Forty-four years ago — April 26, 1982 — one of the biggest political sea changes in Saskatchewan history took place.
Not many people expected the New Democrats to lose power in 1982. Allan Blakeney had been entrenched as premier for 11 years.
But Grant Devine and the Progressive Conservatives surprised observers with an energetic campaign. They ran on an audacious promise to get rid of a gas tax. Their campaign caught fire. And when the votes were tallied on election night, they pulled off one of the biggest landslides in Saskatchewan history.
They won 55 of 64 seats.
Most of the Blakeney cabinet ended up losing their seats in that election, including the prominent Attorney General Roy Romanow. The upheaval was so massive that the election was nicknamed the Monday Night Massacre.
Grant Devine would be premier for the next nine years.
They were not easy years. The era was marked by projects like the Rafferty Dam. But it was also marked by high deficits, and a major fraud scandal that resulted in several Conservative MLAs going to jail.
In 1991, the Devine PCs would end up leaving office the same way they came in — in a landslide.
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.
