REGINA — The Opposition Saskatchewan Party kicked off its annual convention Saturday by presenting members with new policies aimed at impressing a broader cross-section of voters.

The convention was leader Brad Wall's first since he was acclaimed last year when he promised to make the right-of-centre party more relevant in the eyes of the electorate.

Gone are policies which called for young offender boot-camps and putting welfare recipients to work. They've been replaced with promises to raise the social assistance food allowance and include study of First Nations treaties in schools.

Wall was coy about admitting he is trying to position the Saskatchewan Party closer to the center of the political spectrum, but the underlying message was clear.

"We want to present a well-rounded alternative,'' Wall said after delivering a speech to about 350 delegates.

"I'm trying to ensure that this party is reflective of where the people of this province are.''

Delegates debated the new policies behind closed doors Saturday afternoon and were to report back to the whole convention on Sunday.

Wall explained the new policy is about filling gaps.

"I think there was a great deal of strength in our policy with respect to the economy, but there are some gaps,'' he said. "So we are filling gaps and I think that is important.''

Formed out of an alliance between disgruntled Liberals and vanquished Tories back in 1997, the Saskatchewan Party is relatively new of the political scene, but its rise to prominence has been quick.

The party forced the NDP into a minority government situation in 1999 and was widely expected to win the election in 2003.

But it struggled during the campaign, especially when it came to pragmatic issues such as the continued public ownership of the province's Crown utilities.

The NDP accused the Saskatchewan Party of having a privatization agenda and the Saskatchewan Party had trouble countering that.

The party won 28 seats to the NDP's 30 and had to come to grips with spending another term in opposition.

It's not surprising that one of the 145 resolutions being considered at this weekend's convention promises to keep the ownership of the major Crown corporations in the public domain.