Editing Saskatchewan Progress Party (section)

=== Varying fortunes (1944–1978) ===

==== Opposition to the CCF (1944–1964) ====
In the [[1944 Saskatchewan general election|1944 election]], Saskatchewan elected the first [[democratic socialism|democratic socialist]] government in North America under Douglas' CCF. The Liberals were soundly beaten, dropping to only five seats. CCF organizing had effectively captured the Liberals' traditional base, with farmers and immigrant settlers largely moving to the new party.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Warnock |title=Roots of Discontent and Protest |pages=343}}</ref> The CCF's 1944 win marked the beginning of twenty years in government over five successive majorities. In Opposition, the Liberals became a vehemently anti-socialist party, persistently railing against the CCF government's interventions in the economy and presenting themselves as a free-market alternative. The Liberals staked the [[1948 Saskatchewan general election|1948 election]] on the slogan "Tucker or tyranny", referencing leader [[Walter Tucker (Canadian politician)|Walter Tucker]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waiser |title=Saskatchewan |pages=350}}</ref> The CCF was re-elected to a reduced majority. In 1957, future party leader [[Ross Thatcher]] famously held a televised debate against Douglas in [[Mossbank, Saskatchewan|Mossbank]] on the topic of the province's [[crown corporations]]. Accounts tended to label the debate a draw, which was considered an achievement against the formidable Douglas.<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> All the while, the CCF focused intently on building a modern [[welfare state]]. 

The biggest battle between the two parties occurred over the introduction of universal health care in the early 1960s. The CCF effectively pitched the [[1960 Saskatchewan general election|1960 election]] as a referendum on the issue, and were re-elected to their fifth majority. However, the Liberals under Thatcher came firmly to the support of the province's organized medical profession, which was adamantly opposed to the scheme. Douglas resigned his post in the middle of this battle in 1961 to take on the leadership of the federal [[New Democratic Party]] (NDP), and a [[Saskatchewan doctors' strike|1962 doctors' strike]] threatened to put an end to the plan. However, the strike was resolved and [[Medicare (Canada)|medicare]] was introduced in 1962, soon to be expanded nationwide.<ref>{{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> 

==== Thatcher government (1964–1971) ====
With the province divided over the bitter medicare debate, Thatcher was able to lead the Liberals back to a majority government in the [[1964 Saskatchewan general election|1964 election]], although the popular vote was a virtual tie. Thatcher—who had begun his own career as a member of the CCF—promised to open Saskatchewan for business and to dramatically scale back the government's involvement in the economy. His biggest success came in the potash sector; while the industry got off the ground under the CCF, it expanded rapidly in the latter half of the 1960s, so much so that Thatcher ultimately negotiated a minimum price and production cap with American producers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Waiser |title=Saskatchewan |pages=401}}</ref> Although Thatcher had opposed the implementation of medicare, his government proved unable to reverse it with the program being rolled out across the country; Thatcher's government did, however, controversially introduce limited user fees for medical services.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Quiring |first=Brett |title=Thatcher, Wilbur Ross |url=http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/thatcher_wilbert_ross_1917-71.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706195833/http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/thatcher_wilbert_ross_1917-71.html |archive-date=2017-07-06 |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan}}</ref>

Thatcher focused on downsizing the civil service, which was greatly expanded by the CCF. During the Thatcher years, many veteran Saskatchewan civil servants found themselves migrating to other provinces or to Lester Pearson's federal government—which focused largely on expanding the federal welfare state—and these migrants became known in government circles as the "Saskatchewan Mafia".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marchildon |first=Gregory P. |title=Saskatchewan Mafia |url=https://www.esask.uregina.ca/entry/saskatchewan_mafia.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706200309/https://www.esask.uregina.ca/entry/saskatchewan_mafia.html |archive-date=2017-07-06 |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pasolli |first=Lisa |date=2009 |title=Bureaucratizing the Atlantic Revolution: The 'Saskatchewan Mafia' in the New Brunswick Civil Service, 1960-1970 |url=https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/Acadiensis/article/view/12473 |journal=[[Acadiensis]] |volume=38 |issue=1 |via=University of New Brunswick}}</ref>

Thatcher called an early election in [[1967 Saskatchewan general election|1967]] and won another majority. However, after the election Thatcher embraced a program of [[austerity]], reducing spending and introducing medicare fees, which became derided as "deterrence fees".<ref name=":3" /> A downturn in the provincial economy further eroded the government's popularity. In a [[1971 Saskatchewan general election|1971 election]] that the Liberals framed as a choice between capitalism and socialism, the Liberals were soundly beaten by a resurgent CCF—now called the NDP—under the leadership of [[Allan Blakeney]], who promised a return to the CCF approach of economic planning. Thatcher died suddenly just three weeks after the election, leaving the Opposition leaderless for most of the rest of the year.<ref name=":3" /> In 1975, the Liberals were able to hold on to their fifteen seats and remain the Opposition, but for the first time in more than forty years, the Conservatives—now the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan|Progressive Conservatives]] (PCs)—won multiple seats.