Saskatchewan general election, 1960

Saskatchewan general election, 1960

June 8, 1960 (1960-06-08)

54 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan 28 seats needed for a majority   First party Second party   LIB Leader Tommy Douglas Ross Thatcher Party Co-operative Commonwealth Liberal Leader since July 17, 1942 September 24, 1959 Last election 36 14 Seats won 37 17 Seat change +1 +3 Popular vote 276,846 221,932 Percentage 40.8% 32.7% Swing –4.5pp +2.3pp   Third party Fourth party   Leader Martin Pederson Martin Kelln Party Progressive Conservative Social Credit Last election 0 3 Seats won 0 0 Seat change ±0 –3 Popular vote 94,737 83,895 Percentage 14.0% 12.4% Swing +12.0pp –9.1pp

Premier before election Tommy Douglas Co-operative Commonwealth Premier-designate Tommy Douglas Co-operative Commonwealth

The Saskatchewan general election of 1960 was the fourteenth provincial election held in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on June 8, 1960, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.

The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation of Thomas C. Douglas campaigned promising a Medicare, a public medical plan for all of Saskatchewan, and it was re-elected with a slightly increased majority. The CCF won despite opposition from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, which told voters that Medicare would take freedom of choice away from patients and would cause doctors to leave the province.

A year later, Douglas passed legislation making Saskatchewan the first province in Canada to have Medicare. The same year, Douglas resigned as leader of the CCF to become leader of the federal New Democratic Party.

Campaigns

In addition to the elections campaigns led by the four main political parties, the College of Physicians and Surgeons launched a full-scale campaign against Medicare.

CCF

The Saskatechewan CCF, led by Douglas, proposed "a province-wide medical care program." Douglas assured voters that the only thing that would change about the medical system would be that the doctor would bill the medical care plan instead of billing the patient. The CCF won the election, with 37 seats, one more than in the previous election in 1956.

Progressive Conservatives

The Progressive Party of Saskatchewan, led by Martin Pederson, a 38-year-old farmer, won considerable support in the cities (Regina and Saskatoon), but they were not able to win any seats in the legislature. The 15 federal Progressive Conservative Members of Parliament from Saskatchewan campaigned for the provincial party. The main issue for the party was not Medicare but farm prosperity. It promised farmers grant of a $1 per acre ($247/km²) from the province, with a maximum of $100. It claimed that this program would be made possible by assistance from the federal government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, from Saskatchewan himself and a former leader of the Saskatchewan PCs. On Medicare, it only proposed a Royal Commission.

Liberals

The Liberal Party of Saskatchewan, led by Ross Thatcher of Moose Jaw, claimed that Pederson's promise of land payments was tantamount to bribery. It won 17 seats, and formed the official opposition. Thatcher, a former member of the CCF, was concerned about the economic problems in the province. He was neutral on Medicare and stated that it would be up to the people of Saskatchewan to decide whether or not the province would implement it. The party wad also in favour of pre-paid medical insurance.

The Liberals were concerned that the economic development of Saskatchewan had lagged behind the rest of Canada during the Douglas era. They were also concerned about the proposed merger of the CCF and the Canadian Labour Congress, which later led to the formation of the New Democratic Party.

Social Credit

The Social Credit Party of Saskatchewan was led by the 38-year-old Martin Kelln, who had strong views about monetary reform and the social credit movement, and was viewed by many as a serious threat to the ruling CCF government. However, the party was unable to win any seats. It was the only party openly opposed to Medicare.

College of Physicians and Surgeons

The College of Physisicans and Surgeons ran a campaign against Medicare. Almost all doctors in Saskatchewan were against it, and many had pamphlets available in their offices. The College paid for anti-Medicare ads in newspapers and on television. The College used scare tactics to frighten the public by claiming, for example, that patients would just be numbers and that patients would be assigned new doctors based on their names or that the government would be able to pass on medical secrets of patients.

Results

Notes:

¹Compared to Labor-Progressive Party in 1956 election.

²One seat declared void.

See also

• List of political parties in Saskatchewan
• List of Saskatchewan provincial electoral districts

Elections in Saskatchewan
General elections	1905 1908 1912 1917 1921 1925 1929 1934 1938 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1967 1971 1975 1978 1982 1986 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 2020
By-elections	List of Saskatchewan by-elections
Municipal elections	2006 2009 2012 2016