| Election Name: | 1978 Saskatchewan general election |
| Country: | Saskatchewan |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Party Colour: | no |
| Party Name: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1975 Saskatchewan general election |
| Previous Year: | 1975 |
| Previous Mps: | 18th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan |
| Elected Mps: | members |
| Next Election: | 1982 Saskatchewan general election |
| Next Year: | 1982 |
| Next Mps: | 20th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan |
| Seats For Election: | 61 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan |
| Majority Seats: | 32 |
| Leader1: | Allan Blakeney |
| Leader Since1: | July 4, 1970 |
| Leaders Seat1: | Regina Elphinstone |
| Last Election1: | 39 |
| Seats Before1: | 39 |
| Seats1: | 44 |
| Seat Change1: | 5 |
| Popular Vote1: | 228,791 |
| Percentage1: | 48.12% |
| Swing1: | 8.05pp |
| Leader2: | Richard Collver |
| Leader Since2: | March 18, 1973 |
| Leaders Seat2: | Nipawin |
| Last Election2: | 7 |
| Seats Before2: | 11 |
| Seats2: | 17 |
| Seat Change2: | 6 |
| Popular Vote2: | 181,045 |
| Percentage2: | 38.08% |
| Swing2: | 10.46pp |
| Image3: | LIB |
| Leader3: | Ted Malone |
| Leader Since3: | December 11, 1976 |
| Leaders Seat3: | Regina Lakeview (lost re-election) |
| Last Election3: | 15 |
| Seats Before3: | 11 |
| Seats3: | 0 |
| Seat Change3: | 11 |
| Popular Vote3: | 65,498 |
| Percentage3: | 13.78% |
| Swing3: | 17.89pp |
| Premier | |
| Before Election: | Allan Blakeney |
| Posttitle: | Premier after election |
| After Election: | Allan Blakeney |
The 1978 Saskatchewan general election was held on October 18, 1978, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.
The New Democratic government of Premier Allan Blakeney was returned for a third consecutive term with an increased majority in the legislature, and a larger share of the popular vote.
The Progressive Conservative Party of Richard Collver continued to increase its share of the popular vote in this election. They were the only other party to win seats and became the official opposition to the Blakeney government.
Fierce political infighting in the Liberal Party after the resignation of leader David Steuart led to electoral disaster in 1978. The Liberals had lost two of the 15 seats they won in 1975 to by-elections and two more Grits crossed the floor to the Tories prior to the 1978 election. Under the disputed leadership of Ted Malone, the Liberals lost all of the 11 seats they still held in the legislature and more than half the votes it had won in the 1975 election.
| Party | Party Leader |
| Seats | Popular Vote | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Dissol. | Elected | % Change | % | % Change | Allan Blakeney | 61 | 39 | 39 | 44 | +12.8% | 228,791 | 48.12% | +8.05% | Richard Collver | 61 | 7 | 11 | 17 | +54.5% | 181,045 | 38.08% | +10.46% | Ted Malone | 61 | 15 | 11 | – | align="right" | -100% | 65,498 | 13.78% | align="right" | -17.89% | Independent | 2 | – | – | – | – | 81 | 0.02% | align="right" | -0.62% | |||||
| Total | 185 | 61 | 61 | 61 | – | 475,415 | 100% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source: Elections Saskatchewan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Seats | Second | Third | Fourth | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Democratic | 44 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 41 | 3 | 0 | Liberal | 0 | 3 | 58 | 0 | Independents | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
Names in bold represent cabinet ministers and the Speaker. Party leaders are italicized. The symbol " ** " indicates MLAs who are not running again.
|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Athabasca|| |Frederick John Thompson
2,340||Frank Petit
1,180||Henry Coupland
498|||| |Frederick John Thompson|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Cut Knife-Lloydminster|| |Bob Long
3,828||Bob Kent
3,213||Bill Taylor
259|||| |Miro Kwasnica**|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Meadow Lake||Gord McNeill
2,789|| |George McLeod
3,016||Colin Campbell
537|||| |Gordon James McNeill|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Redberry|| |Dennis Banda
3,325||John Gerich
2,916||Peter Bomok
491|||| |Dennis George Banda|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Rosthern||Howard Lucas
3,162|| |Ralph Katzman
4,708||Bill Patrick
964|||| |Ralph Katzman|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|The Battlefords|| |Eiling Kramer
4,589||Rod McKenzie
2,175||Mervin Zulyniuk
1,427|||| |Eiling Kramer|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Turtleford|| |Lloyd Johnson
2,983||Charlie Wells
2,188||Pauline H. Cadrain
620|||| |Lloyd Emmett Johnson
|-|style="width: 130px"|NDP|David Miner|align="right"|3,432|align="right"|48.59%|align="right"|-7.44|Prog. Conservative|Harry Zamonsky|align="right"|2,143|align="right"|30.34%|align="right"|+3.79|Liberal|Thomas Bidart|align="right"|1,488|align="right"|21.07%|align="right"|+3.65|- bgcolor="white"!align="left" colspan=3|Total!align="right"|7,063!align="right"|100.00!align="right"|
|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Cumberland|| |Norm MacAuley
2,586||George L. Horne
1,254||Leon E. McAuley
526|||| |Norman H. MacAuley|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Kelsey-Tisdale|| |John R. Messer
4,031||Neil Hardy
3,461||P. Hudson Foga
527|||| |John Rissler Messer|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Kinistino|| |Don Cody
4,042||Louis A. Domotor
2,661||Robert G. Michayluk
706|||| |Arthur Thibault**|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Melfort|| |Norm Vickar
3,102||Bill Warner
3,749||John W. Calderwood
605|||| |Norman Vickar|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Nipawin||Irvin G. Perkins
3,262|| |Richard Collver
3,733||Ron J. Wassill
568|||| |Richard Lee Collver|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Prince Albert|| |Mike Feschuk
4,472||Richard E. Spencer
3,514||Helga Reydon
286|||| |Mike Feschuk|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Prince Albert-Duck Lake|| |Jerome Hammersmith
3,618||Norm Wipf
3,569||Colonel J. Archibald
660|||| |Norm Wipf|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Shellbrook|| |George Bowerman
3,835||John P. Meagher
3,029||Manley R. McLachlan
511|||| |George Bowerman
|-|style="width: 130px"|Prog. Conservative|Neil Hardy|align="right"|3,334|align="right"|48.39%|align="right"|+5.23|NDP|Lars Bracken|align="right"|3,232|align="right"|46.91%|align="right"|-3.36|Liberal|Jim Russell|align="right"|324|align="right"|4.70%|align="right"|-1.87|- bgcolor="white"!align="left" colspan=3|Total!align="right"|6,890!align="right"|100.00!align="right"|
|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Arm River||Donald Leonard Faris
3,308|| |Gerald Muirhead
3,501||Greg Wensel
1,101|||| |Donald Leonard Faris|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Biggar|| |Elwood L. Cowley
4,787||Roy Norris
3,270||Lynn Tokle
552|||| |Elwood Lorrie Cowley|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Humboldt|| |Edwin Tchorzewski
4,272||John Bajbula
2,439||Peter Cline
1,065|||| |Edwin Tchorzewski|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Kindersley||David G. Thomson
2,461|| |Bob Andrew
2,774||Allan McMillan
1,937|||| |Allan Neil McMillan|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Rosetown-Elrose||Jim Mills
3,056|| |Herbert Swan
3,587||Calvin W. Fensom
1,011|||| |Roy Bailey**|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Wilkie||Ray Heather
2,371|| |Jim Garner
2,865||Linda Clifford
1,975|||| |Linda Clifford
|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Canora|| |Al Matsalla
4,258||Eugene Teslia
2,647||Joseph F. Matsalla
730|||| |Al Matsalla|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Kelvington-Wadena|| |Neil Byers
4,165||Ray Meiklejohn
3,366||A. Ben Ferrie
521|||| |Neil Erland Byers|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Last Mountain-Touchwood|| |Gordon MacMurchy
4,150||Arnold Tusa
3,795||Gill Fontaine
385|||| |Gordon S. MacMurchy|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Melville|| |John Kowalchuk
4,072||Glenn Miller
3,465||Cecil Headrick
901|||| |John Russell Kowalchuk|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Pelly|| |Norm Lusney
3,739||Donald F. Boyd
2,130||Rudolph Els
760|||| |Norm Lusney|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Quill Lakes|| |Murray Koskie
3,662||W. Brian Wildeman
2,251||Mervyn T. Warner
919|||| |Murray James Koskie|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saltcoats|| |Ed Kaeding
3,354||Walter R. Johnson
3,265||Gabriel R. Neumeier
680|||| |Ed Kaeding|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Yorkton|| |Randy Nelson
4,128||Ray S. Malinowski
3,637||Irene Konkin
1,036|||| |Randall Neil Nelson
|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Assiniboia-Gravelbourg|| |Allan Engel
3,126||Wilf Lethbridge
2,331||Roy Nelson
2,662|||| |Roy Nelson|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Maple Creek||Norman Arndt
2,327|| |Joan Duncan
3,496||W.V. "Fred" Deis
1,341|||| |Bill Stodalka**|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Moose Jaw North|| |John Skoberg
4,483||Kerry R. Chow
3,579||Gene Chura
1,003|||| |John Leroy Skoberg|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Moose Jaw South|| |Gordon Snyder
4,512||Arthur "Bud" Smith
2,408||Terry W. Ocrane
716|||| |Gordon Taylor Snyder|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Morse|| |Reg Gross
2,587||Art Martens
2,203||Jack Wiebe
2,024|||| |John Edward Niel Wiebe|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Shaunavon|| |Dwain Lingenfelter
2,778||Jim Lacey
2,145||Eiliv "Sonny" Anderson
2,385|||| |Eiliv "Sonny" Anderson|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Swift Current||Spencer Wooff
3,288|| |Dennis Ham
3,620||Stew Tasche
936|||| |Dennis Ham|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Thunder Creek||D. Hicks
2,424|| |Colin Thatcher
3,359||Ron Gleim
1,270|||| |Wilbert Colin Thatcher
|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Bengough-Milestone||Jim Liggett
3,069|| |Bob Pickering
3,118||Rod MacDonald
1,018|||| |David Lange**|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Estevan||Norman Blondeau
2,703|| |Bob Larter
4,376||Paul Bachorcik
948|||| |Robert Austin Larter|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Indian Head-Wolseley||Pat Connolley
2,400|| |Doug Taylor
2,893||Cyril MacDonald
1,943|||| |Cyril Pius MacDonald|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Moosomin||Fred A. Easton
2,614|| |Larry Birkbeck
3,353||J. Sinclair Harrison
1,964|||| |Larry Birkbeck|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Qu'Appelle||Greg Willows
6,844|| |John Gary Lane
7,231||J. Don McCullough
1,541|||| |John Gary Lane|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Souris-Cannington||Dean Fraser
2,019|| |Eric Berntson
3,739||Gerard Belisle
1,170|||| |Eric Arthur Berntson|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Weyburn|| |Jim Pepper
3,517||Glen Dods
3,449||Ron Chapdelaine
981|||| |James Auburn Pepper
|-|style="width: 130px"|NDP|John Chapman|align="right"|2,918|align="right"|36.79%|align="right"|+3.12|Prog. Conservative|Grant Devine|align="right"|2,858|align="right"|36.03%|align="right"|-18.49|Liberal|Ralph Goodale|align="right"|2,156|align="right"|27.18%|align="right"|+15.37|- bgcolor="white"!align="left" colspan=3|Total!align="right"|7,932!align="right"|100.00!align="right"|
|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saskatoon Buena Vista|| |Herman Rolfes
3,786||Reg Schafer
2,343||Doris Serne
1,272|||| |Herman Harold Rolfes|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saskatoon Centre|| |Paul Mostoway
5,246||Harry Baker
2,743||Jean Korchin
1,453|||| |Paul Peter Mostoway|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saskatoon Eastview|| |Bernie Poniatowski
4,018||Kimberly Young
3,322||Marie Eaton
1,257|||| |Glen Penner**|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saskatoon Mayfair|| |Beverly Dyck
4,328||Donna L. Birkmaier
2,394||Dick Reed
1,104|||| |Beverly Dyck|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saskatoon Nutana|| |Wes Robbins
4,739||Grant Devine
2,466||John A. Shanks
1,080|||| |W. Albert Robbins|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saskatoon Riversdale|| |Roy Romanow
5,225||Mary Cherneskey
2,205||Nestor W. Romaniuk
640|||| |Roy Romanow|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saskatoon Sutherland|| |Peter Prebble
5,007||Bill Lane
4,722||Douglas R. Knott
1,845|||| |Harold William Lane|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Saskatoon Westmount|| |John Edward Brockelbank
5,651||Peter Shinkaruk
2,427||Peter Sydney Groves
909|||| |John Edward Brockelbank
|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Regina Centre|| |Ned Shillington
3,767||Keith Jeal
1,451||George Exner
935||William C. Beeching (Ind.) 45|| |Edward Shillington|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Regina Elphinstone|| |Allan Blakeney
4,390||Christine Whitaker
1,250||R. Lawson Wilde
596|||| |Allan Blakeney|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Regina Lakeview|| |Doug McArthur
3,351||Ian McPherson
1,684||Ted Malone
2,366|||| |Edward Cyril Malone|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Regina North East|| |Walt Smishek
4,831||F. Warren Denzin
2,248||Del Miller
805||Roger D. Annis (Ind.) 36|| |Walter Smishek|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Regina North West|| |Ed Whelan
5,575||Philip Lundeen
3,142||J. Culliton Poston
1,443|||| |Edward Charles Whelan|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Regina Rosemont|| |Bill Allen
4,524||Florian Vanderlinde
2,154||Gerry Bassendowski
766|||| |William J. G. Allen|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Regina South||John Hettema
3,114|| |Paul Rousseau
3,325||Philip M. Desjardine
1,688|||| |Stuart Cameron**|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Regina Victoria|| |Henry Baker
3,729||Andrew G. Shepherd
1,594||Glenn Caleval
820|||| |Henry Harold Peter Baker|-|bgcolor=whitesmoke|Regina Wascana|| |Clint White
3,993||Allan W. Wagar
2,945||J. Duane Koch
1,859|||| |Anthony Merchant**
|-|style="width: 130px"|NDP|John Solomon|align="right"|3,354|align="right"|47.75%|align="right"|-7.12|Liberal|Ted Malone|align="right"|2,211|align="right"|31.47%|align="right"|+17.27|Prog. Conservative|Philip Lundeen|align="right"|1,460|align="right"|20.78%|align="right"|-10.15|- bgcolor="white"!align="left" colspan=3|Total!align="right"|7,025!align="right"|100.00!align="right"|