As predicted, the Sask Party has taken the government and the new Premier is Brad Wall. This CP story says:Throughout the campaign, Wall tried to look like a premier by communicating his party's plan clearly and without caveat. He wasn't overly negative and, for the most part, he stayed out of the gutter.
Those qualities won Wall - a fresh-faced, smooth talker who is quick on his feet and good with a joke - the job of party leader in 2003. His first step was to move the Saskatchewan Party toward the middle of the road. Now he must guide his province through an economic boom that is luring people home with the promise of jobs and a bright future.
This table provides the latest election results. Those who care about such things will note that the Liberals have been shut out again.
| Party | Elected | Leading | Total | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP | 37 | 0 | 37 | 50.6% |
| NDP | 21 | 0 | 21 | 37.4% |
| LIB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.5% |
Although Premier Williams has expressed the hope that the new government will continue as a stalwart ally in the fight against the federal government on Equalization, he's likely just whistling in the dark. The subject was not raised in the election and it looks like it's been moved to the backburner. Besides, that new government has better things to do than indulge in fights it can't win.
So with Lorne Calvert gone and Rodney MacDonald cutting a side deal, it looks like the big cheese stands alone after all.
That leaves Premier Williams limited options: make new friends among the premiers (a vanishingly remote possibility), start a process of rapprochement with the Harper federal government (difficult in light of Williams' election night attack) or just keep up the war in the hopes that he will outlast Harper or wear him down; none of them are easy options.
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