Grumpy and Grumpier.

This article discusses the political climate surrounding the upcoming provincial elections in Saskatchewan. And judging by the seven provincial elections held to date this year, Canadians are in a particularly grumpy mood. In Quebec, Ontario and last week in Newfoundland, long-standing governments of various political stripes were not only defeated, but thoroughly trounced. In New Brunswick, Premier Bernard Lord fared only slightly better, as public fury over skyrocketing auto insurance rates reduced his iron grip on power to a tenuous grasp. True enough, Manitoba's Gary Doer, Nova Scotia's John Hamm and Prince Edward Island's Pat Binns were all returned to office by comfortable margins. But in each case, there was a palpable lack of enthusiasm about the exercise -- as if, given better alternatives, voters might have also opted to topple and turf. Which brings us to Saskatchewan, where a party that didn't even exist seven years ago stands an excellent chance of defeating the province's 12-year-old NDP government. The Saskatchewan Party, an amalgam of disaffected Conservatives and Liberals who formed their own "unite-the-right" movement in 1997, was brimming with confidence last week as the Nov. 5 election date approached. For all of that, the NDP cannot be written off lightly. In power for 43 of the past 59 years, it is Saskatchewan's natural governing party -- and renowned for fielding a formidable cadre of campaign foot soldiers.