Money Does Not Buy Trust
Premier Calvert and the NDP government are finding out that all
the money in the world does not buy trust.
Consider the near $1 billion windfall of
revenue the government has received from both changes to the
equalization formula granted by Ottawa and the hundreds of
millions in unexpected oil and gas revenues due to high commodity
prices. During the brief fall session of the Legislature, it was
easy to read the disappointment in the eyes of the NDP
government. They were simply not getting any political credit for
this financial windfall and turnaround. They seem unable to grasp
the notion that governments cannot buy trust and support through
things like irresponsible utility rebates. Governments and
opposition parties alike must earn the trust of taxpayers each and
every day. Keeping promises and conducting ourselves responsibly
is the only way to achieve this.
CAIS Funding
Perhaps there is no better example of how the government fails
to understand this common sense principle of trust than its lack
of commitment to the CAIS farm safety net program. For months,
the NDP government has claimed that it simply could not afford to
fully fund its 40% share of the CAIS program. But with the recent
announcement of nearly $1 billion in higher than anticipated
revenue, this excuse is no longer available. The Official
Opposition Saskatchewan Party has increased the pressure on the
NDP government to live up to its commitment to CAIS by issuing
several news releases to the media province-wide, presenting
petitions in the Legislature, raising questions in Question Period
directly with Agriculture Minister Mark Wartman and Premier Lorne
Calvert, and through a series of debates in the Legislative
Assembly. There are some signs that the provincial government may
keep its word on this commitment with respect to funding its full
share. As Minister Wartman stated in the Regina Leader Post on
September 23rd, 2004: "We
may have more flexibility than what we had earlier determined, so
we will be looking at the level of funding that we can apply to
CAIS ... If it is at all possible for us to fully fund CAIS,
that's where I would like to go."
Sounds like a clear cut commitment to me. Our message to the
NDP…keep your commitment, fully fund your share of CAIS.
SPUDCO
Despite the fact that the government was
unable to answer the most basic questions about the Spudco
scandal, a scandal that is 10 times greater than the federal
sponsorship scandal which Prime Minister Martin voluntarily
subjected to a judicial inquiry, the NDP continue to refuse a
process that would get to the bottom of this mess.
Perhaps most disturbing is the recent
admission that Deputy Premier Clay Serby and the Deputy Minister
to the Premier, along with the NDP lawyers on Spudco that ended up
billing taxpayers for millions of dollars, manipulated the courts
last year during the election for their own political purposes.
If that alone does not cry out for a public inquiry, I do not know
what does
School Division Amalgamation
The NDP government has also announced plans
to proceed with the forced amalgamation of school divisions. This
is in spite of the fact that voluntary amalgamation has been
proceeding well for the past several years (voluntary amalgamation
even exceeded the government’s initial goal of a 25% reduction in
the number of school divisions). The Official Opposition has
expressed concern with the impact that forced amalgamation may
have on rural schools and communities. Furthermore, the plan does
not address the larger issue of the funding of education through
ever-increasing property taxes.
Government-Directed Hours
The Official Opposition Saskatchewan Party
has joined with the business community to oppose the
NDP’s plans to introduce ‘government-directed hours’ labour
legislation. The bill would essentially force employers to give
any additional part-time hours to the most senior part-time
employee, giving no consideration whatsoever to people who may
wish to only have part-time hours (ie. single parents, students)
and also hamper the employer’s ability to run their own business.
In an unprecedented move, over 12 Saskatchewan business
groups have united to fight this very serious intervention into
the affairs of the private sector and cooperatives. We simply
cannot afford this labour measure which will hurt the ability of
people who are amongst the 80% of part-time workers who don’t want
full-time work according to recent statistics. It will not create
the economic environment needed to create jobs. Please join the
Official Opposition in the fight against this measure. You can
sign our online petition at our website at
www.bradwall.com
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
May the hope and joy of that first Christmas
abide with you throughout this season and the New Year.
On behalf of Tami and our kids, Megan, Colter
and Faith, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our house to
yours!
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