Is Saskatchewan Still Social Democratic?

Question 1

What does the Johnson-Shoyama say matters most about the shift?

Answer 1

what matters most is ideational–about ideas and values, how we understand the shift.

Question 2

What fact does the authors basic argument rest with?

Answer 2

that the CCF (prior to 1961) and NDP have dominated the political landscape.

Question 3

Going into the 2011 SK election, the NDP had held power in our province for__out of the last__years.

Answer 3

• 47

- 67

Question 4

What was so significant about the 2011 election results that would lead the authors to consider thinking about the period as a turning point for SK politics (and perhaps political culture) and …“a questioning of SK’s status as a beacon for social democrats in Canada and elsewhere?”

Answer 4

1) the NDP did not improve its seat total and popular vote in the election following its removal from power as it always had in the past. The party’s seat total and popular vote both declined from when it lost power in 2007.
2) The Sask Party obtained 64% of the popular vote in 2011, which is the highest popular vote attained by any party in the province’s history.

Question 5

NDP

2007: _Seats _%
2011: _Seats _%

Answer 5

20, 37.24%

9, 31.97%

Question 6

SK Party

2007: _%

Answer 6

50.92%

Question 7

Given our discussion of ideology, what policies, ideas, and attitudes might best fit a social democratic position?

Answer 7

1) wealth redistribution
2) in the end we have to intervene and manage the free market
3) government intervention

Question 8

In what ways do SK party supporters display “mild social democratic tendencies”?

Answer 8

In that they are concerned about reducing the economic gap between rich and poor and generally disagree with privatizing Crown Corporations.

Question 9

In what ways do NDP supports display mild conservative tendencies?

Answer 9

• a sizeable minority of NDP supporters would have resource royalties remain the same
• Some of NDP supporters would hold that both the private sector and government need to lay a role in solving economic problems

Question 10

2016 Election Results
SK Party = seats (%)
NDP = seats (%)
Liberals = (_%)

Answer 10

51 seats, 62.36%
10 seats, 30.2%
3.59%

Question 11

What is the concern for the NDP with the Liberals?

Answer 11

Sets in place there is a space where liberals are moving into: liberals gain, NDP lose?
-It says that NDP is losing support but maybe not to the Sask Party.

Question 12

It may be that one important reason for the Sask Party’s support is tied to a shift in attitudes, and in more broad, terms. But, aren’t there other possible reasons that might help explain these changes? Identify some alternative reasons for this fundamental shift in our political landscape in Saskatchewan.

Answer 12

-Changing demographics
-economic realities: changing economy in Saskatchewan
> if times are good, why change the status quo
> we are currently a ‘have’ province
> citizens have more confidence