Editing Ross Thatcher (section)

===Mossbank debate and provincial politics (1957–64)===
During the 1957 federal campaign, Thatcher attacked the [[Saskatchewan CCF]] government's affinity for [[crown corporations]], describing them as a dismal failure.<ref name="ce">{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=David E. |date=2008-02-18 |title=Wilbert Ross Thatcher |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/wilbert-ross-thatcher |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419225247/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/wilbert-ross-thatcher/ |archive-date=2016-04-19 |access-date=2021-10-09 |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Thatcher |first=Ross |date=1967-01-01 |title=Socialism in Saskatchewan |url=https://fee.org/articles/socialism-in-saskatchewan/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-04-29 |website=Foundation for Economic Education |language=en}}</ref> In response, [[Premier of Saskatchewan|Saskatchewan Premier]] [[Tommy Douglas]] challenged Thatcher to a debate, which ultimately took place in the town of [[Mossbank, Saskatchewan|Mossbank]] and was broadcast by television and radio across the province.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Political History — The Debate of the Century |url=https://mossbank.ca/history/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601215351/https://mossbank.ca/history/ |archive-date=2023-06-01 |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=Town of Mossbank}}</ref> The debate was widely regarded as a draw. However, the Liberals were buoyed by Thatcher holding his own against Douglas, who was renowned for his oratory. The debate established Thatcher as the province's principal CCF antagonist and free enterprise standard-bearer, and gave Liberals hope that they might challenge for government against the popular CCF.<ref name="ce" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Eisler |title=Rumours of Glory |pages=31 |language=en-CA}}</ref>

After his defeats at the federal level, Thatcher was courted by the Saskatchewan Liberal Party and became its leader in 1959, defeating three rivals—[[James Wilfrid Gardiner|Wilf Gardiner]], [[Frank Foley (politician)|Frank Foley]], and Alex Cameron—in a contested leadership election.<ref name="ce" /> While some in the party resented Thatcher's quick ascension to the leadership over long-time Liberals, his victory also created excitement among the party ranks.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eisler |title=Rumours of Glory |pages=56–57 |language=en-CA}}</ref> Thatcher led the party into the [[1960 Saskatchewan general election|1960 provincial election]], which was fought principally over the issue of [[Medicare (Canada)|Medicare]], with the CCF planning to implement the first universal healthcare plan in Canada.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Medicare: A People's Issue — 1960–1962 |url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/14753/20201021223835/http://digital.scaa.sk.ca/gallery/medicare/en_intro2.php |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists}}</ref> The Liberals campaigned against Medicare, finding that they could not make a significant dent in the Saskatchewan CCF's large majority.<ref name="esask" /> Thatcher himself was elected to the [[Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan|Legislative Assembly]] from the rural southern riding of [[Morse (provincial electoral district)|Morse]].

The Liberals had gained momentum, however, and the anti-CCF opposition coalesced around them. This was particularly evident during the 1962 [[Saskatchewan doctors' strike]], which attempted to derail the implementation of Medicare and hurt the CCF's popularity.<ref name=":0" /> In addition, Douglas, premier since 1944, stepped down in November 1961 after he was elected leader of the nascent federal [[New Democratic Party]]. The Liberals won a string of [[by-elections]] over the following three years in the lead up to the next general election.<ref>"The Life and Political Times of Tommy Douglas", by Walter Stewart, 2003</ref>