Does Saskatchewan have more in common with Manitoba or Alberta?

[King of Kensington]

I think the general perception is that historically Saskatchewan was more similar to Manitoba, but it has become increasingly more like Alberta.

It's more like Manitoba in terms of aboriginal presence, including in cities (around 10% in Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Regina).  

In terms of population growth, Saskatchewan already had about 1 million in 1931 and Manitoba has grown slowly.  Only Alberta has grown rapidly over this time period.  

In terms of economy, Saskatchewan and Manitoba were more similar historically but Saskatchewan's oil boom brought it closer to Alberta.

However Manitoba is quite a bit older - having become a province in 1870, while Saskatchewan and Alberta didn't become provinces until 1905.

Politically, one could say Saskatchewan and Manitoba were more similar because of a historic social democratic tradition, though Saskatchewan had a stronger "agrarian socialist" tradition.  Though one could argue that in the 40s Saskatchewan and Alberta shared a "heterodox" political tradition (CCF and Social Credit).  Though now the old pattern has broken down with the provincial NDP being very weakened in Saskatchewan and the election of an NDP government in Alberta.  Federally Saskatchewan was once to the left of Manitoba, but now it's a bit to the right of Manitoba, so I guess that brings it "closer" to Alberta as well.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

How big is the oil industry there? Because dependence on the oil economy is one of the most defining factors about Alberta.

[TDAS04]

Manitoba. 

[cinyc]

Alberta. 

Unlike Manitoba, Saskatchewan isn't dominated by one big city.  Like Alberta, it has two main cities, Saskatoon and Regina, that vie for provincial dominance.  Oil is becoming increasingly important to the province, like Alberta.  It is also more Conservative than Manitoba, federally, and more conservative provincially.

[King of Kensington]

In some ways, Regina strikes me as a mini-Winnipeg and Saskatoon a mini-Edmonton.

[King of Kensington]

Employed in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

Manitoba  4.3%
Saskatchewan  9.1%
Alberta  2.9%

Employed in mining, quarrying, oil and gas extraction

Manitoba  0.8%
Saskatchewan  4.1%
Alberta  6.5%

[King of Kensington]

Any thoughts post-federal election?

Manitoba sure digs the Liberals more than Alberta and Saskatchewan. 

[Hatman 🍁]

These days it's more similar to Alberta, for sure. I see Saskatchewan as a firmly western province, while Manitoba tries to be eastern sometimes. Look at the CFL for example, Winnipeg keeps on bouncing from east to west in its divisional placement.

[King of Kensington]

Manitoba voted very similarly to Ontario in this election. 

Political scientist Nelson Wiseman has referred to Manitoba as the "Ontario of the prairies" because of the impact of Ontarians in shaping its political culture.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Saskatchewan is very much its own place and is all the better for it.

[King of Kensington]

What's even more striking by today's standards that in the 1993 election, BC's voting patterns were more in tandem with Alberta than Saskatchewan was.  Reform got 36% in BC and 27% in Saskatchewan.  By 2000, however, Saskatchewan ha more or less "caught up" with BC (48% and 49%, respectively).  And after that, it's clear that Saskatchewan was moving right while Reform/Alliance dominance in BC was more a result of specific political conditions (Western alienation + a near-dead NDP). 

In this election regionalism was barely a factor, and BC has really diverged from Alberta and Saskatchewan and massively rejected the Conservatives (and Manitoba almost voted identically to Ontario).  Hard to believe BC embraced the creationist Stockwell Day 15 years ago!

[DC Al Fine]

What's even more striking by today's standards that in the 1993 election, BC's voting patterns were more in tandem with Alberta than Saskatchewan was.  Reform got 36% in BC and 27% in Saskatchewan.  By 2000, however, Saskatchewan ha more or less "caught up" with BC (48% and 49%, respectively).  And after that, it's clear that Saskatchewan was moving right while Reform/Alliance dominance in BC was more a result of specific political conditions (Western alienation + a near-dead NDP). 

In this election regionalism was barely a factor, and BC has really diverged from Alberta and Saskatchewan and massively rejected the Conservatives (and Manitoba almost voted identically to Ontario).  Hard to believe BC embraced the creationist Stockwell Day 15 years ago!

Its only surprising for Vancouver/Victoria areas (which of course can be explained by your populism/dead NDP reasoning). In 1988 Christian Heritage bested Reform in several interior ridings, so its not surprising that someone like Day would play well there.

[King of Kensington]

True, the interior and Fraser Valley would have been "natural" bases for Reform and longstanding bastions of conservatism (but even they were hit pretty hard by the anti-Conservative tide in BC this year).

[King of Kensington]

Saskatchewan is very much its own place and is all the better for it.

"Agrarian socialism" was certainly more of a phenomenon in Saskatchewan.  And federally the NDP has remained more of an option for "progressive" voters than elsewhere, even as its overall politics have shifted quite a bit to the right.

One of the most interesting ridings is Yorkton-Melville, which used to be known as the province's "red square."  It was NDP held, then won by a Reform MP in 1993 and has remained a Reform/Alliance/Conservative stronghold ever since.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

One of the most interesting ridings is Yorkton-Melville, which used to be known as the province's "red square."  It was NDP held, then won by a Reform MP in 1993 and has remained a Reform/Alliance/Conservative stronghold ever since.

Well part of the issue there was just Lorne Nystrom's personal vote. In provincial elections the area was swingy rather than an NDP stronghold. Though, sure, the economic/social changes over the last quarter of the twentieth century have been a factor there as much as elsewhere in the more rural sections of the province.

[King of Kensington]

It's even weirder that the Liberals slipped through and won Souris-Moose Mountain in 1993!  That was the ultimate fluke. 

[King of Kensington]

Alberta and Saskatchewan had almost identical growth patterns between 1901 and 1931 (they became provinces in 1905), with their populations both increasing by 10 times.  Manitoba was older and had the only major city pre-WWII.

Alberta's oil boom in the postwar years resulted in the emergence of Calgary and Edmonton as major metropolitan centers as well as the attraction of transplants from across the country and a lot more immigrants (though Winnipeg became a mecca for Filipino immigration, it still has a much higher percentage of Canadian-born and born in the region). 

Overall it may be accurate to say that Saskatchewan was more similar to Alberta pre-WWII but more similar to Manitoba post-WWII.