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Roy Romanow
PC OC ECS SOM KC
Roy Romanow University of Ottawa2.jpg
Romanow in 2015, at the University of Ottawa
12th Premier of Saskatchewan
In office
November 1, 1991 – February 8, 2001
Monarch Elizabeth II
Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Fedoruk
Jack Wiebe
Lynda Haverstock
Preceded by Grant Devine
Succeeded by Lorne Calvert
Chair of the Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada
In office
April 2001 – November 2002
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
Saskatchewan Leader of the Opposition
In office
November 7, 1987 – November 1, 1991
Preceded by Allan Blakeney
Succeeded by Grant Devine
3rd Leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party
In office
November 7, 1987 – January 27, 2001
Preceded by Allan Blakeney
Succeeded by Lorne Calvert
Deputy Premier of Saskatchewan
In office
June 30, 1971 – May 8, 1982
Premier Allan Blakeney
Succeeded by Eric Berntson
Saskatchewan Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
In office
June 19, 1979 – May 8, 1982
Premier Allan Blakeney
Preceded by new office
Succeeded by John Gary Lane
Attorney General of Saskatchewan
In office
June 30, 1971 – May 8, 1982
Premier Allan Blakeney
Preceded by Darrel Verner Heald
Succeeded by John Gary Lane
Provincial Secretary of Saskatchewan
In office
June 30, 1971 – May 12, 1972
Premier Allan Blakeney
Preceded by Darrel Verner Heald
Succeeded by Edwin Tchorzewski
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
In office
October 11, 1967 – April 26, 1982
Preceded by New Riding
Succeeded by Jo-Ann Zazelenchuk
Constituency Saskatoon Riversdale
In office
October 20, 1986 – February 8, 2001
Preceded by Jo-Ann Zazelenchuk
Succeeded by Lorne Calvert
Constituency Saskatoon Riversdale
Personal details
Born
Roy John Romanow

(1939-08-12) August 12, 1939 (age 86)
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Political party New Democratic Party
Alma mater University of Saskatchewan
Profession Lawyer

Roy John Romanow was born on August 12, 1939. He is a Canadian politician. He served as the 12th premier of Saskatchewan from 1991 to 2001. He was also the leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP) from 1987 until he retired in 2001. Romanow was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for Saskatoon Riversdale for many years.

Romanow played a big part in the government led by Allan Blakeney from 1971 to 1982. He was especially important in talks about bringing the Canadian Constitution home to Canada. After that, he became the Leader of the Opposition in 1987. He then led the NDP to win three elections in the 1990s. When Romanow became Premier, Saskatchewan was in a lot of debt. His leadership helped the province get its finances back in order. However, some of his decisions, like cutting spending, caused disagreements, especially in rural areas of Saskatchewan.

Early Life and Education

Romanow was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 1939. His parents, Tekla and Michael Romanow, were immigrants from Ukraine. His first language was Ukrainian.

He went to the University of Saskatchewan. There, he earned degrees in Political science in 1960 and Law in 1964. He was very active in student politics and even served as president of the Students' Representative Council for a year. After university, Romanow became a lawyer. He married Eleanore Boykowich in 1967.

Starting His Political Career (1967–1982)

Becoming an MLA

Romanow was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in 1967. He represented the riding of Saskatoon Riversdale as a member of the CCF-NDP party. In 1970, when the party leader, Woodrow Lloyd, stepped down, Romanow ran to become the new leader. He was seen as the most moderate of the candidates. In the end, Allan Blakeney won the leadership race.

Working in the Blakeney Government

Romanow was re-elected in the 1971 provincial election. This election brought Blakeney and the NDP to power with a majority government. Blakeney gave Romanow important jobs in his government. Romanow served as Attorney General and Deputy Premier for Blakeney's entire time as Premier, from 1971 to 1982.

During this time, Romanow helped with many important things the NDP government did. This included taking control of the potash industry for the province. He also played a key role in talks about bringing the Canadian Constitution home. In 1981, Romanow helped work out the final details of Canada's new Constitution. He strongly believed that the new Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms should not protect private property, and it was not included.

After three terms in power, Blakeney's NDP government lost the 1982 election to Grant Devine's Progressive Conservatives. Romanow himself lost his seat in Saskatoon Centre by a very small number of votes.

Later Political Career (1986–2001)

Returning to Politics and Leading the Opposition

Romanow ran again for his seat in the 1986 election and won by a large margin. The NDP did well in this election, but Devine's party still formed the government. After this loss, Blakeney resigned as party leader. Romanow then became the new NDP leader and Leader of the Opposition on November 7, 1987.

During the Progressive Conservatives' second term, it became clear that Saskatchewan's finances were in trouble. The province was spending much more money than it was taking in, and its debt was growing fast. Devine's government tried to sell off many government-owned companies, like PotashCorp. The NDP strongly opposed this. In 1989, Romanow led a walk-out from the Legislature to protest the sale of SaskEnergy. This stopped government business for 17 days, and the government eventually backed down.

Becoming Premier of Saskatchewan

In the 1991 provincial election, Romanow led the NDP to a big victory. They won 55 out of 66 seats, and Romanow became the Premier.

When Romanow took office in 1991, the province's financial problems were very serious. The provincial debt was nearly $15 billion, and Saskatchewan was close to going bankrupt. A large part of the government's spending was just to pay interest on this debt. Romanow had promised to fix the province's finances, and this became his government's main goal.

Economic Changes and Balancing the Budget

To deal with the financial crisis, Romanow and his finance minister, Janice MacKinnon, made tough decisions. They greatly reduced government spending by making the government smaller and cutting some services. They felt they had to do this because of pressure from lenders and a lack of help from the federal government.

Some of the most debated cuts included changing the health care system. They replaced many small hospital boards with fewer, larger health regions. They also stopped some acute-care services in over fifty rural hospitals. These cuts were seen as hurting rural areas more than cities. However, these actions did lead to a balanced budget by 1995, which was earlier than expected. This helped end worries about the financial crisis. After 1995, Romanow's government had extra money each year and reduced the debt.

Re-elections and Stepping Down

Romanow led the NDP to win another majority government in the 1995 provincial election. The Progressive Conservatives lost many seats due to a scandal. The Liberals became the official opposition.

However, a new party called the Saskatchewan Party was formed in 1997. It was made up of members from the Progressive Conservatives and Liberals, mostly from rural areas. This new party quickly became the official opposition. Romanow called them the "Saskatories."

In the 1999 provincial election, the NDP won a third term, but they did not win a majority of seats. This meant Romanow had to work with the Liberals to form a coalition government. The Saskatchewan Party did very well in rural areas, winning many seats there, but none in Regina or Saskatoon. This election showed a growing difference in how urban and rural voters felt about the government.

In 2000, Romanow announced he would retire once the party chose a new leader. Many candidates ran to replace him. In 2001, Lorne Calvert was chosen as the new leader and became Premier on February 8, 2001. Calvert promised to bring the party back to its traditional values and increase social spending.

Life After Politics

Working for Canada

After leaving provincial politics, Romanow was asked to run for the federal Liberal Party. He said no, explaining it would be unfair to the NDP. Instead, he wanted to lead a special study on the future of health care in Canada.

On April 4, 2001, Romanow was chosen to lead the Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada. This was a big study to suggest ways to make Canada's health care system better. The "Romanow Report" was released in 2002. It suggested protecting and strengthening Canada's public health care system. It also called for more money from the federal government and a Health Charter. This report has been very important in health care discussions for many years.

In 2003, Romanow became a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. This is a special group of advisors to the Queen (now King) of Canada.

University Roles and Awards

After retiring from politics, Romanow became a senior policy fellow at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina. He also visited Queen's University. In 2016, he became the Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan, a role he held until 2019.

Romanow has received several honors. In 2003, he was given the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. In 2004, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. His official portrait was shown at Saskatchewan's Legislative Assembly in 2005.

Roy Romanow's Impact

Roy Romanow's time as Premier had a lasting impact. His government took over when the province was in a very difficult financial situation. Many people credit his actions with getting Saskatchewan's finances back on track. However, some people disagreed with how quickly he made changes and the spending cuts he put in place.

Some critics felt that Romanow's policies were too much like "neoliberalism," which is an economic idea that focuses on less government spending and more private business. They believed this went against the NDP's traditional values. Others argued that Romanow had to make tough choices because of the global economy at the time. They said his actions were necessary to deal with the crisis.

Romanow's approach helped keep a strong role for the government in areas like health care and education. Another lasting impact of his time was the clear division between rural and urban voters in Saskatchewan. His spending cuts, which seemed to affect rural areas more, made this divide even stronger.

See also

  • List of premiers of Saskatchewan
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