Howard Leeson
© Provided by Leader Post
Premier Scott Moe's nation within a nation suggestion has been met with must derision across the country.
Premier Scott Moe wants Saskatchewan to be “a nation within a nation ,” and to be more “independent” like Quebec. In particular, he seems to admire many of the moves made by the extreme nationalists and separatists in Quebec. My initial reaction is, enough of the separatist rhetoric.
What should we make of what the premier has to say? First, we should note that there is a deep well of western alienation in Saskatchewan, possibly as deep as that in Alberta. “Fighting against Ottawa” has a long and honourable history in our province. Indeed, it reached a crescendo in 1981 when then-premiers Allan Blakeney and Peter Lougheed combined to ensure provincial control of natural resources in the two provinces. However, both of those premiers were strong Canadian nationalists and resisted any and all attempts at separation and separatism.
Second, while Scott Moe is not proposing separatism, or independence, he is purposefully dancing to the rhetoric being peddled by Western separatists . Obviously, he is trying to secure a political flank against the Buffalo Party provincially. He wants to make sure that any of his voters who might lean that way will stay home in the Saskatchewan Party.
Premier Scott Moe wants Saskatchewan to be “a nation within a nation ,” and to be more “independent” like Quebec. In particular, he seems to admire many of the moves made by the extreme nationalists and separatists in Quebec. My initial reaction is, enough of the separatist rhetoric.
What should we make of what the premier has to say? First, we should note that there is a deep well of western alienation in Saskatchewan, possibly as deep as that in Alberta. “Fighting against Ottawa” has a long and honourable history in our province. Indeed, it reached a crescendo in 1981 when then-premiers Allan Blakeney and Peter Lougheed combined to ensure provincial control of natural resources in the two provinces. However, both of those premiers were strong Canadian nationalists and resisted any and all attempts at separation and separatism.
Second, while Scott Moe is not proposing separatism, or independence, he is purposefully dancing to the rhetoric being peddled by Western separatists . Obviously, he is trying to secure a political flank against the Buffalo Party provincially. He wants to make sure that any of his voters who might lean that way will stay home in the Saskatchewan Party.
Cuthand: Moe's nation within a nation talk is laughable
What about his specific proposals? He wants more power over immigration. Frankly, this is not new. Immigration is a shared jurisdiction with the federal government, and all provinces have some kind of deal. Go ahead I would say. He also wants to set up a provincial police force. I personally think this is a very bad idea. We have the best police force in the world in Canada, the RCMP. We have the training centre here, and a long history with the force. If some extra federal money is required to keep it in Saskatchewan, then negotiate with the federal government on this. He also wants to collect our own corporate income tax. This also, I believe, is a bad idea. It would lead to extra costs with not enough benefit to justify the expense. As a former director of the Canada Revenue Agency, I can tell you that the CRA does a good job. Let’s leave it where it is. Finally, the premier also wants the province to participate more fully in international trade, and to expand the number of international trade offices. I think this is a waste of money. Having been in charge of trade offices myself, I can tell you that they are for the most part expensive and inefficient vanity projects.
One last matter has to do with equalization. The premier wants to support Alberta on a constitutional amendment that would remove equalization from the constitution of Canada. I was part of Premier Blakeney’s team who, together with Premier Lougheed, insisted on this program being part of a new constitution in 1982. If the existing arrangement is unfair, then change it. You don’t need to remove it from the constitution. Saskatchewan has derived huge benefits from this program in the past and while we may not need it now, it is one of the programs that binds Canada together. Instead of removing equalization, we should be insisting on a $200-billion reconstruction program for the oil-producing provinces, designed to rebalance development in a Canada that is going to need less and less oil and natural gas.
Forget the rhetoric on how we should look like Québec or become a nation. We are a proud province in a great country. Instead, spend your time cheering our team onto the Grey Cup this year.
Howard Leeson was deputy minister for Intergovernmental Affairs to NDP premiers Allan Blakeney and Roy Romanow.
No comments:
Post a Comment