Saskatchewan's NDP can look forward to a bright future leading the province, in spite of what the Opposition is saying, local party supporters were told by the Premier's wife, Betty Calvert, at their annual Spring Banquet Wednesday.

After being with Premier Lorne Calvert every step of the election campaign and in the days since, Betty was able to share an insider's view of the events that brought the NDP to power with a slim majority, and some of the current events now ongoing in the Legislature.

"I think this term will be one of the most challenging ever for the Saskatchewan New Democrats. We need to support our MLAs who will be chained to their seats and forced to take numbers to go to the bathroom. They will be ensconced in the Legislature for as long as the sitting takes," said Calvert.

Referring to the non-confidence vote which was held the next day on Thursday on the budget, Calvert noted this is a traditional move for the Opposition, although the Sask Party played it up beforehand as an epic event for the province. The NDP won the vote as Speaker Myron Kowalsky cast the deciding vote to break the 28-28 tie.

Calvert pointed to another controversy dogging the NDP last week, when her husband mused about the possibility of health care premiums; she said, the same day as the premier announced it in Regina, "Contrary to what you have heard, this government will not introduce health care premiums."

In relation to the recent budget, Calvert related a story from when she was growing up on a farm to illustrate the financial position her husband and his government is in.

She told of how she and her twin sister were hired at the age of 13 to do rock-picking for their father at $1 an hour. The girls worked long and hard that summer, and made plans for how they were going to spend their money, except the farm unexpectedly produced a poor crop that fall, and there wasn't enough money to pay the girls.

"Only now as a parent can I imagine and appreciate how our dad came to us and told us he could not afford to pay us all that we were owed. He never would have done that if he had any other choice," she said, going on to compare this to the province's current fiscal situation, caused by a number of factors including the BSE crisis, drought and low commodity prices.

"This year we'll have people upset that their demands can't be met. We'd like nothing better than to give everybody the money they're asking for," she said.

In addition to this problem, said Calvert, the NDP "also has a hungry and dangerous Opposition watching to topple our government's slim majority."

In spite of these difficulties, the premier's wife saw bright spots for the NDP, such as the future of the oil industry, ethanol plants proposed for the province, including one set for Weyburn, implementation of the Green Strategy, and improved health care and labour standards on the way.

She also feels there will be positive results yet to come for the Wide Open advertising campaign.

"It will be up to the membership to continue the work while our members are restrained in the Legislature. This province is still the best place to live and do business. We continue to believe in the possibilities and believe in a better Saskatchewan," said Calvert.

During last fall's election, she noted she travelled extensively with her husband in the leader's motorhome all over Saskatchewan, plus campaigning on the side with other candidates once in a while, including one day spent in Weyburn with candidate Sherry Leach.

"It was a very rewarding day, and you can be proud of the capable candidate you have in Sherry Leach," she said.

An event she enjoyed during the campaign was when the premier would visit a high school and face questions from the student body.

"I enjoyed our visits to high schools where teenagers posed tough questions, sometimes tougher than what they face in the Legislature. Our young people are interested and are keeping themselves informed about their future and the future of the province. The younger generation is becoming immobilized. I believe all we need to do is tell them you're needed, and they will respond," she said.

Having seen how the party members worked and responded around the province, Calvert said she understood why the election went their way in spite of all the odds that were against them from the start, including being behind in the polls and dealing with such problems as the BSE crisis.

"Seeing the involvement of the NDP throughout the province, this is in my mind why the election was ours. I was amazed at the number of people who took their work holidays to devote to working for us, to ensure an NDP win," said Calvert.