From Left to Right: Saskatchewan's Political and Economic Transformation

by Dale Eisler

An in-depth look at the political landscape of Saskatchewan from its leftist roots to its recent shift to the right.

In From Left to Right, Dale Eisler explores the events that have changed the character of the province, and how others see it, in significant ways. Eisler traces the evolution of Saskatchewan from the homeland of the NDP to the domain of the Saskatchewan Party.

Beginning his analysis in the late 1960s, Eisler outlines major international and domestic events that shaped the world and Canada. He then traces specific moments in time in the political and economic life of Saskatchewan that were a result of those factors, leading to the political and economic reality of Saskatchewan today.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

381 pages, Paperback

First published April 23, 2022

Reviews

[Doug Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read that focuses more on the economics of Saskatchewan politics.

[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible history of Sask politics that focuses on how the province went from an agrarian socialist government under Tommy Douglas to the seemingly unbeatable Sask Party today. The author creates a flowing narrative that connects the bigger picture of relevant world events and federal politics with Saskatchewan politics, where the premiers are the main characters. While mostly giving a balanced treatment, he definitely has some favourites.

Much of the book centers around the provincial elections from the 1970s onwards, and they are used as major milestones to mark turning points in the political landscape. The author breaks down results of each election, and digs into the history to explain why these shifts happened.

The impact of populism permeates the discussion, though the author acknowledges that its a very difficult concept to nail down, giving examples of "populist" governments across the entire political spectrum. Another common theme is the idea of political labels, and the author suggests that, despite the ideological labels associated with the governing parties (socialist under the NDP, right wing under SaskParty), in practice many of these governments veered more to the center. Much of the discussion centers around the tension between the prairies and the Feds, and the author notes how in the 70s, it was a coalition of a Sask NDP (Blakeney) and a Alberta Conservative (Lougheed) united against Pierre Trudeau. Then in 2015 it was the Sask party (Wall) and Alberta NDP (Notley) against Justin Trudeau.


Some fun facts and quotes:
- When Romanow and Chretien toured around trying to garner support for the Charter, they were dubbed "the Toque and the Uke show"
- Tommy Douglas' metaphor of a cream separator to explain politics - "...the workers need to get their hands on the machine so they can produce homogenized milk, so that everyone gets a little cream"

[Alyssa Lockhart · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a safe bet a book like this enjoys a pretty narrow audience.

The book's thesis about populism being the key to explaining Sask's swing from left-to-right is The BIG IDEA. Everything else is secondary to this point, including being coherent or interesting.

This history meanders all over the place, dwelling on Potash production, scoffing at the Waffle Manifesto, and explaining the Crow Rate several times, as if it forgot what it's saying, always comparing Saskatchewan to Alberta as if there was a popularity contest we weren't aware of.

There are villains (Grant Devine, Pierre Trudeau) and heroes (Tommy Douglas and the weirdly compelling Roy Romanow) but none are painted with much colour beyond their lefty/righty/populist bonafides.

It's not a surprise that a book about Canada's rectangle would be a bit dry; I guess I've come away from the book believing there's room for an ambitious, fiery history of Saskatchewan, which to be fair to Eisler, I previously never would have guessed at.

[Aaron Piel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book incredibly insightful into the current political landscape of Saskatchewan, and why right-wing populism has such a stronghold, particularly in rural Saskatchewan. It also helped me understand a bit better the deep-seated feelings of the conservative people in my life and the historical precedence for them.

The history of Saskatchewan politics is also oddly fascinating, from the dominance of its left-leaning social democratic beginnings through the back and forth between liberal, NDP, and conservative iterations to the current dominance of the Sask Party. I'd say the book argues that whichever party is able to most effectively tap into the anxiety and resentment of alienation from federal interests is the party that usually wins—among other things. Great read for anyone interested in learning more about Saskatchewan politics, which is obviously a wildly popular topic. Trending everywhere. People won't shut up about it.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

There seems to be a significant lack of attention paid to neoliberalism, and the global shift in thinking that came along with it. In “a brief history of neoliberalism by David Harvey” one section really came to mind which pointed out that the Clinton and Blair governments post Raegan and Thatcher essentially had their hands tied. An almost identical situation to the Romanow gov’t in Saskatchewan post Devine gov’t. The author seems to imply that neoliberalism is either not that important, or is a useless term in this story. I disagree pretty strongly as Saskatchewan’s transformation in this time was identical to global trends.
Anyway.The final chapter was cathartic in which he reprimands the NDP for failing completely to appeal to rural voters (which has continued in the 2024 election, although this was the Sask Party's worst win since 2007 there was still a massive urban/rural divide). He also tears into the Moe government for its enormous failures, which was even more cathartic.

[Byron Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in Saskatchewan and moved away after university. The politics that were there in my youth changed radically and I never really understood why. This book does a great job of describing the process.

The big revelation for me in this book is that the original socialism in Saskatchewan was always about pulling together to protect from an adversary. Once you accept that it's easy see to why the current government uses the feds as a scapegoat for everything. Still playing the same tune to rally the populace.

[Dylan Istace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading political history of the province. I think this book would be valuable for folks looking to become more informed citizens of Saskatchewan and our history.

There was more value in the historical chapters than the last chapter of the book. I don’t know that there was enough ‘meat on the bone’ to write the final chapter which led to it feeling a little rushed or not well thought out.

All in all the book has me craving to learn more about Saskatchewan’s provincial political and economic history.

[Sascha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting take on a history I wish I knew more about.
As long as you care about Saskatchewan I'd recommend it.