It appears the Saskatchewan Liberal Party doesn't want to be known as the Liberals any longer.
The provincial party, which had a hearty three candidates in the last provincial election, has decided they will change their name, and they will take requests from the public on their new identity. The party's membership will decide how the Liberals will be known going forward.
While they might not come out and say it, you have to think the negative connotations with the current federal government would be a factor in the party proceeding with a name change.
Talk to people about the Liberal Party in Saskatchewan, and a lot of people will express surprise that such a party still exists. Those who know there is such a party likely don't know Jeff Walters is the leader.
And a lot of people will sneer because they immediately think of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and how his federal party's policies have negatively impacted the west over the past 7 1/2 years.
The provincial Liberals have been diminishing political return for a long time in Saskatchewan. In our province's early days, they were our natural governing party, guiding the province for roughly 35 of its first 40 years. And they were in power for seven years in the 1960s and early 1970s.
They became a party with diminishing influence but still had a presence in the Saskatchewan legislature. When a coalition of Liberal and Progressive Conservative MLAs came together in 1997 to form the Saskatchewan Party, the Liberals were the official opposition. And there were as many Liberals as Progressive Conservatives in the initial eight-member Sask. Party caucus.
But the big blow was the aftermath of the 1999 provincial election. Three Liberal MLAs propped up the Saskatchewan NDP minority government, and the public seemingly hasn't forgiven them. The Liberals haven't won an election seat since. David Karwacki was a really good leader, but even he couldn't dig the party out of electoral darkness in the early 2000s.
In 2011, they had just a few candidates amid a failed effort to throw all their efforts behind getting the leader of the day elected. They had a full slate of candidates in 2016, but had minimal support. And then they had three candidates and 355 votes in 2020.
Provincial politics tend to be a two-party proposition – there just aren't enough people for a valid third party, unless you're in Ontario or Quebec. But there is still a place for a centrist voice in Saskatchewan politics.
When Brad Wall was the premier of the province, the Sask. Party received the bulk of the votes from the political middle. But it's unlikely that many centrist votes have the same level of comfort supporting Scott Moe, who has governed the province in a more conservative fashion than his predecessor.
As for the NDP, they seem more interested in cultivating that centrist support, but there are a lot of people in the political middle who were put off during the tenure of former NDP leader Ryan Meili, who tried to succeed by moving the NDP further to the left.
Would a new name for the Liberals change much? Probably not. One thing I would be interested to see is if the rebranded party would take aim at their federal counterparts when Trudeau and Co. introduce or approve legislation that is not in the best interest of the province. The provincial party was silent amid the carbon tax, firearms legislation and fertilizer emission reductions.
It might not make some in the party's establishment happy, but ripping into the federal Liberals would show that the provincial party is thinking about what's best for the province, and it would certainly get people talking.
And it might bring a few people back to the party's fold.
At the same time, any name they come up with should emphasize their centrist roots, rather than leaving people wondering about this party's identity. With relatively new parties in the Saskatchewan political landscape, the name has to convey their difference from the Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan United Party.
It's also unlikely the Sask. Liberals will get a sudden influx of new members because people will want to vote for the party's new name. It's a new name, not a leadership race.
I'll be interested to see the new party's name. But the Liberals have their work cut out for them as they try to emerge from political obscurity.
