Through our party’s history both in and out of government, Saskatchewan Liberals have a strong legacy of policy development that has made an indelible impact on the Saskatchewan we know today.
As the governing political party in Saskatchewan for its first 20 years, Sask Liberal policies formed the basis for much of how our province has developed over the next 114 years. Under Thomas Walter Scott, Saskatchewan’s first Premier, the Sask Liberal government developed policies to create Wascana Park (today one of the largest urban parks in the world), the creation of rural municipalities (a form of local government unique to only Saskatchewan and Manitoba), and allowing for communities to be connected through early rural telephone services.
While Tommy Douglas is often considered the founder of Medicare, Sask Liberals first proposed the creation of province-wide health insurance in 1944. Even earlier, it was Sask Liberal Premier James Garfield “Jimmy” Gardiner who in 1928 introduced the first legislation to provide free hospitalization and treatment for victims of tuberculosis anywhere in North America.
These are just a few examples of the positive influence that Sask Liberal policies have had on our province. While electoral fortunes have fluctuated, our core principles of prairie Liberalism have remained nearly constant throughout our Party’s history.
It is through the continued development of meaningful political policy that we can both honour our historic accomplishments, and work to build a better future for every Saskatchewan citizen.
Click here to find out how you can participate in the policy process ahead of our upcoming policy convention on May 4, 2019!