 In 1935, under the watch of Liberal Premier James Garfield Gardiner, the On-to-Ottawa Trekkers, and citizens of Regina clashed with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) during the Regina Riot.In 1944, Tommy Douglas became premier of the first avowedly socialist regional government in North America.Most of Douglas' MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly) represented rural and small-town ridings.