Andy IwanchukSaskatoon Greystone Peter Prebble4,317 (49.16%)Kevin Waugh2,855 (32.51%)Herta Barron1,558 (17.74%)Brian Berezowski50 (0.59%) Peter PrebbleSaskatoon Massey Place Eric Cline4,023 (61.40%)Philipp Strenger1,413 (21.57%)Myron Luzkca970 (14.80%)Ryan John Taylor61 (0.93%)David Connor85 (1.30%) Eric ClineSaskatoon Mount RoyalSaskatoon Meewasin Frank Quennell3,256 (40.88%)Shelley Hengen1,989 (24.98%)David Karwacki2,642 (33.17%)David Greenfield77 (0.97%) Carolyn Jones**Saskatoon Northwest Jim Melenchuk2,943 (37.35%)Ted Merriman3,209 (40.72%)Ken McDonough1,728 (21.93%) Jim MelenchukOne of two members elected as Liberals and joined into coalition with the NDP. Refused to leave the coalition after David Karwacki became Liberal leader and ordered all members to do so. Subsequently sat as an Independent. Ran for the NDP in this election.Saskatoon Nutana Pat Atkinson4,593 (55.47%)Sandy Ewert1,549 (18.71%)Grant Karwacki1,946 (23.50%)Neal Anderson192 (2.32%) Pat AtkinsonSaskatoon Riversdale Lorne Calvert3,608 (62.72%)Fred Ozirney1,302 (22.63%)Deneen Gudjonson754 (13.11%)Keith Morvick52 (0.90%)Glen Schreiner37 (0.64%) Lorne CalvertSaskatoon Silver Springs Russell Scott3,490 (38.99%)Ken Cheveldayoff4,005 (44.74%)Shawn Flett1,457 (16.27%)New DistrictSaskatoon Southeast John Conway2,738 (32.96%)Don Morgan3,355 (40.38%)Zoria Broughton2,164 (26.05%)Neil Sinclair51 (0.61%) Pat Lorje**Saskatoon Sutherland Graham Addley3,616 (46.59%)Patrick Bundrock2,043 (26.32%)Mark Kelleher1,988 (25.32%)Lynn Oliphant114 (1.47%) Graham Addley Regina Electoral DistrictCandidatesIncumbentNew DemocraticSaskatchewanPartyLiberalNew GreenAllianceProgressiveConservativeOther      Regina Coronation Park Kim Trew4,439 (62.85%)Robert Taylor 1,665 (23.57%)Edgar Sauer 849 (12.02%)Kim Weiss 63 (0.89%)Kenneth Johnson 47 (0.67%) Kim TrewRegina Dewdney Kevin Yates4,153 (55.08%)Rob Bresciani 2,148 (28.49%)Simone Clayton 1,165 (15.45%)Darcy Robillard 35 (0.46%)Blaine Gilbertson (Ind.)39 (0.52%) Kevin YatesRegina Douglas Park Harry Van Mulligen5,136 (57.26%)Laura Ross 1,900 (21.18%)Mike Farmer 1,703 (18.99%)Dave Orban 148 (1.65%)Wayne Mastrachuk 83 (0.92%) Harry Van MulligenRegina VictoriaRegina Elphinstone-Centre Warren McCall3,078 (66.39%)Angie Roe 792 (17.09%)Paul Compton 574 (12.38%)John Warnock 110 (2.37%)Janice Schreiner 44 (0.95%)Carl Barabonoff (WIP)38 (0.82%) Warren McCallRegina ElphinstoneMerged district Joanne CroffordRegina CentreRegina Lakeview John Nilson4,988 (56.91%)Michelle Hunter 1,781 (20.32%)Dave Brundige 1,875 (21.39%)Brian Rands 121 (1.38%) John NilsonRegina Northeast Ron Harper4,428 (61.30%)Dwayne Walter 1,637 (22.66%)Dennis Hydamacka 1,034 (14.31%)Susan Ferren 62 (0.86%)George Marcotte 63 (0.87%) Ron HarperRegina Qu'Appelle Valley Mark Wartman4,694 (56.90%)Darlene Hincks 2,615 (31.70%)Marlin Belt 875 (10.60%)Kelsey Pearson 39 (0.47%)Angela Barabonoff (WIP)27 (0.33%) Mark WartmanRegina Rosemont Joanne Crofford4,226 (62.05%)Morris Elfenbaum 1,477 (21.69%)Sherry Banadyga 990 (14.54%)Victor Lau 76 (1.12%)Vanessa Slater 41 (0.60%)New DistrictRegina South Andrew Thomson 4,662 (49.47%)Jim Roberts 2,646 (28.08%)Debbie Ward 1,994 (21.16%)Garry Ewart 97 (1.03%)Shea Ritter (WIP)25 (0.26%) Andrew ThomsonRegina Walsh Acres Sandra Morin4,594 (62.85%)Mike Shenher 1,693 (23.16%)Perry Juttla766 (10.48%)Nigel Taylor 64 (0.88%)Lindy Kasperski (Ind.)192 (2.63%) Lindy KasperskiSuspended from the NDP caucus after being charged with fraud. After he was acquitted, he was offered reinstatement, but refused in the face of a difficult re-nomination fight in his constituency. He ran in the election as an independent.Regina SherwoodRegina Wascana Plains Doreen Hamilton3,951 (43.38%)Dan Thibault 3,438 (37.75%)Frank William Proto1,672 (18.36%)John Keen 47 (0.51%) Doreen Hamilton Opinion polls CBC Saskatchewan (October 20 – 26, 2003): NDP – 42% Saskatchewan Party – 39% Liberals – 18% Other – 1% Cutler Poll (October 29–November 5, 2003): NDP – 47% Saskatchewan Party – 37% Liberals – 14% Other – 2% See also List of political parties in Saskatchewan List of Saskatchewan provincial electoral districts References Elections Saskatchewan: Twenty-Fifth Provincial General Election Saskatchewan Archives Board - Election Results By Electoral Division Notes Further reading Mutimer David Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs, 2003 2009 University of Toronto Press Toronto 9780802099853 https://archive.org/details/canadianannualre0000unse_e7f6 registration External links CBC Digital Archives - Showdown on the Prairies: A History of Saskatchewan Elections General resources Government of Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan Legislature - Election 2003 Elections Saskatchewan CBC - Saskatchewan Votes 2003 Parties Parties with seats in the house prior to dissolution Saskatchewan New Democratics (see also New Democratic Party) Saskatchewan Party Liberal Party of Saskatchewan (see also Liberal Party of Canada) Other parties Western Independence Party of Saskatchewan New Green Alliance Party of Saskatchewan Other Saskatchewan political links Saskatchewan NDP Caucus Lorne Calvert, NDP MLA for Saskatoon Riversdale Judy Junor, NDP MLA for Saskatoon Eastview David Forbes, NDP MLA for Saskatoon Centre Saskatchewan general election 2003 General election Saskatchewan general election