NDP MLA (1986–1999) Calvert entered provincial politics ahead of the
1986 provincial election, running as a New Democrat on a platform of prohibiting the construction of a proposed
casino in Moose Jaw. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as the
Member (MLA) for the
constituency of Moose Jaw South, serving in the Official Opposition to
Grant Devine's
Progressive Conservative government. Calvert was re-elected in the
1991 and
1995 elections, when the NDP was both times elected to majority governments under the leadership of Roy Romanow. Calvert decided not to run in the
1999 election—which resulted in a minority NDP government—and was succeeded by
Deb Higgins in the Moose Jaw riding.
Premier of Saskatchewan (2001–2007) In late 2000, Romanow announced that he would be retiring from politics, setting the stage for a party leadership race leading directly to the premier's office—the first such race since
Woodrow Lloyd succeeded
Tommy Douglas as NDP leader and premier in 1961. The
2001 leadership election was highly contested, with seven candidates making it the biggest NDP leadership race in history. It was also the first such election to employ a one-member, one-vote policy, rather than a delegated election. Calvert joined the race, alongside former NDP MP and then-provincial justice minister
Chris Axworthy, three sitting cabinet ministers in
Buckley Belanger,
Joanne Crofford, and
Maynard Sonntag, former
National Farmers Union president
Nettie Wiebe, and former Young New Democrats president Scott Banda. Axworthy was the perceived frontrunner, expected to continue Romanow's legacy; Calvert and Wiebe, meanwhile, ran more leftwing campaigns, with Wiebe running an explicitly anti-
neoliberal campaign, and Calvert a more traditional social democratic one, advocating for a greater focus on social programs, especially in healthcare and education. Wiebe finished third, and Calvert—who led on every ballot—defeated Axworthy on the final ballot with 58% of nearly 18,000 votes. Calvert took the helm of the NDP at a time when the Saskatchewan Party—a new unified conservative political party established in 1997—appeared on the cusp of a breakthrough after reducing the NDP to a minority government in 1999 with a strong performance in rural Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Party led polling ahead of the
2003 provincial election. However, Calvert followed through on his promise to significantly increase social spending, particularly in education and healthcare, and persistently drew a stark contrast between his party's support for the province's major remaining
crown corporations and Saskatchewan Party leader
Elwin Hermanson's willingness to pursue privatization. In November 2003, the NDP narrowly regained a majority government, winning 30 of 58 seats. During his full term in office, Calvert expanded child care spaces and introduced a number of targeted welfare programs. The government also began reforming immigration systems to attract more immigrants, and expanded investment in renewable energy and energy conservation. Calvert's spending plans were buoyed by a renewed boom in commodity prices, which led to significant increases in resource revenue for the province. Calvert instigated a tax review committee that led to corporate tax cuts, designed to bring the province more in line with its neighbours. Along with tweaks to income taxes and resource royalties, this has been credited with instigating a period of rapid growth in the provincial economy. The NDP cut the
provincial sales tax down to five percent, froze tuition, and invested in highway renewal. Late in the term, Calvert became increasingly antagonistic with the federal government, a minority parliament led by
Stephen Harper's
Conservatives. In March 2007, Calvert argued that the clawback of
non-renewable resource revenues from the equalization formula as implemented in the 2007 federal budget would leave Saskatchewan getting significantly less than had been promised. Calvert instructed his government to prepare a lawsuit against the federal government, a tactic that was interrupted by the fall provincial election. Calvert and his government were defeated in the
2007 provincial election, in which management of the province's booming economy and health care became focal points. The NDP's central campaign commitment was a universal drug plan capping prescription drug costs at $15. The result was a drop to 20 seats for the NDP while Wall's party won a majority government.
Retirement Just two weeks after the 2007 election, federal
NDP spokesman
Brad Lavigne confirmed to reporters that
Jack Layton's office had asked Calvert to consider standing as a candidate in the
2008 federal election. Calvert declined to run, but stated that he would support the party's federal candidates. Calvert announced on October 16, 2008, that he would be stepping down as party leader, triggering a leadership race.
Dwain Lingenfelter, a former cabinet minister in the government's of Romanow and
Allan Blakeney, was elected the party's new leader in a four-person contest on June 6, 2009. At the end of the Spring session in May 2009, Calvert touted the economic progress his government had made, and revealed that he planned to return to the United Church. ==Post-retirement and honours==