Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy

Brad Wall is spitting in the face of infrastructure planning. Right on the heels of publicly seeking advice of an architect of the Alberta oil boom, Minister Boyd has indicated that Sask. won’t adjust our take of oil royalties for at least 12 years. This is terrificly poor planning. I know they are trying to create stability, but it will only make the pending and required adjustments worse for the oil industry in the next decade.

We know one thing - we don’t know what the next 12 years will bring, aside from oil shortages. I’ve asked before: where’s the fire? Why are we rushing to set up the oil economy when the resource is only getting more valuable as the years wear on?

You know, I rarely agree (never before) with Pat Atkinson, but when she’s the voice of reason, the Sask Party must really be way out to lunch. Why are they telling the supposedly non-political Enterprise Saskatchewan how to manage oil industry growth. It’s especially stupid if it’s not coupled with a planned housing boom.

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UPDATE: It’s worth noting that if the NDP are labour controlled, that the Sask Party is business controlled. The sword cuts both ways. We need a government who can act fairly, in the interests of both sides.

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) [Saskboy notes: and who operated the Leader-Post for a time] is the driving force behind Bills 5 and 6?

Wouldn’t the millions Wall has raised in Alberta make him a puppet to the oil patch? Is that the only reason this government is refusing to raise oil royalties?

If so, don’t we need to fix this by banning all union or corporate donations?

Or should the Saskatchewan Party simply refrain from cheap hypocrisy and cheesy sanctimony that’s bad for everybody?

- Mandryk is the political columnist for the Leader-Post.

My province has been on the hot seat recently in blogs and in politics, as racial and discriminatory issues bubble to the forefront of public consciousness. A Saskatchewan MP once held very ignorant views regarding homosexuals, and was on tape expressing those views. He’s since said he doesn’t feel that way any more. Perhaps he’s lived a little and seen that he was wrong, since that time. People can change, let’s hope he has for the better.

Premier Wall has also had to apologize for immature or inappropriate behaviour on the same recording. He’s not having a good week, after having to distance himself from Small Dead Animals, who is batting 2 for 2 in having premiers say that the often crude, radical conservative blog doesn’t speak for the people of Saskatchewan. Now Kate’s on record as wanting a famine to toughen Canadian socialists up, and for drug users to die faster of disease. I really don’t know what other offensive territory she could tread into next, but I can wait to find out. Maybe I can make some suggestions? I haven’t known her to go after Romainian orphans, or bonspiel volunteers, but there’s still time to branch out and offend everyone!

And an apparent coup took place in First Nations politics, where the disgraced David Ahenakew managed to return to a previous post of power. A new trial being ordered is not the same thing as an acquittal, and we’ve all heard his very offensive thoughts to know he’s guilty of promoting hatred. If he’s not criminally responsible, it’s still shameful for the FSIN to associate with him on purpose at this point. Is he on record currently as being ashamed of his remarks about Jews? Not that I’m aware of. CBC reported he did, but last time I read he did, he recanted.

- UPDATE: Interesting. He declined the offer. That doesn’t let the FSIN off the hook though.

As if that wasn’t enough bad news from First Nations politics this week, there’s criticism that their exemption from tobacco tax is killing non-Natives too. Ignoring the fact that tobacco abuse kills a higher proportion of First Nations people than other Canadians is fine apparently. Any leadership organization stupid enough to reinstate a disgraced person like Ahenakew, isn’t going to have the fortitude to question the health effects of basing their economic culture on gaming and drugs. How frustrating it must be for people trying to work inside the First Nations power structure, to change things for the better? It’s certainly frustrating to watch it from the outside. Perhaps that kind of frustration is too much for some people like Kate, and they deal with it by telling people to die. I must take care not to lose my patience in that way.