MURDERER IN THE GALLERY
Murray Mandryk: Constitutional battle can't be another Sask. punchlineSEPERATIST MIMICS ALBERTA
Opinion by Murray Mandryk - Leader Post
Premier Scott Moe was humbled by the handling of Colin Thatcher's invite but he should be equally humbled by the Saskatchewan First Legislation he is presenting.
Stressing that the constitutional amending legislation is neither “merely symbolic” nor “unpatriotic,” Eyre told reporters “economic success and strength just doesn’t happen.”
“Is it not patriotic to ask for a fair deal?” Eyre asked, adding that provincial rights cannot be what is given, but what provinces “choose to dare to assert.”
It is a bold and serious assertion at a time when neither this government nor this entire province is seen as either bold or serious.
The bill emerges from the “ Drawing the Line” white paper that also drew national attention for the wrong reasons, described as badly written and researched.
Certainly, one immediate criticism of the bill will be what Eyre described on Tuesday as the government’s “pro-business, pro-economic approach” that didn’t include the slightest mention of science.
That may make Bill 88 an even tougher sell, coming at the tail end of a year in which Moe and the Sask. Party abandoned the science we should still be following in the COVID-19 figh t and buckled to the pressure of anti-vaxxers who very much struggle with reality.
Add to this that the government wholeheartedly supported the “Freedom Convoy” — now paraded through the courts and a public hearing over the use of the Emergency Act — a plethora of summer political skirmishes with the feds over everything from water testing to hamburger labelling, and one can see why many across this country will struggle to take this seriously.
Eyre said they are not fighting with Ottawa for kicks. Let us hope so.
Let us hope Eyre, Moe et al have done their homework.
A long-held frustration in Saskatchewan is that it’s seldom in the national spotlight for anything positive. Whether it’s the weather, tragic accidents, shootings or our silly politics, we have developed a reputation as a place where there isn’t much that’s positive or taken seriously.
We need to change the narrative.
We need our government to act in a matter that gives the rest of the country reason to take us seriously.
Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
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Opinion by Murray Mandryk - Leader Post
Premier Scott Moe was humbled by the handling of Colin Thatcher's invite but he should be equally humbled by the Saskatchewan First Legislation he is presenting.
Our premier, who has made a career out of refusing to apologize for the way Saskatchewan is, offered an “unequivocal” apology Monday for both the way this province is and for the way he has been in not leading us toward a better path.
“The message that was conveyed with last week’s attendance by (former MLA and convicted murderer) Colin Thatcher during the speech from the throne is not a message that is acceptable to Saskatchewan people,” Moe told the assembly upon entering the chamber.
“As premier and as leader of the government caucus, ultimately I am responsible. To all of those who attended the speech from the throne, to all members of this assembly and to all of the people of Saskatchewan, I offer my unequivocal apology.”
Speaking to reporters after his pre-question-period apology, a solemn Moe seemed chastened by the overwhelming provincial, national and even international reaction of the past five days.
It came five days too late, but hopefully lessons were learned about the need to set aside politics and hubris.
At at time when Saskatchewan has the dubious distinction of the worst domestic violence in the country, the only thing stupider than inviting Thatcher was Moe and Corrections and Policing Minister Christine Tell either downplaying or justifying it.
Moreover, those five days between Thatcher sitting in the assembly and Moe apologizing were a lot harder on us than they were on his government.
Saskatchewan has become a province sick and tired of being the butt of such jokes — little more than a national punchline. We need to stop these embarrassments, if for no other reasons than they detract form serious issues in need of addressing.
On Tuesday, Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre unveiled her government’s response to one such serious issue. It came in the introduction of the Saskatchewan First Act.
Eyre said in a press conference that Bill 88 “defines, addresses and quantifies economic harm” caused by a federal government that has “unilaterally intruded into core areas” like the province’s development of natural resources.
“The message that was conveyed with last week’s attendance by (former MLA and convicted murderer) Colin Thatcher during the speech from the throne is not a message that is acceptable to Saskatchewan people,” Moe told the assembly upon entering the chamber.
“As premier and as leader of the government caucus, ultimately I am responsible. To all of those who attended the speech from the throne, to all members of this assembly and to all of the people of Saskatchewan, I offer my unequivocal apology.”
Speaking to reporters after his pre-question-period apology, a solemn Moe seemed chastened by the overwhelming provincial, national and even international reaction of the past five days.
It came five days too late, but hopefully lessons were learned about the need to set aside politics and hubris.
At at time when Saskatchewan has the dubious distinction of the worst domestic violence in the country, the only thing stupider than inviting Thatcher was Moe and Corrections and Policing Minister Christine Tell either downplaying or justifying it.
Moreover, those five days between Thatcher sitting in the assembly and Moe apologizing were a lot harder on us than they were on his government.
Saskatchewan has become a province sick and tired of being the butt of such jokes — little more than a national punchline. We need to stop these embarrassments, if for no other reasons than they detract form serious issues in need of addressing.
On Tuesday, Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre unveiled her government’s response to one such serious issue. It came in the introduction of the Saskatchewan First Act.
Eyre said in a press conference that Bill 88 “defines, addresses and quantifies economic harm” caused by a federal government that has “unilaterally intruded into core areas” like the province’s development of natural resources.
Related video: Saskatchewan premier announces the Saskatchewan First ActDuration 0:13
Stressing that the constitutional amending legislation is neither “merely symbolic” nor “unpatriotic,” Eyre told reporters “economic success and strength just doesn’t happen.”
“Is it not patriotic to ask for a fair deal?” Eyre asked, adding that provincial rights cannot be what is given, but what provinces “choose to dare to assert.”
It is a bold and serious assertion at a time when neither this government nor this entire province is seen as either bold or serious.
The bill emerges from the “ Drawing the Line” white paper that also drew national attention for the wrong reasons, described as badly written and researched.
Certainly, one immediate criticism of the bill will be what Eyre described on Tuesday as the government’s “pro-business, pro-economic approach” that didn’t include the slightest mention of science.
That may make Bill 88 an even tougher sell, coming at the tail end of a year in which Moe and the Sask. Party abandoned the science we should still be following in the COVID-19 figh t and buckled to the pressure of anti-vaxxers who very much struggle with reality.
Add to this that the government wholeheartedly supported the “Freedom Convoy” — now paraded through the courts and a public hearing over the use of the Emergency Act — a plethora of summer political skirmishes with the feds over everything from water testing to hamburger labelling, and one can see why many across this country will struggle to take this seriously.
Eyre said they are not fighting with Ottawa for kicks. Let us hope so.
Let us hope Eyre, Moe et al have done their homework.
A long-held frustration in Saskatchewan is that it’s seldom in the national spotlight for anything positive. Whether it’s the weather, tragic accidents, shootings or our silly politics, we have developed a reputation as a place where there isn’t much that’s positive or taken seriously.
We need to change the narrative.
We need our government to act in a matter that gives the rest of the country reason to take us seriously.
Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
Related
Murray Mandryk: Far too much peppery politics in Moe's salty white paper
True Crime Byline: We should have seen JoAnn Wilson's murder coming
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