It was 62 years ago – April 22, 1964. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated months earlier. The Beatles arrived in North America. And Saskatchewan got a new Premier and new government after years of socialist rule.
Going into that 1964 election, Ross Thatcher built up his Saskatchewan Liberal party to be a real threat to the CCF government — the CCF leading Canada’s first socialist government for 20 years.
During that last term, the party presided over the controversial introduction of Medicare. But former Premier Tommy Douglas was long gone, having taken over leadership of the federal NDP. The new Premier Woodrow Lloyd was unable to keep the CCF dynasty
When the votes were tallied, the Liberals got 32 seats, the CCF 26, and the Progressive Conservatives one seat. Ross Thatcher would be Premier of Saskatchewan for the next seven years, leading the province during the potash boom years of the 1960s.
But after only two terms, the CCF — under its new name the New Democratic Party – returned to power in 1971. Allan Blakeney would be premier for the next 11 years.
Ross Thatcher would go down in history as the last Liberal Premier of Saskatchewan.
Learn more about 100 Years of CKRM at 620ckrm.com.
100 Years of Saskatchewan History
This article is part of a series that celebrates both the history of Saskatchewan and the 100th anniversary of one of Saskatchewan's most storied radio stations. For more key moments from the last 100 years, visit the CKRM timeline.
