About Roy Romanow
Roy John Romanow (born August 12, 1939) is a Canadian politician who served as the 12th premier of Saskatchewan from 1991 to 2001. He was the leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party from 1987 until his retirement in 2001. He was the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Saskatoon Riversdale from 1967 to 1982 and from 1986 to 2001. Romanow played a prominent role in Allan Blakeney's NDP government from 1971 to 1982, particularly in negotiations over Patriation of the Canadian Constitution. He became the Leader of the Opposition in 1987 before leading the NDP to three consecutive election victories in the 1990s. His time as premier left a divisive legacy within Saskatchewan's political history. When Romanow first took office, Saskatchewan was facing the prospect of bankruptcy. His fiscal management brought the province back to balanced finances by the middle of the decade. However, his embrace of Third Way neoliberal politics disillusioned many within the NDP. Moreover, the perception that his cuts to spending disproportionately impacted rural Saskatchewan deepened an already growing divide between urban and rural issues and voters in the province, which factored prominently into future elections. Romanow was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as a member of the CCF-NDP in the 1967 provincial election in the riding of Saskatoon Riversdale; the election was won by Ross Thatcher's Liberals. Romanow led narrowly on the first and second ballots.
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