Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

(Flag of Saskatchewan) (Coat of Arms of Saskatchewan)
Motto: Multis E Gentibus Vires (From many peoples, strength)

Other Canadian provinces and territories
Capital Regina
Largest city Saskatoon
Lieutenant-Governor Lynda M. Haverstock
Premier Lorne Calvert ( NDP)
Area 651,036 km² ( 7^th)
• Land 591,670 km²
• Water 59,366 km² ( 9.1%)
Population ( 2004)
• Population 1,018,057 ( 6^th)
• Density 1.72 /km² ( 9^th)
Admittance into Confederation
• Date September 1, 1905 (Split off from NWT)
• Order 9^th (province)
Time zone UTC-6 (no Daylight saving time) Lloydminster and vicinity: UTC -7, and does observe DST
Parliamentary representation
• House seats 14
• Senate seats 6
Abbreviations
• Postal SK
• ISO 3166-2 CA-SK
Postal Code Prefix S
Web site www.gov.sk.ca/ www.gov.sk.ca

This article is about the Canadian province. For the river, see Saskatchewan River.

Saskatchewan is the middle province of Canada's three Prairie provinces. It has an area of 651,900 km² (251,700 mi²) and a population of 978,934 (Saskatchewanians) (January 1, 2005). Most of its population lives in the southern part of the province. The largest city is Saskatoon with a metropolitan population of 225,927 (January 1, 2005), followed by the province's capital, Regina (metro population: 192,800, January 1, 2005). Other major cities (in order of size) include Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Yorkton, Swift Current, and North Battleford. See also List of communities in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan is (approximately) a Quadrilateral bounded on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the American states of Montana and North Dakota.

The province's name, pronounced "sus-KATCH-uh-wun" (IPA: [səsˈkætʃəwən]) by its inhabitants, comes from the Saskatchewan River, whose name comes from its Cree designation: kisiskāciwani-sīpiy (Cree syllabics: ᑭᓯᐢᑳᒋᐘᓂ ᓯᐱᐩ), meaning "swift flowing river".

Municipalities

10 Largest Municipalities by population

Municipality 2001 1996
Saskatoon 196,811 193,653
Regina 178,225 180,404
Prince Albert 34,291 34,777
Moose Jaw 32,131 32,973
Yorkton 15,107 15,154
Swift Current 14,821 14,890
North Battleford 13,692 14,051
Estevan 10,242 10,752
Weyburn 9,534 9,723
Humboldt 5,161 4,752

Economy

Saskatchewan's economy is traditionally associated with Agriculture, however increasing diversification has meant that now agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting together make up only 6.8% of the province's GDP. Wheat is the most familiar crop, and perhaps the one stereotypically associated with the province, but other grains like Canola, Flax, Rye, oats and Barley are also produced. Mining is also a major industry in the province, with Saskatchewan being the world leader in Potash exports. In the northern part of the province, forestry is significant.

Saskatchewan is also the world's most important supplier of Uranium, and supplies much of the western world's supplies. The uranium industry is closely regulated by the provincial government which allows the government of Saskatchewan great latitude in setting world uranium prices.

Saskatchewan's GDP in 2003 was approximately $32 billion (Canadian), with economic sectors breaking down in the following way:

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Leasing - 17.1% Mining and Petroleum - 13.0% Education, Health, and Social Services - 11.9% Wholesale and Retail Trade - 11.7% Transportation, Communication, and Utility - 9.1% Manufacturing - 7.7% Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting - 6.8% Business Services - 6.5% Government Services - 5.8% Construction - 5.0% Other - 5.3%

Bombardier runs the NATO Flight Training Centre in Moose Jaw. Bombardier was awarded a contract for $2.8 billion from the Federal Government for the purchase of military aircraft and the running of the training facility. This contract was made sometime between 2001 and 2002.

History

Prior to European settlement, Saskatchewan was settled by Athabaskan, Algonquian, and Sioux tribes. <INCORRECT! Saskatchewan was settled by various Cree tribes, the Beothuck, and a few others I can't remember from my highschool history class.> The first European to enter Saskatchewan was Henry Kelsey in 1690, who travelled up the Saskatchewan River in hopes of trading fur with the province's indigenous peoples. The first permanent European settlement was a Hudson's Bay Company post at Cumberland House founded by Samuel Hearne in 1774.

In the late 1850s and early 1860s, scientific expeditions led by John Palliser and Henry Youle Hind explored the prairie region of the province.

In the 1870s, the Government of Canada formed the Northwest Territories to administer the vast territory between British Columbia and Manitoba. The Government also entered into a series of numbered Treaties with the Indigenous peoples of the area, which serve as the basis of the relationship between "First Nations", as they are called today, and the Crown. Soon after, the First Nations were forced onto reserves.

Settlement of the province started to take off as the Canadian Pacific Railway was built in the early 1880s, and the Canadian government divided up the land by the Dominion Land Survey and gave free land to any willing settlers. The North West Mounted Police set up several posts and forts across Saskatchewan including Fort Walsh in the Cypress Hills, and Wood Mountain Post in south central Saskatchewan near the American border.

Many Métis people, who had not taken Treaty, had moved to the Saskatchewan Rivers district north of present-day Saskatoon following the Red River Rebellion in Manitoba in 1870. In the early 1880s, the Canadian Government refused to hear the Metis' grievances, which stemmed from land-use issues. Finally, in 1885, the Metis, led by Louis Riel, staged the North-West Rebellion and declared a provisional government. They were defeated by a Canadian militia brought to the prairies by the new Canadian Pacific Railway. Riel surrendered and was convicted of treason in a packed Regina courtroom. He was hanged in November, 1885.

As more settlers came to the prairies on the railway, the population grew and Saskatchewan officially became a province on September 1, 1905 and inauguration day was held September 4.

Politics

Saskatchewan has the same form of government as the other Canadian provinces with a Premier, Legislature, and lieutenant-governor. <Pronounced left-tenant>

For many years Saskatchewan has been one of the more left-leaning provinces. In 1944 it elected Tommy Douglas Premier of the first socialist government in North America. <He's actor Donald Sutherland's father-in-law and grandfather of popular actor Kiefer Sutherland.> Most of his MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly) represented rural and small-town ridings. Under his CCF Cooperative Commonwealth Federation government Saskatchewan became the first province to have Medicare. In 1961, Douglas left provincial politics to become the first leader of the federal New Democratic Party .

During the post-war period, the CCF and its successor the Saskatchewan New Democrats have dominated provincial politics with Douglas, Allan Blakeney and Roy Romanow all serving long periods as Premier and becoming national figures. Urbanization since the Second World War has altered the provincial economy away from an agricultural basis and there was a steady migration from farms to cities and towns. There was a corresponding shift in the NDP's focus from rural to urban concerns, so that the NDP gradually became the voice of cities and towns.

The Saskatchewan Liberal Party was the province's main centrist party for several decades, ruling from 1905-29 and from 1934-44. It regained power in 1964, but became insignificant following the defeat of Liberal Ross Thatcher's government in 1971. The Progressive Conservatives led by Grant Devine gradually replaced the Liberals as the NDP's main rival and soundly defeated the New Democrats in 1982's "Monday Night Massacre". But its popularity plummetted after running up large deficits and being closely aligned with the Mulroney-led federal PC government in 1991. Many PC MLAs, including some cabinet ministers, were convicted for misappropriation of public funds and the PC Party itself went into suspension, though it showed signs of stirring in late 2005.

Today, the official opposition in the province is the Saskatchewan Party, a new party built since 1997 out of the remains of the Tories and former Liberals. The current premier of Saskatchewan is New Democrat Lorne Calvert, whose government was re-elected in the 2003 election with a slim majority government -- the NDP won 30 seats in the 58-seat Legislative Assembly, while the Saskatchewan Party won the remaining 28 seats. Most NDP MLAs represent cities and towns while most SP MLAs represent rural ridings. First Nations & Metis people are politically involved through band councils and other organizations, but their representation in the provincial Legislature is very small.

Centennial Celebrations

In 2005, Saskatchewan celebrated its centennial. To honour it the Royal Canadian Mint issued a coin which depicts Canada's wheat fields.

Demographics

While Europeans are the largest number, Aboriginal peoples in Saskatchewan constitute a significant proportion of the Population. Ethnicities that are neither of these two groups constitute an extremely small number.

Racial Groups

83.7% European
13.5% Aboriginal
0.8% Chinese
0.4% Black
1.6% other

Religious Groups

46.6% Protestant
31.7% Roman Catholic
4.3% other Christian
0.3% Buddhist
17.1% other, non-religious

Police Agencies

Estevan Police Service

Moose Jaw Police Service

Prince Albert Police Service

Regina Police Service

RM of Corman Park Police Service

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Saskatoon Police Service

Weyburn Police Service

Correctional Facilities

Saskatoon correctional centre

Regina Correctional Centre

Prince Albert Correctional Centre

Pine Grove Correctional Centre

Saskatchewan Penitentiary

Regional Psychiatric Centre