The Regina Government Lacked Political Independence; by the Late 1880s, a Qu'Appelle Merchant Said the Region Was "Not Prepared to Accept Dictation from Ottawa"

What the language and school controversy demonstrated to westerners was that the Regina government lacked political independence in keeping with the British parliamentary system. In fact, it had reached the point by the late 1880s, in the words of a Qu’Appelle merchant, where the region was “not prepared to accept dictation from Ottawa.” There had been several steps towards responsible government since the 1877 North-West Territories Act. But westerners objected to the glacial pace—and the fact that Ottawa had to be repeatedly prodded. What ultimately brought the campaign for constitutional reform to a successful conclusion was the election of Wilfrid Laurier Liberals in 1896. When responsible government finally took effect the following year (1 October 1897), Frederick Haultain was appointed the territory's first and only premier. He quickly found, though, that having control over government spending did not mean much if the legislature did not have much to spend, especially since any revenue from North-West lands and resources went to the federal treasury.

--Bill Waiser, "Creating New Provinces: Saskatchewan and Alberta," in Reconsidering Confederation: Canada's Founding Debates, 1864-1999, ed. Daniel Heidt (Calgary, AB: University of Calgary Press, 2018), 226.