Map of Swift Current constituency, image courtesy of Elections Saskatchewan
Today's constituency profile is for the Swift Current constituency. It is located in the midle of Saskatchewan's grainbelt. Swift Current first shows up as a constituency in Saskatchewan's voting records for the 1908 provincial election. The first MLA for Swift Current was Walter Scott, who was the province's Liberal Premier at the time. Scott would get re-elected here in 1912, and then it would be 95 years before another Premier represented Swift Current in the Saskatchewan Legislature.
David Sykes was acclaimed as the Independent MLA for Swift Current in 1917, and was re-elected in 1921. By 1925 Sykes was a Liberal MLA, but he narrowly lost in 1929 to Conservative candidate William Wensley Smith. He founded W.W. Smith Insurance, which is one of the oldest continuous insurance firms in this part of the world. In the Legislature he was a member of James Anderson's Coalition Government and became known as "Machine Gun Smith" for his rapid fire speaking style. Smith and every other member of the Anderson Government was annihilated in the 1934 election. Smith lost to Liberal James Taggart, who was re-elected in 1938. Taggart was the last Liberal to ever represent Swift Current in the Leg.
Swift Current's voting history changed dramatically in 1944 when voters here joined the CCF electoral wave that washed over the province. Taggart lost to Harry Gibbs of the CCF, who was re-elected in 1948 and in 1952. Gibbs was succeeded by fellow CCFer Everett Wood in 1956. Wood was Reeve for the RM of Saskatchewan Landing before this and went on to become Speaker of the House in 1961. Later he became a cabinet minister in the Lloyd and Blakeney Governments, including the portfolios of Municipal Affairs and Public Works. Wood retired in 1975 and this marked the opening of the next chapter in Swift Current's political history.
In 1975 the long-dormant Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan roared back to life by winning 7 seats in the Legislature for the first time since the days of the Anderson Government. The new MLA was Dennis Ham, who is the brother of former Saskatchewan Liberal Leader and Lieutenant-Governor Lynda Haverstock. Ham was re-elected in 1978 and joined Dick Collver in early 1980 to form the Unionest Party of Saskatchewan. It was a short lived party that called for the province to be annexed by the United States. Ham did not run for re-election in 1982, and Swift Current went back into the Tory column. The new MLA was Pat Smith, one of the first women to become a Saskatchewan cabinet minister. Smith held several different portfolios including Deputy Premier, Status of Women, Urban Affairs, Energy and Mines, Education and Social Services. Smith did not seek re-election in 1991. In that same year John Penner became the first New Democrat since 1975 to represent Swift Current in the Legislature when he was elected with the Romanow sweep. Penner was immediately elevated to Romanow's 'war' cabinet and served over the next 4 years as minister of Energy of Mines, Associate Finance Minister and the Crown Investments Corporation. Poor health sidelined Penner by 1995, and he was replaced by fellow New Democrat John Wall. Wall lost in 1999 to Brad Wall of the Saskatchewan Party. Brad Wall has since been re-elected in 2003 and 2007. Wall was acclaimed as Saskatchewan Party Leader and Official Opposition Leader in 2004, and is now Premier of Saskatchewan.
Wall faces two candidates in his bid for re-election this fall, Aaron Ens of the Saskatchewan NDP, and Amanda Huxted of the Green Party. The Premier won almost 71% of the vote in this constituency in 2007, compared to about 23% for the NDP, 3% for the Liberals and 2% for the Greens. With Sask Party support up across the province his time, Wall's personal popularity in the stratosphere and no Liberal candidate likely in Swift Currrent this time, it is highly like that Wall could easily win 75 to 80 percent of the vote or more in his riding, depending on voter turnout.
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