Saskatchewan general election, 1999

The Saskatchewan general election of 1999 was the twenty-fourth provincial election held in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on September 16, 1999 to elect members of the 24th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.

Facing the fallout of a poor crop growing season and a scandal involving SaskPower (Channel Lake), the New Democratic government of Premier Roy Romanow, challenged by the newly-created Saskatchewan Party, lost a significant share of the popular vote, winning exactly half of the fifty eight seats in the legislature.

The Saskatchewan Party was a right-wing party created by former members of the Progressive Conservative Party and by Liberals who were unhappy with the leadership of Jim Melenchuk.

The new party was led by Elwin Hermanson, a former Reform Party federal Member of Parliament. It won 39.61% of the popular vote, slightly more than the NDP's 38.73%, but only twenty five seats.

The NDP was able to continue to govern with the support of some Liberal Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

Some New Democrats who were unhappy with the government of Roy Romanow had left the party to form the New Green Alliance, an environmentalist party. This party won about 1% of the popular vote, and no seats in the legislature.

The Progressive Conservative Party nominated fourteen paper candidates, all in NDP strongholds, in order to preserve its status as a registered political party. The Tories did not actively campaign and won only a few votes.

Seating Plan After the Election

Map of Election Results

Results

Notes:

* Party did not nominate candidates in previous election.

¹ One constituency, Wood River, was initially won by the Liberals, but the result was overturned by the courts. The Saskatchewan Party won the ensuing by-election.

Riding results

Northwest Saskatchewan

People in bold represent party leaders and the Speaker

Northeast Saskatchewan

West Central Saskatchewan

Southwest Saskatchewan

Notes

1. Elhard was elected to the Legislature as a member of the Saskatchewan Party in a June 1999 by-election following the resignation and eventual conviction of former PC MLA Jack Goohsen.
2. see below under Wood River controversy

Southeast Saskatchewan

Saskatoon

Regina

Wood River controversy

The Wood River electoral district in the wake of the 1999 general election endured a nine month crisis where it went without representation. On election night returns came back in favour of Saskatchewan Party candidate Yogi Huyghebaert who defeated incumbent Glen McPherson by just seven votes in unofficial returns.^[1] The close election results were challenged in the courts.

After five months a judicial decision came down and the results were certified on January 27, 2000. Saskatchewan Liberal Party incumbent Glen McPherson was declared by a judge the winner by a single vote defeating Yogi Huyghebaert from the Saskatchewan Party.^[2] The Saskatchewan Party decided to challenge the judicial decision, and it was overturned and dissolved based on irregularities in the absentee ballots.

The seat was dissolved and a by-election was called by Premier Roy Romanow on May 29, 2000.^[3] McPherson did not run in the subsequent by-election, choosing to reject the NDP-Liberal coalition. His candidacy for the Liberal party was replaced by Gerry Ruehs.^[4] Huyghebaert ended up winning the by-election.

References

Source: Elections Saskatchewan

See also

• List of Saskatchewan political parties

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