Second century begins with unlimited potential: following is the eighth of an eight-part series in commemoration of Saskatchewan's 100th anniversary, appearing exclusively in Saskatchewan business magazine.

The small town where I was raised is booming. A happy bit of geology--being next to a massive potash deposit--only partly explains why the town flourishes while others fall off the map. In truth the townspeople are responsible for their own success.

Similarly, some Saskatchewan companies conquer even the toughest markets while others struggle under their own weight. Not surprisingly, success or failure is determined by the people entrusted with day-to-day decisions.

Provinces, I've come to understand, are much like towns and companies. For that matter they're like marriages and armies and hockey teams. In each endeavour success is achieved by having the right people in the right jobs.

As proven by the roar heard during Centennial 2005 celebrations the endeavour known as Saskatchewan is a success. Our place on the map has always been a double-edged sword--we are blessed with incredible natural resources yet we are often knocked about by harsh conditions--rather, Saskatchewan succeeds because the right people are usually doing the right jobs.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The people of Saskatchewan will entrust one of the province's political parties with the job of steering Saskatchewan into its second century. Currently, NDP leader Premier Lorne Calvert and Saskatchewan Party leader Brad Wall are in the power positions.

"When I look at the next century, taking into mind that we've built a great century based on our land, we don't lose any strength and we can build on those strengths," Calvert says. "Who knows what we're going to do for the world in the coming century?"

He itemizes our traditional package of resources including food, energy, uranium, potash and wood products. Peering forward no other jurisdiction in Canada compares when you consider resources such as renewable energy, massive potash deposits, largely untouched forests, coal reserves and potential resources such as diamonds and rare earth.

"And if there's one thing I know about the future is that people are going to eat, which means our grains will be in demand," Calvert says.

There are futuristic elements in the economy that will be ignored at our own peril, Wall counters, if we fail to add value to our resources. He believes Saskatchewan is already frittering away its resource advantage by not adding value to non-renewable energies.

"There is so much unbridled potential in Saskatchewan," Wall says. "We have to say 'It's okay to make money.'"

Wall is excited to be in on 'the ground floor' of the province and believes there is a Western Canadian renaissance on the horizon. The country, he says, is waiting to hear from the province many Canadians consider the nation's conscience and its voice of compassion.

"Imagine the voice we will have in the world once they realize we not only know how to cut up the pie, we also know how to make the pie larger," Wall says.

Another defining characteristic of the province's future should be population growth of one per cent per year, he says, as families build the economy. That's how you ensure social programs are sustained, he says.

"What I seek as a goal for population is not a number but a population that is met by our ability to provide a high quality of life," Calvert says. "My own vision of the future is that ours will always be a diverse population that lives in harmony and respect for one another."

More educational tools are needed for the economy to work and to remain competitive in what is the youngest province in Canada per capita, Calvert recognizes.

Both leaders acknowledge a flaw in central Canada's perception of Saskatchewan. Be a leader despite Bay Street's willingness to shrug off Saskatchewan, Wall encourages, and Calvert believes outside opinions are already being challenged by Saskatchewan's economic realities.

"More and more we're seen as a science province," Calvert says, pointing to hot spots in Saskatoon and Regina. "We have positioned ourselves and equipped ourselves so that research and development will be as essential to our future as resources."

Wall agrees innovation will be huge, sees a future where First Nations people are more involved in government and hopes to see a time when political life isn't awash in cynicism.

"Nothing increases cynicism like total predictability," says Wall, who would like to see a system that allows more free votes.

During the last 100 years people by design had to work together to generate prosperity, Calvert says, and predicts working together as good stewards of the land will be the province's advantage over the next century.

"There's something to be said for breathing fresh air and seeing blue sky," Calvert says, calling the environment 'a competitive edge'. "We must not lose sight of the high quality of life we enjoy in Saskatchewan. It's who we are."