[2][3] However, facing the fallout of a poor crop growing season and a scandal involving the Crown Corporation electric utility SaskPower (Channel Lake), the New Democrat government of Premier Roy Romanow – challenged by the newly created Saskatchewan Party – lost a significant share of the popular vote; winning exactly half of the fifty eight seats in the legislature.

Some NDP members unhappy with the government of Roy Romanow left to form the New Green Alliance, an environmentalist party.

What remained of the Progressive Conservatives fielded 14 paper candidates – all in NDP strongholds – in order to preserve their status as a registered political party.

To date, this is the most recent general election to return MLAs who were members of neither the NDP nor the Saskatchewan Party.

Elhard was elected to the Legislature as a member of the Saskatchewan Party in a June 1999 by-election following the resignation and eventual conviction of former PC MLA Jack Goohsen.

[11] The Saskatchewan Party decided to challenge the judicial decision, and it was overturned and dissolved based on irregularities in the absentee ballots.