Just imagine if the ingenuity spent demonizing its opponents was put toward classroom overcrowding or hiring more specialists and nurses.
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It’s unfortunate that the Saskatchewan Party doesn’t have quite the same gusto for fixing problems in this province as it does for finding resourceful ways to rile up voters.
Just imagine if the ingenuity spent demonizing its opponents was put toward classroom overcrowding or hiring more specialists and nurses.
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Of course, this isn’t exactly the first political party that’s been rather good at this, nor should anyone find this unexpected behaviour six months prior to a general election.
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However, it’s usually oppositions who can expend finite energy and time zealously perfecting their political messaging.
Usually, governing parties are engrossed in governing. Seldom in the six years since he become party leader and premier has Scott Moe suffered from such misplaced distraction.
Admittedly, there is always indistinguishable shading between what is legitimate public policy and what is partisanship parlayed into political opportunity.
This is the tale of the longstanding fight over carbon pricing now devolving into this fight over whether the federal tax man can make the province pay the carbon price on home heating.
In the latest development this week, we heard Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tell reporters that the independent Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is “very, very good” at getting its money, in response to the Moe government’s position that Saskatchewan residents shouldn’t have to pay the carbon price on natural gas home heating if Atlantic province residents don’t have to pay the levy on oil home heating.
Crown Investment Corp. Minister Dustin Duncan responded: “I don’t feel worried” about the threats from Trudeau.
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Perhaps the rest of us may also have less reason to worry about this fight as well. Trudeau also confirmed this week that Saskatchewan residents will continue to get their full carbon tax rebates. Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson hinted last month that it was unfair that “Saskatchewanians pay for the irresponsible actions of their provincial government.”
As suggested earlier, this province’s government isn’t the only one that stresses political gamesmanship over policy.
That said, credit the Sask. Party for its ability to turn almost anything into some nefarious plot schemed by its opponents. Its ability to do so is something to behold, but don’t take my word for it: check your phone.
You may have received a recent text from the Sask. Party headlined: “Who attended Trudeau-NDP election strategy meeting?”
In the text, there is video/ images of Trudeau, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck, albeit not in the same shot.
No, they aren’t all together, hugging, cavorting or even menacingly plotting. They aren’t even all in the same picture.
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They all happened to be at the same place — the Canada Labour Congress convention to which most leaders would have likely been invited. But like horseshoes, close enough counts in politics.
“Don’t let Trudeau control Saskatchewan like he controls the NDP,” rolls the Sask. Party message with rather foreboding music in the background. “The NDP is NDP Leader Carla Beck attending a meeting in Ottawa to plot strategy to re-elect Trudeau and Singh … ”
Of course, some who pay more attention will find this ridiculous and perhaps even comically clumsy.
This Kevin Bacon-like three degrees of separation is clearly a stretch. It would be like Moe’s opponents running pictures of him, former premier Brad Wall, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, and implying some maleficent connection. Well, perhaps that’s a bad example.
The point, however, is that most people with cell phones aren’t intense political watchers.
Most scrolling thorough their feeds likely paid little attention to the “Trudeau school of campaigning” that’s been the government backbench chorus since Beck returned from her Ottawa trip.
Yet this not-so-subtle message is probably helping imprint the idea that Beck must have something to do with — or at least supports — the dreaded carbon tax.
It’s ingenious in its simplicity.
If only other, more pressing matters were blessed with such inspiration.
Murray Mandryk is the political columnist the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
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