Roy John Romanow PC OC SOM KC (born August 12, 1939) is a Canadian politician who served as the 12th premier of Saskatchewan from 1991 to 2001.

Romanow played a prominent role in Allan Blakeney's NDP government from 1971 to 1982, particularly in negotiations over Patriation of the Canadian Constitution.

This meant Romanow played a role in many of the key achievements of the NDP in this era, including the nationalization of the potash industry and battles with the federal government over resource rights and taxation, as well as Patriation of the Constitution.

After three consecutive majority governments, Blakeney's NDP were swept from power in the 1982 election in a shocking upset by Grant Devine's Progressive Conservatives.

[8] The NDP largely rebounded in 1986, narrowly winning the popular vote, but Devine's PCs secured a second majority government with a particularly strong performance in rural Saskatchewan.

[10] Devine used the fiscal situation as justification to pursue the privatization of a wide range of crown corporations—including PotashCorp, one of the key achievements of the Blakeney era—which engendered fierce opposition from the NDP.

[13] The PCs were persistently criticized late in their term for undemocratic tactics including prorogation of the Legislature and the dubious use of special warrants for spending.

[23] Moreover, Romanow's governments adopted some of the same tactics the PCs had introduced to pass legislation, including closure when it came to their health care reforms.

[27] However, the NDP's seemingly solid grip on government and the growing frustrations of rural regions provided an impetus for a reorganization of conservatives in the province.

[34] This was the result of a strong performance by Hermanson's party—which actually edged the NDP in the popular vote—in rural areas; the Saskatchewan Party won 25 seats, but none in either Regina or Saskatoon.

[24] Critics of Romanow's austerity politics pointed to declining party membership and voter engagement as troubling factors in the election.

[35] The announcement triggered a hotly contested leadership race with seven candidates—a far cry from Romanow's acclimation in 1987—with differing views for the future of the party.

[36] Anti-neoliberal candidate Nettie Wiebe placed third in the 2001 leadership vote, while Romanow's attorney general Chris Axworthy was defeated on the final ballot by former cabinet minister Lorne Calvert, who was sworn in as premier on February 8, 2001.

[41] In 2003, Romanow was sworn in as a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada by Governor General Clarkson, again on the advice of Prime Minister Chrétien.

[32][48] Others have conceded that Romanow was more fiscally conservative than would be expected from an NDP leader, but have underscored his commitment to social democratic values.

His approach preserved a large activist role for government as well as a social safety net and investments in health care and education.

[49] Other observers, like historian Bill Waiser and political analyst Dale Eisler, have argued that the globalized economy in which Romanow operated left fewer options than were available to his NDP predecessors, and drastic actions were necessary to deal with the crisis.

David McGrane concluded that, while Romanow's successor Lorne Calvert steered the NDP back further towards the left in terms of social policy, it effectively carried forward its economic legacy.