Line Squall

Canada's high-flying socialist party, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, last week hit a line squall: the provincial election in Saskatchewan. When the storm had passed, the Dominion's only CCF government was still flying, but it had been badly jolted. As a national party, the CCF had lost some of the cockiness that grew out of last month's impressive gains in British Columbia and Ontario (TIME, June 21).

Ever since 1944, when a former Baptist minister named Tommy C. Douglas led the CCF in a rout of the old-line parties in Saskatchewan, the province had been the CCF's show window. On display were a batch of socialist schemes: government insurance policies, socialized shoe and brick factories, a government-owned woolen mill. Government marketing boards kept close tabs on timber, fur and fish, regulated prices and methods of sale.

Last week Saskatchewan voters had their first chance to pass on this sort of socialism in action. Result: 1) the CCF lost 16 seats in the house, slashing its total from 47 to 31 (Liberals picked up 15 seats for a total of 18, Tories one); 2) a drop from 53% to 47% of the popular vote; 3) defeat of the two cabinet ministers most directly concerned with the socialization projects. Even though the CCF was still in power, its prestige had been hard hit. Jeered the anti-socialist Regina Leader-Post: "Mr. Douglas has been given the benefit of the doubt."

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