Brad Wall was in luck Wednesday night. Not only did he prevail in a high-stakes battle over the takeover of Potash Corp., but when he and his MLAs gathered for an evening celebration in the Premier's office, they weren't stuck with just the pizza they ordered.
As it turned out, the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association was holding a reception in town - and they had leftovers. So the politicians dined on eggplant strudel, chicken penne pasta and honey-glazed pork belly on crostini.
"There were chefs and restaurant owners that were very happy about the decision as well. And we were happy to eat the rest of the food," Mr. Wall said. "We had a lot of support."
In Saskatchewan, the joy over the federal decision to provisionally block the takeover erupted within moments of Industry Minister Tony Clement issuing his televised statement, which brought cheers echoing through the marbled halls of the Regina legislature building.
For Mr. Wall, who waged an increasingly pitched battle against the takeover, the celebration with colleagues lasted into the night.
"It was a very important day for the country and for the province," he said.
Although the fight is not over - BHP Billiton Ltd. still has a month to improve its offer - the federal decision marked the culmination of weeks of campaigning that saw Mr. Wall orchestrate a dramatic shift in Saskatchewan, where many went from casually approving of the deal to strongly opposing it. He did it, observers believe, by stoking an emotional response to an issue that was largely about provincial revenues, a subject too dull to arouse much anger.
"Mr. Wall took a card of out of [Danny]Williams's playdeck," said Joe Garcea, head of the department of political studies at the University of Saskatchewan. "He was able to create a clear cleavage issue: Will the federal government defend our interests? Or will they defend corporate interests? That just put everybody over the top."
Yet for a deal that captivated national attention, the reaction among some in Saskatchewan was muted. Stories about the federal decision elicited only marginal interest in the online editions of the province's major newspapers, and less interest among those for whom little else matters beyond football.
"If it was about the Riders, I would care. Potash - I don't care," said Tim Parsons, owner of Radio Centre, a successful Regina electronics store.
The lack of enthusiasm could be because some saw the decision not as a victory, but as a forestalling of defeat. The notion that Potash Corp. is seen as a provincial champion is wrong, said Cherilyn Nagel, a farmer and director of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association.
"I can't say that I would drive around with a Potash Corp. licence plate or wear a watermelon for Potash Corp.," she said. "I think what's happening is there's a fear factor out there about foreign investment. People are scared of what that change could mean and are we giving something up."
Farmers, in fact, have been surprised that their interests - which include cheap potash, a stronger likelihood under BHP than under Potash - weren't given more consideration. And some worry, too, that Mr. Wall has soured the province's relationship with BHP, a fact that could make it tough for him to govern the company, which continues to pursue plans to build its own Saskatchewan potash mine.
But even those who believe that BHP would be bad for Saskatchewan say Mr. Wall's victory could also create trouble for him, especially in a province that has Canada's most liberal attitudes toward state resource ownership.
"It may be that he's made a bit of a problem for himself, because the average person in Saskatchewan now expects something electrifying to happen," said Don Ching, a long-time provincial bureaucrat and business leader.
Indeed, labour groups and the province's opposition NDP have called for Mr. Wall to seize this moment to increase potash royalties, and even to take back some ownership in Potash Corp.
"We're blessed abundantly with resources, and maybe Potash and the whole controversy will be the trigger to look at who is really benefiting from these huge natural resources we have. Why can't we do better?" said Terry Boehm, president of the National Farmers Union of Canada.
Mr. Wall, however, said he has no intention of meeting those expectations.
"I just categorically reject these ideas," he said. "I think they would cause a chill over our investment community here."
Instead, he said his government will continue working to "remove barriers for growth."
It's also moving to seize the spotlight that the BHP bid has aimed at Saskatchewan
"You're going to see us unveil a marketing campaign in the weeks ahead, promoting Saskatchewan to the world," Mr. Wall said.