1991 Saskatchewan general election

1991 Saskatchewan general election

← 1986 October 21, 1991 (1991-10-21) 1995 →

66 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
34 seats needed for a majority
Turnout83.2% [1] (Increase1.1pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Roy Romanow Grant Devine Lynda Haverstock
Party New Democratic Progressive Conservative Liberal
Leader since November 7, 1987 November 9, 1979 April 2, 1989
Leader's seat Saskatoon Riversdale Estevan Saskatoon Greystone
Last election 25 38 1
Seats before 26 38 0
Seats won 55 10 1
Seat change Increase29 Decrease28 Increase1
Popular vote 275,780 137,994 125,814
Percentage 51.05% 25.54% 23.29%
Swing Increase5.85pp Decrease19.07pp Increase13.30pp


Premier before election

Grant Devine
Progressive Conservative

Premier after election

Roy Romanow
New Democratic

The 1991 Saskatchewan general election was held on October 21, 1991, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.

The Progressive Conservative government of Premier Grant Devine was defeated by the New Democratic Party, led by former provincial Attorney General Roy Romanow. A major source of dissatisfaction with the Grant Devine government was the "Fair Share Saskatchewan" program, a scheme to distribute public service jobs more evenly across the province;[2][3] a plan especially unpopular with workers scheduled to be relocated from Regina to rural districts. The Devine government was also notorious for a home construction and renovation relief program which reimbursed homeowners who did their own renovations. Another factor was the unpopularity of the federal Progressive Conservatives under then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

The NDP was able to win more than half of the popular vote, and an overwhelming majority in the legislature. The Tories lost almost three-quarters of the seats they had held in the legislature, and a significant share of the popular vote. Their loss in vote percentage resulted in 30 third-place finishes; this was more than their 26 second-place finishes or their ten seats won.

The Liberal Party – led by Lynda Haverstock – was able to attract a substantial share of disaffected Tory voters. However, despite winning almost one-quarter of the vote, their support was too spread out across the province to translate into seats. Haverstock was the only Liberal returned to the legislature.

  1. ^ "Voter turnout figures for 28th Saskatchewan election released".
  2. ^ Government Restructuring and Career Public Service in Canada, Evert A. Lindquist, 2000, Institute of Public Administration of Canada, ISBN 0-920715-92-3 [1]
  3. ^ Legislative Reports, Canadian Parliamentary Review, 14, #3, 1991