Saskatchewan Premiers of the Twentieth Century (review)

Saskatchewan Premiers of the Twentieth Century is a compilation of chapters written by academics and journalists dealing with each of Saskatchewan's premiers during the province's past hundred years, including a short piece by editor Gordon Barnhart on Frederick Haultain (technically, not provincial premier but territorial leader at the time Saskatchewan became a province).

As with compilations of this sort, some chapters stand out more than others. This is often a product of the subjects themselves.

Tommy Douglas bestrides Saskatchewan politics – and Canadian politics, too, if his recent choice by CBC watchers as 'the Greatest Canadian' is any judge – and similarly figures large in the book. The chapter dealing with him (written by Thomas McLeod and Ian McLeod) properly examines Douglas's roots in the social gospel movement and the intellectual and social context of the Great Depression, and does not limit itself overly to his period as premier.

Beyond Douglas, the book contains several other gems. Only slightly less so than Douglas, Jimmy Gardiner was a larger-than-life figure of Canadian politics. David Smith's handling of Gardiner's career is concise and lucid, and situates him in the larger political and ideological context.

Similarly, Dianne Norton's discussion of Woodrow Lloyd is sensitive and thorough. Indeed, she makes a strong case (without stating it categorically) that Lloyd's achievements deserve far more recognition than often given, especially in implementing public health care in the province and, in turn, Canada. Norton's description of the pitched battle between Lloyd's government and the doctors during the latter's strike in 1962 is vivid and compelling.

Only slightly less successful in its efforts at rehabilitation is Dale Eisler's chapter on Ross Thatcher's legacy, suggesting he was ahead of his time in anticipating the fiscal crisis of the early 1990s. Other important and well-written chapters include Dennis Gruending's discussion of Allan Blakeney's tenure during the province-building decade of the 1980s and Gregory Marchildon's discussion of Roy Romanow's premiership during the difficult 1990s (including his central role throughout his career in constitutional matters).

Finally, sometimes for dubious reasons, several chapters dealing with other premiers also leave a mark. Patrick Kyba's chapter on James Anderson and the role of the Ku Klux Klan during the 1929 election and James Pitsula's description of the scandal-ridden and deeply flawed premiership of Grant Devine come to mind.

Several things stand out from this collection. First, the book makes clear that Saskatchewan punches above its weight in Canadian political culture. Medicare is the obvious evidence for this argument, but the book also can be read as a primer on the development of social democracy in Canada, from the founding of the CCF in 1933, to its election as the first 'socialist' government in North America in 1944, to the intense debates that involved Saskatchewan NDP members in the early 1970s over the Waffle movement, to the fiscally 'conservative' model of social democracy practised by the Romanow government in the 1990s.

Second, one is struck in reading many of the chapters by the essential pragmatism of Saskatchewan politics (in contrast, for example, with that of Alberta in recent years or British Columbia most of the time). Maybe it's the hard facts of prairie existence, but one is left with the sense that the best of Saskatchewan's political leaders have appreciated the value of the dollar and when necessary the need to set ideology aside in favour of consensus. The least successful of Saskatchewan's premiers – Thatcher and, decidedly, Devine – were exceptions to this rule, with disastrous consequences.

The book could have done with tighter editing. While a certain amount of overlap is necessary in setting up each successive chapter, some things are too often repeated. It also would have benefited from an introductory chapter that highlights the economic, political, and social themes that have marked Saskatchewan during the twentieth century. Nonetheless, this...