Raw Adoration

If this picture looks like anything other than Brad's fawning idolization of Stephen Harper, I'll eat every scrap of the equalization court challenge Wall so kindly tore up.

He also looks just about the right size in the picture to fit in Harper's pocket. Which is good, because he seems to have already made himself a home there.

How Soon We Forget

Let's jump in the Way-Back Machine to a glorious time when the SP, then in opposition, gave a fuck about the province:

First, I want to state in the strongest terms the Saskatchewan Party, Saskatchewan’s Official Opposition, stands in full support and agreement with the Premier and the government of Saskatchewan [emphasis mine] on the solution:

The federal government should immediately agree to a Saskatchewan Energy Accord that allows Saskatchewan to retain 100% of our non-renewable resource revenues
beginning in the 2005-06 fiscal year and continuing through 2012.
(Equalization Debate Speaking Notes for Brad Wall, March 15/05)

While we're back in 2005, let's visit Stephen Harper of the federal Conservatives, then in Opposition, to see what he had to say:

The Prime Minister [Paul Martin] is also failing Saskatchewan on equalization. The government promised to reform the equalization program in 2004 for Saskatchewan. The government now says it will not get to that until at least 2006, costing Saskatchewan over $750 million in lost revenue.

When will the Prime Minister overrule his finance minister and make the changes necessary, so Saskatchewan does not lose this money?
(Hansard, November 16, 2005)

But now we see what the trappings of power do to people. When the Conservatives took power, they gave Saskatchewan $225 million -- less than a third of what Harper himself is on record saying Saskatchewan deserved from the Liberals. But Harper definitely should not be challenged on this: he was pissed off by the NDP and their stance that the Conservatives should honour their 2006 election promise to Saskatchewan, and when the SP took power, Wall said Harper "made it clear" in a January meeting that the NDP's lawsuit should be dropped (Prince George Citizen, March 17/08).

Let us now return to the dismal present, when we find Mr. Harper's lapdog has told Saskatchewan's people they may as well piss up a rope as expect that money.

At stake is about $800 million in federal transfers annually, according to provincial calculations.

But [Justice Minister Don] Morgan said Saskatchewan is on an economic roll and does not want to go "cap in hand" to Ottawa looking for a handout.

The federal government is also doing its share for Saskatchewan, said Morgan, pointing to $240 million allotted in the budget to help the province build a carbon-capture system for coal plants.

"We're getting very large amounts of money from the federal government and we don't want a litigation to be an impediment," said Morgan.

"If we get the money, that's all my concern is. The label that's on it to me doesn't make a lot of difference. As a province we want to maximize the amount of money that's coming here — it's coming, let's just take it."
(CBC, July 10/08)

And this here seems to be the crux of it all. Thanks to climbing resource prices, we are rolling in money right now. So how can we go to Ottawa and quibble about a few paltry million? It'd be different if we didn't have $2 billion sitting in the bank right now, and if Ottawa weren't kicking us some scraps of the equalization money we're owed. If we don't get money from the feds, can't we just turn on the money tap?

No, we can't. We can't just assume money is going to magically appear. What matters is stewardship.

This entire time, Wall has stuck very closely to the line of turning Saskatchewan's current boom into a lasting prosperity. But with all the money coming in, Wall and his buddies are being lazy. They've forgotten -- or, more likely, never knew -- that they need to be good stewards of the province's income as well as the expenses. They can't just continue to pretend a debt of $800 million doesn't exist year after year and expect things to magically work themselves out.

Saskatchewan's money should be staying in Saskatchewan, not going to Ontario so the Conservatives can secure more votes. We gave you a majority government, Mr. Wall. The least you can do in return is fairly steward this prosperity you seem so enamoured with.

Mandryk Sees the Light

Murray -- God bless him -- is less than kind in his assessment of Wall's decision to drop the equalization challenge:

Simply put, Wall and his government have allowed themselves to be bullied by Harper. The big brother has taken the little brother's allowance, threatening him bodily harm if he dares tell mom.

And Wall's determination to keep big brother happy instead of looking out for Saskatchewan people's interests is deplorable on several counts.

First, it simply rewards bad behaviour. It might not be the Saskatchewan Party's role to enforce political ethics, but make no mistake that Wall is not only allowing the federal Conservatives to get away with a broken promise. Far worse, the Saskatchewan Party is not only shilling for its federal big brother, but also engaging in a little deceit of its own.
(Leader-Post, July 12/08)

Murray goes on to say that we're owed $3 billion since the Conservatives originally made this promise in 2004, and that we'd fools if we believe anything other than Saskatchewan's equalization money -- promised to us by the feds -- is going to flow into Ontario and Quebec so the Conservatives can shore up more seats in the next election.

This is our payment for electing 13 Conservative MPs: use our money to buy votes where it matters.

How does this differ from the Liberals and their "Green Shift"? Or, right: it doesn't. Saskatchewan has lots of money but few votes, so now both the Liberals and the Conservatives are going to suck one away from us and put it where they can get the other. We've been sold out by two parties, neither of whom cares how many seats they get from this backwater landfill, so long as they get our money.

This is sickening and deplorable -- politics at its worst. My province deserves better than this.

A Rocky Path

Mandryk's column today dumps a number of Sask Party skeletons from their closets. Or more appropriately, from the "Hidden Agenda" vault they left when vacating their offices:

After all, if labour money can buy off the NDP, why wouldn't we assume that the Saskatchewan Party's $668,016 in corporate donations has influenced its policies? Wouldn't we also assume that the tens of thousands of dollars the Saskatchewan Party has received over the years from implement manufacturers (who demanded changes to the union certification laws) or from former media baron Conrad Black (who loved to crush unions) is the driving force behind Bills 5 and 6?
(Leader-Post - April 18, 2008)

Good questions, Murray. Thanks for pointing this out. And thanks for going further and speculating about oil royalty rates and Big Mouth Billy Bass. Your dig at the CFIB falls a little flat, though, because while the budget doesn't really address property taxes, Wall's one-eighty on municipal funding could be tied to this very issue. His change of mind was so abrupt that it even took Hutch, the Minister responsible for Municipal Affairs, by surprise. The CFIB, meanwhile, are too busy swooning not over the budget, but over the Premier they have in their pocket.

But for me, the best part about this column wasn't the blunt message to Tim McMillan that he should just shut the hell up and return to his job of warming the backbench, or Mandryk noting that the Sask Party took in two-and-a-half times the NDP's union donations from their corporate pals, or even the not-so-subtle reminder that the Kathy Youngs (and the Tom Lukiwskis) of the world don't change their stripes. Instead, it was the following:

Here's a simple solution to the Saskatchewan Party government's concerns over the undue influence union donations are having on the NDP: ban donations from all unions and corporations.

Indeed, some forward-thinking New Democrats raised this very issue at convention. It was voted down, of course, because people get stuck in their ways, and worried about cash flows, and can't see the big picture. But some of us -- Mandryk included, apparently -- want to see a democracy run by the people -- not by businesses, and not by organizations. The shift will be another rocky path, but with enough people on side it won't be too hard to clear the stones.

Edit: Fixed typos.

They're Sayin' What We're All Thinkin'

I am, or at least I'm trying to be, the biggest NDP apologist of all time. But still, I have to agree with the editorial in the PA Daily Herald:

After all is said and done, the fact that the premier of Saskatchewan let his 14-year-old daughter drive on a back road is a non-story. In fact, as pointed out in a column Saturday, even those individuals politically pre-disposed to lob criticism at Wall acknowledge that the premier only did what just about everybody in rural Saskatchewan does: let a kid drive a vehicle. Oh sure, by the letter of the law, what Premier Brad Wall did was wrong - but in reality, many people do it, and there's little evidence of any harm being done through this practice: no blood, no foul and all that.
(PA Daily Herald, March 18/08)

When I first read this, I thought, you've got to be kidding me. This is the best we can do? Which was closely followed by, If we're trying to alienate the rural voters further, this is definitely the way to do it.

Everyone in Saskatchewan who's grown up on a farm or in a rural area, or knows someone who has, has driven underage. Yes, like it says in the Herald, that's breaking the letter of the law. But this tradition is based less on a coming-of-age ritual and more on practicality: all members of farm families work, and if that means you have to drive the truck at 13, then that's what happens. And more importantly, no one cares.

What really surprises me is the amount of traction this received in the media. But I think Wall managed to turn it around quite nicely and get some good press: he was contrite, showed respect for the office of Premier, and secured the province's urban/rural wedge a little tighter.

We have to remember that the gloves are off in opposition, and that the NDP is free to make whatever attacks they'd like on the government, no matter how silly. But this one smacked of something the Sask Party would have said when they sat on these benches, and that stinks. We're better than that. At least, we used to be.

In His Back Pocket

In this breaking story, we learn that Wall is as useless as a third tit when it comes to speaking out against Ottawa. But I suppose it's kind of difficult to do that when the federal Conservatives graciously provided half the Sask Party's legislative staff after the election.

The comments came after the Saskatchewan Party government refused to allow debate in the legislature Monday on an emergency motion on equalization. The motion - which was originally unanimously passed in the assembly in March 2005 - called for fair treatment from Ottawa on equalization.

Calvert suggested something has intervened to change the mind of the SaskParty.

"They were willing to stand up against Liberals, but when it comes to standing up against Conservatives, not a chance. They'll sooner sell out the people of Saskatchewan than stand up against this Conservative prime minister," said Calvert.

"They have decided they're just going to roll over and take instruction from Ottawa."
(CNews - Canadian Press, March 17, 2008)

After rolling over, Wall sat up, begged, and played dead. Then he brought Harper his newspaper and slippers before curling up at his feet.

Dion, for his part, showed up shortly thereafter with Harper's pipe, bowl, and fiddlers three.

Campfire Permit Fee Removed

In the tradition of exemplary and totally unbiased reporting on behalf of the LP, we're told the Saskatchewan Party is keeping its promise of removing the much-maligned $3 campfire fee in Saskatchewan's provincial parks:

During the fall election campaign, Premier Brad Wall repeatedly promised that if elected a Saskatchewan Party government would eliminate what he called the "wiener roast tax."

The $3 per day fee to purchase firewood in Saskatchewan parks was put in place in 2004.

The government said the removal of the fee will save park visitors a combined total of about $375,000 a year.
(Leader-Post, March 17, 2008)

However:

• The article should tell us that the $375,000 saved by park visitors will be coming out of the GRF.
• An addition of $158,400 to the GRF would then leave us with a net loss of roughly $217,000. Isn't this a problem in such a stark fiscal period?
  
• There's no mention if the annual impact of $650,000 is to the plus or minus.

I suppose this is all well and good: no one really liked that stupid campfire fee in the first place. And all cutesie Sask Party nicknames aside, if the NDP were trying to upset the people who use provincial parks, mission accomplished.

Another promise kept. Congratulations, Mr. Wall and Ms. Tell. We're going to be seeing a lot more of these announcements the Sask Party. But watch carefully: the promises, like this one, will be the ones that are easy to keep. The harder ones -- the ones with more impact on Saskatchewan's people -- will be swept under the carpet or blamed on either the opposition or outside forces.

We saw it happen with Harper, and we'll see it happen with his lapdog, too.

Edit: added link to article

Mandryk Drops the Bomb

In today's column, Mandryk sounds like he's almost as pissed off about equalization as I am. Which is awesome, because it's moved him to expose the elephant in the room: Harper now has a lot of control over our provincial government. First he gets Wall to drop the equalization challenge (which Cathie from Canada has more on), then he gets him to support tying the $1 billion trust fund to the next federal budget, and now he's got the whole government doing backflips over this paltry $36 million payout.

I don't know why Wall finds himself so deep in Harper's pocket. Danny Williams certainly doesn't have any trouble speaking up.

And while I'm at it, I'm sick to death of Wall trotting out his pet line of turning this current boom into a lasting prosperity. You what would help with that, Brad? $800 million a year.

Federal Largess

So there it is. With much hoopla, Harper announces Saskatchewan's chunk of the $1 billion in Federal money. Brad Wall was on hand to let people know how happy he was to get some juice from the federal lemon squeezed into the province. But money's money, and I think everyone was pretty happy about it -- with the notable exception of the Jurist, who informs us that the $1 billion comes on the heels of $14 billion in tax cuts for industry; and Wheatsheaf, who points out that Saskatchewan is due only $36 million of the proposed funds. But I guess it's the thought that counts.

The only problem is, the money is just that: a thought. The premier's pipe dream. Why? Forget for a moment that Quebec alone dumped $1.4 billion into forestry and that this is chump change with respect to a national industry. The real issue is that Wall and Stelmach made the foolish fucking decision to back Harper's desire to tie this money to the coming federal budget, while McGuinty and Charest rightly came out against the idea.

Harper is playing politics with this money instead of moving immediately to put it where it's needed. But as for poor old Brad, it seems his lips only move when Harper's doing the talking.

As much as I dislike him, I have to admit Harper's a smart man. And he's played this minority government the way Satriani plays guitar. So a huge stumble like this, open to such deep criticism from all corners, can only mean one thing: he's getting ready to let his government fall.

Word on the Street

A number of NDP constituency assistants I've spoken to are fed up with the Saskatchewan Party government. Apparently it's impossible to get casework done: phone calls are not being returned, there's little communication within the Ministries, and even the Deputy Ministers are having trouble communicating with the Ministers.

This was not the case when the NDP were in government. When SaskParty MLAs came to the Ministers with a genuine concern and not just some flaming bullshit, the work was handled as judiciously as possible. Now it seems that the works are gummed up, and the CAs are frustrated.

I think this points to one of five scenarios:

1. The SaskParty is deliberately trying to shaft the NDP
2. Brad Wall is attempting to pull a Stephen Harper, with expected results
3. The SaskParty is incompetent and doesn't know what the hell they're supposed to be doing
4. The SaskParty is inexperienced in the role of government, and the machinery just isn't working properly
5. This doesn't have anything to do with lowering taxes, busting unions, or selling Crowns, so it's not a priority

While options 1 and 5 aren't outside the realm of possibility, they are unlikely: the public opinion backlash of playing politics with peoples' problems would be hard and immediate. This leaves 2, 3, and 4. And while Wall does fancy himself to be a tiny Stephen Harper, he doesn't have the balls of steel nor the weak-kneed press necessary to pull this off. If I were a betting man I'd choose 3 over 4, but the truth is it's probably somewhere in the middle.

Christmas Cutbacks

In light of the stark nature of the province's finances and the puny $2 billion surplus in the bank, Premier Brad Wall, on advice from the Board of Enterprise Saskatchewan, will move to implement the following cost-cutting measures for the Twelve Days of Christmas:

1. The partridge will be retained, but the pear tree, which never produced the cash crop forecasted, will be replaced by a plastic hanging plant, providing considerable savings in maintenance;
2. Two turtle doves represent a redundancy that is simply not cost effective. In addition, their romance during working hours could not be condoned. The positions are, therefore, eliminated;
3. The three French hens will remain intact. After all, everyone loves the French;
4. The four calling birds will be replaced by an automated voice mail system, with a call waiting option. An analysis is underway to determine who the birds have been calling, how often and how long they talked;
5. The five golden rings have been put on hold by recommendation of Enterprise Saskatchewan. Maintaining a portfolio based on one commodity could have negative implications for institutional investors. Diversification into other precious metals, as well as a mix of T-Bills and high technology stocks, appears to be in order;
6. The six geese-a-laying constitutes a luxury which can no longer be afforded. It has long been felt that the production rate of one egg per goose per day was an example of the general decline in productivity. Three geese will be let go, and an upgrading in the selection procedure by the Ministry of Agriculture will assure government that, from now on, every goose it gets will be a good one;
7. The seven swans-a-swimming is obviously a number chosen in better times. The function is primarily decorative. Mechanical swans are on order. The current swans will be retrained to learn some new strokes, thereby enhancing their outplacement;
8. The eight maids-a-milking concept has been under heavy scrutiny by the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. A male/female balance in the workforce is being sought. The more militant maids consider this a dead-end job with no upward mobility. Automation of the process may permit the maids to try a-mending, a-mentoring, or a-mulching;
9. Nine ladies dancing has always been an odd number. This function will be phased out as these individuals grow older and can no longer do the steps;
10. Ten Lords-a-leaping is overkill. The high cost of Lords, plus the expense of international air travel, prompted the Ministry of Finance to suggest replacing this group with ten out-of-work MLAs. While leaping ability may be somewhat sacrificed, the savings are significant as the Opposition has ten MLAs seeking employment as a result of the 2007 general election;
11. Eleven pipers piping and twelve drummers drumming is a simple case of the band getting too big. A substitution with a string quartet, a cutback on new music, and no uniforms, will produce savings which will drop right to the bottom line.

Overall there will be a substantial reduction in assorted people, fowl, animals, and related expenses. Though incomplete, studies indicate that stretching deliveries over twelve days is inefficient. Service levels will improve if materials can be drop shipped in one day.

Regarding the lawsuit filed by the Saskatchewan Bar Association seeking expansion to include the legal profession ("thirteen lawyers-a-suing"), a decision is pending. Premier Wall is expected to stick to his election promise of growing the civil service at a rate proportional to the province's population.

Deeper cuts may be necessary in the future for the province to remain competitive. Should that happen, Enterprise Saskatchewan will request the government to scrutinize Snow White to see if seven dwarfs is the right number.

(Stolen from kraftmstr.com and edited for more appropriate content. Merry Christmas!)

PA Mill Addendum

I can't back this up with any news items, so let me apologize off the top. But if SDA can make post after post of unsubstantiated claims, so can I.

Further to my previous post, I've been told by a reliable source close to the Leader of the Opposition that Prince Albert Mayor Jim Scarrow found out through the media that the Sask Party would not be honouring the Domtar MOU. When Calvert phoned Domtar CEO Raymond Royer to talk about the current mill situation, he was told that Royer also learned of the Sask Party's actions through the media.

Neither Wall, nor Boyd, nor Hicke felt it was necessary to talk to the Mayor of the city or the CEO of the company on the other end of the agreement before taking action. We're already seeing that this style of "consultation" will be a common theme for this government.

The Prince Albert Mill

QP the last couple of days has been dominated by talk of the mill -- specifically Darryl Hicke's bungling on the doorstep and Brad Wall's shredding of the MOU with Domtar.

Hicke is on the record saying the NDP gave the residents of PA false hope over the mill deal:

"I'm disappointed the NDP gave false hope to the workers at the mill," said Hickie.

He said the memorandum of understanding signed between the NDP government and Domtar was never legally binding and never promised anyone their job back. But that's what the NDP led people to believe, said Hickie.

"It was an election ploy," said Hickie.
(PA Herald, Dec. 4/07)

When paired with the current scandal Hicke's involved in, this becomes the stuff of high comedy:

But even more problematic for Wall is justifying how scrapping the MOU squares with those little cards Prince Albert Carlton Saskatchewan Party MLA Darryl Hickie was handing out on election doorsteps proclaiming: "A vote for Darryl is a vote for the mill open (sic) & people working."

On Tuesday, Wall was eventually forced to acknowledge to reporters outsider the chamber that, if the mill isn't reopened, P.A. voters will be well within their rights to decide that Hickie misled them on this commitment. This isn't good news in a seat that the Saskatchewan Party won by a mere 61 votes.
(Regina Leader-Post, Dec. 12/07)

From what I understand, even though the MOU was riddled with wiggle words, Domtar was serious about opening the mill and was approaching the project in good faith. I don't know if Wall, Hicke, Boyd, and the rest of the Sask Party realize this, but according to the Forest Sector Task Force, the mill is the lynchpin to the forest industry in Saskatchewan -- an industry valued at 1% of the provinces GDP, or $500 million a year. We lost half a percent when the mill closed, so we could very well lose the other half a percent if the industry collapses.

Of course, all of this is lost on Wall, who is only interested in pursuing his three objectives: lower taxes, sell the crowns, and bust the unions. Any issue not tied to those three objectives will be on the periphery. Consider Wall's pre-election statement:

However, Wall said that if he becomes the next premier, work would continue to reopen the mill.

"We want to see a resolution for this. The asset there could be an asset in the forestry industry and there is a role for the government in facilitating that," he said."

We would very much want to sit down with Domtar," he said, and "try to find a way to open that pulp mill. What we will not do is risk - in either grant money or equity - taxpayers' money."

The work that's been done is not lost," he said, if an election is called.
(PA Herald, Oct. 9/07)

And here's a press release from Domtar dated Nov. 30/07:

Montreal, November 30, 2007 – Domtar was informed today that the Government of the Province of Saskatchewan is not prepared to participate in the financing of the redevelopment of the Prince Albert pulp mill as set forth in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on September 12, 2007.

Although Domtar recognizes that the Saskatchewan Government remains committed to ensuring the future of northern Saskatchewan’s forest resource, the Government’s decision to withdraw its support narrows down Domtar’s options regarding the Prince Albert facilities.

Consequently, Domtar will terminate all work being done on this project.

At least Wall's being consistent about the MOU.

What Wall and Boyd are not mentioning is that the province is still on the hook for the costs of the environmental clean-up -- which, in fairness, can be tied back to the NDP. But there's also the looming possibility of legal action from Domtar over the cancellation of the agreement, the settlement of which could make Spudco look like -- well, small potatoes.

Essential Services

I've said it before, but it's a point I think bears repeating: the Sask Party is an unholy alliance of hard-line Conservatives with a bunch of blue Liberals. Wall is trying very hard to keep the soft and chewy Liberal face on his party for the public's benefit, but after being sidelined for 16 years, the hard, crunchy Conservatives are spoiling for a fight; they want action, dammit, and they want it now.

So, to keep his party from breaking apart before reaching the ultimate goal of kicking the NDP out of power, Wall has had to make some assurances to his hard-line supporters: we'll privatize industry, we'll cut social services, we'll bust those unions. Just give us your vote and relax. And knowing they couldn't win government on that platform, they've had to tuck those hard, crunchy parts away, fooling the public into thinking the Sask Party was soft and chewy all the way through.

Unfortunately, some of those nuts he's hidden are starting to show through.

In a media scrum earlier this week, Rob Norris politely give the answer "I'll have to get back to you on that" to the question, "What groups have you consulted with over this proposed essential services legislation?" Of course we found out later that the answer was none, because, as Norris again so nicely explained, the legislation has been in the works for over a year -- without any kind of stakeholder

I'm sure SUN is going to be pretty happy about this.

So how about another round of applause for Rob Norris, who's too stupid to brief himself on his portfolio and too stupid not to release more of the Sask Party's hidden agenda to the media.

There's a long list of people talking about Wall's and McMorris's backpedaling on this issue, in addition to articles in the Leader-Post, CBC, and the Canadian Press -- hell, even Mandryk chimed in with something negative -- so I don't think I can break any new ground. But communication is clearly lacking in the Sask Party caucus right now -- partly because of inexperience, partly because of incompetence, and partly because there are simply too many secrets they need to keep.

Brad Can't Add

Mandrake came out hitting pretty hard with his piece Friday about how the province's finances are probably better than Brad Wall would care to admit (Leader-Post, Nov. 23).

He starts by saying $2 billion in the bank would cover the Sask Party's election promises, then asks if Lorne Calvert is lying about the money in the bank. We know from the bumblings of Dan D'Autremont that the Sask Party says one thing when they mean another, so it's not surprising to have Wall forced into a corner so quickly.

Mandrake is uneven in his column when he should be hard-hitting. Although he does point out that this is an old political tactic to lower voter expectations, and is also likely a way for Wall to criticize the spending of the outgoing government, he stops just short of Wall's promise to curb the growth of the civil service and his promise of no deficit budgeting. And in spite of Wall's insistence in the following quote, I think we'll be seeing both of those promises go out the window very shortly:

"We're going through a transition program right now. I can tell you this, there's no directive today in that (cabinet) room ... to say 'Here, we're going to find a bunch of savings through fewer public service jobs.' We have said we think government ought not to grow faster than the population it serves. We will be looking for efficiencies and savings in government and I think that's reasonable given what we will report," he said.
(Leader-Post, Nov. 23)

Another thing we can expect is the privatization of SPM. There are certainly some budgetary efficiencies to make up there.