Thomas Walter Scott
Encyclopedia
Thomas Walter Scott – known less formally as Walter Scott – (October 27, 1867 – March 23, 1938) was the first Premier
of the province of Saskatchewan
in Canada
(1905–1916).
, the child of George Scott and Isabella Telfer. He moved to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
in 1885, and then – at the age of 19 – to Regina
, the capital of the Northwest Territories
, in 1886. He worked for and then ran a number of Grit
newspapers.
He became a partner in the Regina Standard from 1892 to 1893. From 1894 to 1895, he was the owner and editor of the Moose Jaw Times. Scott then bought the Regina Leader (known today as the Regina Leader-Post) in 1895, and was its editor until 1900.
During this period, Scott gained a measure of fame as pitcher
for a local baseball
team.
in the federal riding of Assiniboia West
and was elected to the House of Commons
. He was re-elected in 1904. During the discussions about creating provinces out of the Northwest Territories
, Scott initially supported territorial premier
Frederick Haultain's proposal to create one big province (to be named "Buffalo") out of what is today Alberta
and Saskatchewan – but then converted to the two-province option favoured by Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Liberal government.
In February 1905, the federal government introduced legislation to create the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan effective Dominion Day
– July 1, 1905. Premier Haultain was resolutely opposed to this legislation since 1) he wanted one big province, not two provinces; and 2) under the terms of the legislation, the federal government retained jurisdiction over public land. Haultain's opposition – along with Conservative
attacks on the act's provisions for Catholic schools – delayed the passing of the act, and it did not receive royal assent
until July 20, with September 1 now set as the date of provincial autonomy.
In August 1905, the Liberal Party of Saskatchewan held a leadership convention with Scott as the lone candidate. During his speech to the convention, the new leader of the Saskatchewan Liberals confidently predicted that Saskatchewan would soon become Canada's "banner province". Although the federal Liberals probably should have named Premier Haultain as either lieutenant-governor
or acting premier of the new province, they were thoroughly disgusted with Haultain's opposition to the Saskatchewan Act. Therefore, the Quebec Liberal politician Amédée E. Forget
, who had been lieutenant-governor of the Northwest Territories since 1898, became Saskatchewan's first lieutenant-governor – and his first official act in that capacity (made on Laurier's advice while Laurier was staying with Forget at Government House
) was to name the 37-year-old Scott as premier of Saskatchewan. Scott was sworn into office on September 12, 1905.
. (Scott had arrived in Regina on December 13, 1886, so the day held sentimental value for him.) Scott's Liberals ran under the slogan "Peace, Progress, and Prosperity." Scott easily retained the premiership, with his Liberals winning 16 seats in the provincial legislature, while Haultain's newly-created Provincial Rights Party
won only 9. (Though the popular vote was closer than this would indicate, with 52% of the vote going to the Liberals and 47% to the PRP.)
Saskatchewan's first legislative session was convened at the end of March 1906. The major issue dominating this first session was the selection of a capital city. (Regina had only been named temporary capital.) Scott had assumed that Regina would remain the capital, but in May – at a secret meeting of the Liberal caucus – Scott was shocked to learn that two-thirds of his caucus supported moving the capital to Saskatoon
. Scott insisted on Regina, though, and his caucus eventually fell in line – when the Liberal MLA
from Saskatoon
, W.C. Sutherland
, introduced a resolution to move the capital to Saskatoon on May 23, 1906, the motion was defeated by a vote of 21 – 02 in the legislature.
Scott, who was the Minister of Public Works in addition to serving as Premier, now began a search for a suitable location for the new Legislative Building
. In late June 1906, his cabinet formally approved the location of the current Legislature, and agreed to develop the area around the Legislature into a public park (Wascana Park), which is today the largest urban park in the world. Following a design competition, the commission for the new Legislative Building was awarded to Maxwells of Montreal in December 1907.
In 1907, Scott appointed the province's first Royal Commission
, the Municipal Commission, to study the issue of local government. This resulted in the Rural Municipality Act of 1908–9, which created nearly 300 Rural Municipalities
(a form of local government unique to Saskatchewan and Manitoba
) which are each 324 square miles (839.2 km²) in area.
A third major policy initiative during Scott's first premiership involved telephone service. In 1907, the government appointed telephone expert Francis Dagger to study the issue, and the result, in 1908, was Saskatchewan's famous solution of letting rural residents form mutual or co-operative companies to provide local phone services.
This government also concerned itself with transportation. In 1906, the Scott government spent nearly $100,000 on highway construction
– a figure which would increase tenfold over the course of Scott's first term in office. Furthermore, in 1909, the government agreed to back railway construction bonds (up to a limit of $13,000/mile) to encourage the Canadian Northern Railway
and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
to build new lines in Saskatchewan. By the time of the Great War
, this programme had created more than 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) of new rail track in the province.
The Scott administration also undertook a major expansion of public education in Saskatchewan
. Between 1905 and 1913, the number of public schools jumped from 405 to 2,747. Normal school
s were opened in Regina and Saskatoon.
Scott was also very interested in higher education, having promised the creation of a provincial university during the 1905 election campaign. In spring 1907, the legislature passed the University Act, designed to create a university for the province. In August 1908, Walter Murray
, a philosophy
professor from the Maritimes
, was appointed as the first president of the new institution, although the site of the university had not yet been determined.
During the winter of 1906-07, Scott suffered a bout of pneumonia
. From this point on, he left the province every fall in search of a warmer setting. In total, he spent approximately half of his tenure as premier outside of the province.
, Scott was re-elected as premier of Saskatchewan. For this election, the Legislature had been expanded to 41 seats, and Scott's Liberals won 27 of these seats. Also in 1908, the Scott government passed the Children's Protection Act to care for neglected and dependent children.
In April 1909, over the opposition of President Murray, the government decided to locate the new University of Saskatchewan
in Saskatoon
. The university's first classes were held in the Drinkle Building downtown in September 1909, while plans were made to develop the university on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River
on land well suited for agricultural research.
Since Scott favoured a policy of decentralization (evidenced in the university going to Saskatoon instead of Regina), he continued this policy. In 1907, he appointed a commission to decide where to locate the provincial insane asylum, with it eventually being built in North Battleford in 1913. Further pursuing his scheme of decentralization, Prince Albert
was awarded the provincial penitentiary
in 1911.
In October 1909, Canadian governor general
the Earl Grey
was on hand to lay the cornerstone of the Saskatchewan Legislature, which Premier Scott had recently decided should be made out of Tyndall stone
.
In 1910, Scott appointed another royal commission, the Magill Commission, to study the issue of grain elevator
s. In October, the commission rejected proposals to create government-owned elevators, opting instead for a system of elevators owned and operated co-operatively
by farmers.
, the Legislature was expanded again, and Scott's Liberals won 46 of the 54 ridings. By this point, their opposition – the Provincial Rights Party – had decided to re-join mainstream politics and re-named itself the Conservative Party
. Haultain resigned as leader in the wake of the 1912 electoral defeat.
Saskatchewan's importance in Confederation and the wider British Empire
was confirmed in October 1912 when the Legislative Building was officially opened by Queen Victoria's favourite son Arthur, Duke of Connaught
, who was the Canadian Governor-General.
As of 1913, Scott also served as Minister of Education. In that year, he introduced legislation to require religious minority ratepayers (i.e. Catholics) to support their own separate schools. This proposal met with fierce opposition from the Rev. Murdoch Mackinnon, pastor of Regina's Knox Presbyterian Church
(Scott's own congregation) who was resolutely opposed to measures which would financially strengthen the position of the Roman Catholic Church. Mackinnon would remain a thorn in Scott's side – as late as 1919 fiercely denouncing Scott's compromise position of allowing up to 1 hour a day of French language
instruction in public schools.
Another development in 1913 was the creation of a provincial Board of Censors to deal with the corrupting influence of new-fangled motion pictures.
With the commencement of hostilities in World War I
, Scott called an emergency session of the Saskatchewan Legislature on September 15, 1914. He pledged that all government MLAs would contribute 10% of their salaries to the Canadian Patriotic Fund, and that the province would donate 1500 horses to the British war effort. The Leader of the Opposition
immediately rose to applaud these measures, and the session ended with Liberal and Conservative members joining in a rousing chorus of God Save the King.
Scott had long claimed to be in favour of women's suffrage, but as of 1912, Scott was musing that women didn't really want the vote. Pressed on the matter in early 1914, he said that he didn't feel his government had a mandate from the people to enact such a major change as introducing female suffrage. When, however, in late 1915, Scott learned that Manitoba had enacted women's suffrage, he was quick to follow suit – introducing legislation on February 14, 1916, to allow women to vote.
Scott had longed opposed the prohibition
of alcohol, but the war made it all but impossible to resist the pressure of temperance
advocates. In a March 1915 speech in Oxbow
, Scott announced that all drinking establishments in Saskatchewan would be closed as of July 1, to be replaced by provincially-run liquor stores. This move would prove inadequate in the following months, as both Alberta and Manitoba
enacted Prohibition. Sensing the sign of the times, Scott held a provincial referendum on the topic – the first time women had been allowed to vote in Saskatchewan – and in December 1916, 80% of Saskatchewan voters voted to ban alcohol in the province.
Scott's departure from politics by this time was virtually certain, for 2 main reasons. First, he had become increasingly prone to bouts of depression – with his outburst against his own pastor, Murdoch Mackinnon, during the debate about educational policy, serving as indication to the province that he was no longer entirely up for the job of premier.
Second, in February 1916, Conservative MLA J.E. Bradshaw alleged in the House that Liberals had been receiving kickbacks for highway work, liquor licences, and public building contracts. A Royal Commission
was appointed, and several Liberal backbenchers were indicted and eventually convicted. Amidst the scandal, Scott stepped down as premier on October 16, 1916.
. He died in Ontario in 1938 and is buried in Victoria.
was named in Scott's honour, and is the home of many provincial government agencies and departments.
In 2001, Gordon Barnhart
released a book called Peace, Progress and Prosperity (ISBN 0-88977-142-1), which provided the first detailed biography of T. Walter Scott.
A bust of Scott was commissioned by the provincial government
as part of its "Millennial Busts" project.
Scott Collegiate
, a high school in Regina, is named after Scott.
Premier of Saskatchewan
The Premier of Saskatchewan is the first minister for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. They are the province's head of government and de facto chief executive....
of the province of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(1905–1916).
Background
Scott was born in 1867 in London Township, Ontario, London Township, in rural southwestern OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, the child of George Scott and Isabella Telfer. He moved to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
-Transportation:Portage la Prairie railway station is served by Via Rail with both The Canadian and Winnipeg – Churchill trains calling at the station....
in 1885, and then – at the age of 19 – to Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, the capital of the Northwest Territories
History of Northwest Territories capital cities
The history of Northwest Territories capital cities begins with the purchase of the Territories by Canada from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1869 and includes a varied and often difficult evolution. Northwest Territories is unique amongst the other provinces and territories of Canada in that it has...
, in 1886. He worked for and then ran a number of Grit
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
newspapers.
He became a partner in the Regina Standard from 1892 to 1893. From 1894 to 1895, he was the owner and editor of the Moose Jaw Times. Scott then bought the Regina Leader (known today as the Regina Leader-Post) in 1895, and was its editor until 1900.
During this period, Scott gained a measure of fame as pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for a local baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team.
Creation of Saskatchewan
In 1900, Scott ran as a LiberalLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in the federal riding of Assiniboia West
Assiniboia West
Assiniboia West was a federal electoral district in the Northwest Territories, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1896 to 1908....
and was elected to the House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
. He was re-elected in 1904. During the discussions about creating provinces out of the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, Scott initially supported territorial premier
Premier (Canada)
In Canada, a premier is the head of government of a province or territory. There are currently ten provincial premiers and three territorial premiers in Canada....
Frederick Haultain's proposal to create one big province (to be named "Buffalo") out of what is today Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and Saskatchewan – but then converted to the two-province option favoured by Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Liberal government.
In February 1905, the federal government introduced legislation to create the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan effective Dominion Day
Dominion Day
Dominion Day is a commemoration day of the granting of national status in various Commonwealth countries.-Canada:Dominion Day was the name of the holiday commemorating the formation of Canada as a Dominion on 1 July 1867...
– July 1, 1905. Premier Haultain was resolutely opposed to this legislation since 1) he wanted one big province, not two provinces; and 2) under the terms of the legislation, the federal government retained jurisdiction over public land. Haultain's opposition – along with Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
attacks on the act's provisions for Catholic schools – delayed the passing of the act, and it did not receive royal assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
until July 20, with September 1 now set as the date of provincial autonomy.
In August 1905, the Liberal Party of Saskatchewan held a leadership convention with Scott as the lone candidate. During his speech to the convention, the new leader of the Saskatchewan Liberals confidently predicted that Saskatchewan would soon become Canada's "banner province". Although the federal Liberals probably should have named Premier Haultain as either lieutenant-governor
Lieutenant-Governors of Saskatchewan
The following is a list of the Lieutenant Governors of Saskatchewan. Though the present day office of the lieutenant governor in Saskatchewan came into being only upon the province's entry into Canadian Confederation in 1905, the post is a continuation from the first governorship of the Northwest...
or acting premier of the new province, they were thoroughly disgusted with Haultain's opposition to the Saskatchewan Act. Therefore, the Quebec Liberal politician Amédée E. Forget
Amédée E. Forget
Amédée Emmanuel Marie Forget was a Canadian lawyer, civil servant, and politician. He was the last Lieutenant Governor of the North-West Territories and the first Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Saskatchewan....
, who had been lieutenant-governor of the Northwest Territories since 1898, became Saskatchewan's first lieutenant-governor – and his first official act in that capacity (made on Laurier's advice while Laurier was staying with Forget at Government House
Government House (Saskatchewan)
Government House, Regina, Saskatchewan, was constructed as a residence for the Lieutenant-Governor of the North-West Territories, whose territorial headquarters were in Regina until the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta were created out of the Territories in 1905 and Regina became the capital...
) was to name the 37-year-old Scott as premier of Saskatchewan. Scott was sworn into office on September 12, 1905.
First administration
The new province's first election was held on December 13, 1905Saskatchewan general election, 1905
The Saskatchewan general election of 1905 was the first provincial election in the newly created Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on 13 December 1905 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. Walter Scott led the Liberal Party of Saskatchewan to victory over the...
. (Scott had arrived in Regina on December 13, 1886, so the day held sentimental value for him.) Scott's Liberals ran under the slogan "Peace, Progress, and Prosperity." Scott easily retained the premiership, with his Liberals winning 16 seats in the provincial legislature, while Haultain's newly-created Provincial Rights Party
Provincial Rights Party
The Provincial Rights Party was a Canadian political party founded and led by Frederick W.A.G. Haultain in 1905 to contest elections in the new province of Saskatchewan.Haultain had been Premier of the North-West Territories prior to the province's creation...
won only 9. (Though the popular vote was closer than this would indicate, with 52% of the vote going to the Liberals and 47% to the PRP.)
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
. Scott insisted on Regina, though, and his caucus eventually fell in line – when the Liberal MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
from Saskatoon
Saskatoon City (provincial electoral district)
Saskatoon City was a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. This constituency existed from 1908 to 1967. It was the riding of Premier James T.M...
, W.C. Sutherland
William Charles Sutherland
William Charles Sutherland was the second Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan , i.e., the presiding officer of the legislature...
, introduced a resolution to move the capital to Saskatoon on May 23, 1906, the motion was defeated by a vote of 21 – 02 in the legislature.
Scott, who was the Minister of Public Works in addition to serving as Premier, now began a search for a suitable location for the new Legislative Building
Saskatchewan Legislative Building
The Saskatchewan Legislative Building is located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and houses the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.-History:...
. In late June 1906, his cabinet formally approved the location of the current Legislature, and agreed to develop the area around the Legislature into a public park (Wascana Park), which is today the largest urban park in the world. Following a design competition, the commission for the new Legislative Building was awarded to Maxwells of Montreal in December 1907.
In 1907, Scott appointed the province's first Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
, the Municipal Commission, to study the issue of local government. This resulted in the Rural Municipality Act of 1908–9, which created nearly 300 Rural Municipalities
Rural municipality
A rural municipality, often abbreviated RM, is a form of municipality in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, perhaps best comparable to counties or townships in the western United States...
(a form of local government unique to Saskatchewan and Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
) which are each 324 square miles (839.2 km²) in area.
A third major policy initiative during Scott's first premiership involved telephone service. In 1907, the government appointed telephone expert Francis Dagger to study the issue, and the result, in 1908, was Saskatchewan's famous solution of letting rural residents form mutual or co-operative companies to provide local phone services.
This government also concerned itself with transportation. In 1906, the Scott government spent nearly $100,000 on highway construction
Roads in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan, the middle of Canada's three prairie provinces, has an area of and population of 990,212 , mostly living in the southern half of the province....
– a figure which would increase tenfold over the course of Scott's first term in office. Furthermore, in 1909, the government agreed to back railway construction bonds (up to a limit of $13,000/mile) to encourage the Canadian Northern Railway
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway is a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its demise in 1923, when it was merged into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.-Manitoba beginnings:CNoR had its start in...
and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
to build new lines in Saskatchewan. By the time of the Great War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, this programme had created more than 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) of new rail track in the province.
The Scott administration also undertook a major expansion of public education in Saskatchewan
Education in Saskatchewan
Education in Saskatchewan, Canada teaches a curriculum of learning set out by the Government of Saskatchewan through the Ministry of Education. The curriculum sets out to develop skills, knowledge, understanding to improve the quality of life. June 22, 1915, Hon...
. Between 1905 and 1913, the number of public schools jumped from 405 to 2,747. Normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
s were opened in Regina and Saskatoon.
Scott was also very interested in higher education, having promised the creation of a provincial university during the 1905 election campaign. In spring 1907, the legislature passed the University Act, designed to create a university for the province. In August 1908, Walter Murray
Walter Charles Murray
Walter Charles Murray was the first President of the University of Saskatchewan.-Biography:Born in Kings County, New Brunswick, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Brunswick in 1886. In 1891, he received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Edinburgh...
, a philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
professor from the Maritimes
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
, was appointed as the first president of the new institution, although the site of the university had not yet been determined.
During the winter of 1906-07, Scott suffered a bout of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. From this point on, he left the province every fall in search of a warmer setting. In total, he spent approximately half of his tenure as premier outside of the province.
Second administration
In August 1908Saskatchewan general election, 1908
The Saskatchewan general election of 1908 was the second provincial election in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on August 14, 1908 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. Premier Walter Scott and his Liberal Party were re-elected for a second term, defeating...
, Scott was re-elected as premier of Saskatchewan. For this election, the Legislature had been expanded to 41 seats, and Scott's Liberals won 27 of these seats. Also in 1908, the Scott government passed the Children's Protection Act to care for neglected and dependent children.
In April 1909, over the opposition of President Murray, the government decided to locate the new University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
in Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
. The university's first classes were held in the Drinkle Building downtown in September 1909, while plans were made to develop the university on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River
South Saskatchewan River
The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan....
on land well suited for agricultural research.
Since Scott favoured a policy of decentralization (evidenced in the university going to Saskatoon instead of Regina), he continued this policy. In 1907, he appointed a commission to decide where to locate the provincial insane asylum, with it eventually being built in North Battleford in 1913. Further pursuing his scheme of decentralization, Prince Albert
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is situated in the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the last major centre along the route to the resources of northern Saskatchewan...
was awarded the provincial penitentiary
Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary
The Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary is classified as a Medium Security Facility with Maximum Security areas. It is located on a walled 20-acre parcel of land one kilometre west of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada...
in 1911.
In October 1909, Canadian governor general
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
the Earl Grey
Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey
Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey was a British nobleman and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the ninth since Canadian Confederation....
was on hand to lay the cornerstone of the Saskatchewan Legislature, which Premier Scott had recently decided should be made out of Tyndall stone
Tyndall Stone
Tyndall stone is a dolomitic limestone quarried from the Selkirk member of the Ordovician Red River Formation, in the vicinity of Tyndall, Manitoba, Canada. It was first used in 1832 for building Lower Fort Garry, and has since become popular for building purposes throughout Canada and the United...
.
In 1910, Scott appointed another royal commission, the Magill Commission, to study the issue of grain elevator
Grain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
s. In October, the commission rejected proposals to create government-owned elevators, opting instead for a system of elevators owned and operated co-operatively
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
by farmers.
Third administration
In the 1912 electionSaskatchewan general election, 1912
The Saskatchewan general election of 1912 was the third provincial election in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on July 11, 1912 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. Premier Walter Scott led the Liberal Party of Saskatchewan to a third term in office with...
, the Legislature was expanded again, and Scott's Liberals won 46 of the 54 ridings. By this point, their opposition – the Provincial Rights Party – had decided to re-join mainstream politics and re-named itself the Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan
The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan is a right-of-centre political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Prior to 1942, it was known as the Conservative Party of Saskatchewan. Members are commonly known as Tories....
. Haultain resigned as leader in the wake of the 1912 electoral defeat.
Saskatchewan's importance in Confederation and the wider British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
was confirmed in October 1912 when the Legislative Building was officially opened by Queen Victoria's favourite son Arthur, Duke of Connaught
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
, who was the Canadian Governor-General.
As of 1913, Scott also served as Minister of Education. In that year, he introduced legislation to require religious minority ratepayers (i.e. Catholics) to support their own separate schools. This proposal met with fierce opposition from the Rev. Murdoch Mackinnon, pastor of Regina's Knox Presbyterian Church
Presbyterian Church in Canada
The Presbyterian Church in Canada is the name of a Protestant Christian church, of presbyterian and reformed theology and polity, serving in Canada under this name since 1875, although the United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939...
(Scott's own congregation) who was resolutely opposed to measures which would financially strengthen the position of the Roman Catholic Church. Mackinnon would remain a thorn in Scott's side – as late as 1919 fiercely denouncing Scott's compromise position of allowing up to 1 hour a day of French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
instruction in public schools.
Another development in 1913 was the creation of a provincial Board of Censors to deal with the corrupting influence of new-fangled motion pictures.
With the commencement of hostilities in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Scott called an emergency session of the Saskatchewan Legislature on September 15, 1914. He pledged that all government MLAs would contribute 10% of their salaries to the Canadian Patriotic Fund, and that the province would donate 1500 horses to the British war effort. The Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Saskatchewan)
A list of parliamentary opposition leaders in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, from 1906 to the present. There was no designated Leader of the Opposition for the sessions of 1921 and 1922.In the period 1925-1929 C.E. Tran and J.T.M...
immediately rose to applaud these measures, and the session ended with Liberal and Conservative members joining in a rousing chorus of God Save the King.
Scott had long claimed to be in favour of women's suffrage, but as of 1912, Scott was musing that women didn't really want the vote. Pressed on the matter in early 1914, he said that he didn't feel his government had a mandate from the people to enact such a major change as introducing female suffrage. When, however, in late 1915, Scott learned that Manitoba had enacted women's suffrage, he was quick to follow suit – introducing legislation on February 14, 1916, to allow women to vote.
Scott had longed opposed the prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
of alcohol, but the war made it all but impossible to resist the pressure of temperance
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
advocates. In a March 1915 speech in Oxbow
Oxbow, Saskatchewan
Oxbow is a Canadian town in the southeast of the province of Saskatchewan.-Basic information:According to the 2006 Canadian census, the town's population is 1,139; the town's area is 3.10 square km; and population density is 366.8 per square km....
, Scott announced that all drinking establishments in Saskatchewan would be closed as of July 1, to be replaced by provincially-run liquor stores. This move would prove inadequate in the following months, as both Alberta and Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
enacted Prohibition. Sensing the sign of the times, Scott held a provincial referendum on the topic – the first time women had been allowed to vote in Saskatchewan – and in December 1916, 80% of Saskatchewan voters voted to ban alcohol in the province.
Scott's departure from politics by this time was virtually certain, for 2 main reasons. First, he had become increasingly prone to bouts of depression – with his outburst against his own pastor, Murdoch Mackinnon, during the debate about educational policy, serving as indication to the province that he was no longer entirely up for the job of premier.
Second, in February 1916, Conservative MLA J.E. Bradshaw alleged in the House that Liberals had been receiving kickbacks for highway work, liquor licences, and public building contracts. A Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
was appointed, and several Liberal backbenchers were indicted and eventually convicted. Amidst the scandal, Scott stepped down as premier on October 16, 1916.
Life after public office
Scott traveled widely in the years following his departure from public life. He ultimately settled in Victoria, British ColumbiaVictoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
. He died in Ontario in 1938 and is buried in Victoria.
Honours
The Walter Scott Building on Albert Street in ReginaRegina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
was named in Scott's honour, and is the home of many provincial government agencies and departments.
In 2001, Gordon Barnhart
Gordon Barnhart
-See also:*Monarchy in Saskatchewan*Government House - External Links :* -Sources:* by Sarah Macdonald, The Leader-Post, July 31, 2006, retrieved August 1, 2006,* retrieved December 18, 2006,***-References:...
released a book called Peace, Progress and Prosperity (ISBN 0-88977-142-1), which provided the first detailed biography of T. Walter Scott.
A bust of Scott was commissioned by the provincial government
24th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
The 24th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan was elected in the 1999 Saskatchewan election. It was controlled by the New Democratic Party under Premier Roy Romanow...
as part of its "Millennial Busts" project.
Scott Collegiate
Scott Collegiate
Scott Collegiate is a public high school located in the North Central neighbourhood of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is named for Sir Walter Scott, the first premier of Saskatchewan...
, a high school in Regina, is named after Scott.