Swift Current NDP News

Now that the new government is being sworn in, it must be done with the flair and glitz we have observed with the theatrical leader. While pomp and ceremony is fine and what else could we expect from him, Brad is going to need to prove himself. Just having his Daddy say he will make a good premier is not enough for me.
Having the swearing in ceremonies in the evening may deter the opposition,but they will be watching. Will he get local TV coverage? The Deputy leader thinks they should, of course it is a big event, just ask him.

Did anyone listen to the Federal Finance Minister’s financial update! I don’t think Grant Devine could have out done him. If he wasn’t electioneering with tax payers money, then Stephen Dion had his Liberals standing up to vote against it. Dictator Harper is manipulating the Liberals and the Liberals are giving in. I guess protecting your party for the next election is a greater priority than standing up for your principals and the people that you were elected to represent! Our minority Federal Government knows that only too well. It seems two Ontario MP's are not being allowed to be candidates as nominated because S Harper wants to appoint his more prominent candidates. WOW this guy says one thing to get elected and then does whatever he feels like. He stated the constituency riding had the last word when it came to candidates. Sound familiar? Another broken promise but we in Saskatchewan are aware of that! B Wall likes S Harper's tactics.

During the Leaders Debate, Saskatchewan got their opportunity to see Brat Wall’s true colours. Glitzy ego Glitzy dress and Glib promises. It made one wonder when the water would spray from his poppy. The Moderator screeched away and the debaters kept on talking. Being in the middle gave David Karwaky more control than the Moderator. He took full advantage of his louder voice and just kept on talking over the other two leaders. There has to be a better format but there also needs to be a stronger Moderator. The MUTE button came in handy when the discussions were on. You couldn’t understand anyone anyway. Brad got his message out: Say anything to lure the vote and then change his mind if elected. He admires S Harper’s tactics. Beware!

The SP platform doesn’t suggest anything new but is built on the NDP platform. Listening to the Sask Party platform I find it necessary to point out what B Wall isn’t saying. Presently, provincial tax is not charged on a used car that is less than $3000. That will save people a lot of money.
The tuition money they will get when they graduate will not help them to pay their tuition while attending. How many students will be able to pay the tuition in the first place?
A lot of new ideas – spoken by the glib B Wall.

I like guests saying: Past performance is still the best indication of future expectations. The following is a brief history of past performance of the Leader of the Saskatchewan Party.
May 1, 1984 – August 31, 1984
Ministerial Assistant to the Minister of Education: Pat Smith
 Assisted the Minister who was later implicated in the booze scandal. (Saskatoon StarPhoenix: January 9, 1992)
January 1985 - March 1985
Appointed to the "Minister's Task Force on Youth Employment" by Grant Devine's Minister of Justice: Gary Lane
 Served on a committee to increase youth employment; in the following five years 14,600 youth left Saskatchewan and the youth employment figures plummeted by l5%. (Statistics Canada)
May 1987 – February 1988
Member's Assistant to Conservative MP for Swift Current/Maple Creek: Geoff Wilson
 Worked for the Brian Mulroney Conservatives in Ottawa. 1988
Co-founder of the Alliance for the Future of Young Canadians
 Helped start a pro free-trade group that lobbied corporations for donations and organized rallies.
February 17, 1988 – November 1, 1989
Ministerial Assistant to the Minister in charge of privatizing the Crowns: Graham Taylor
 Assisted with implementing the privatization agenda of the Devine government.
 Contact person for the Devine Government for the sale of SaskEnergy and Saskatchewan Potash Corporation.
(Government Press Release 89-930: June 20, 1989)
November 1, 1989 – October 21, 1991
Senior Ministerial Assistant to the Associate Minister of Economic Development and Tourism: John Gerich
 Sent memos ordering booze at the taxpayers' expense. (Regina Leader-Post: March 23, 2006)
 Assisted one of the Ministers who was convicted of fraud; testified on his behalf; Minister was sentenced to two years in jail. (Saskatoon StarPheonix: January 30, 1997)
April 10, 1991
Candidate for Grant Devine Conservative Party nomination in Swift Current
 Lost the nomination. (Swift Current Sun: March 25, 1991)
1992 – 1995
Project Manager, Country Music Hall of Fame
 Received $150,000 in taxpayers' money to run the Hall of Fame. (Calgary Herald: September 26, 1991)
 Ran it for three years.
 Declared bankruptcy.(Regina Leader-Post: September 27, 1995 )
1996 - 1999
City Bureaucrat: Swift Current
1999 - 2004
Sask Party MLA
 Various critic roles including calling for the privatization of Crowns and gutting health and safety legislation.
2004 - Present Sask Party Leader

On the basis of the above, would you trust this individual to run our province?

The NDP Committee Room grand opening will occur on Wednesday October 17, 2007 at 10am. Come and meet the candidate, Jeff Potts. Partake in some refreshments and pastries, and talk a little politics.

The committee room is located at 102 Central Ave. in Swift Current. Come and show your support, or come and research where Jeff stands on the issues.

See you there.

David Anderson’s flyer in the mail today states
In the 2007 federal budget, Canada’s Conservative government supported programs to combat elder abuse and fraud.
The Government of Canada expanded the New Horizons for Seniors program by $10 million a year to achieve these goals. (He hasn’t used the New Government lately.)
And the NDP voted AGAINST it.

It is very interesting that rumours abound about a provincial election call and we receive this propaganda discussing the federal budget. Wasn't the federal budget 2007 delivered quite a while back? Suddenly, in Anderson’s eyes, it becomes very important that the federal NDP voted against it. This isn’t the first brochure Anderson has put out promoting Brad which makes me wonder why his supporters aren’t questioning his actions. Is Anderson using federal advertising money to help Brad in Sask? Is this another wolf in sheep’s clothing? Usually you hear the “you can’t trust a liberal” rhetoric but suddenly it is the NDP.
There has been a clear message from Anderson in the brochures that have arrived in our mail boxes - Don't trust his or Harper's word.
Transparent, honest, dictatorial government that we have now. Ha!
How does that saying go? Lower than a snake’s belly?

The Canadian Wheat Board once again proves its value not only to farmers but also to Canada’s economy. The following is a news release by the NFU on the latest accomplishments of the CWB.

CWB DELIVERS RECORD-HIGH DURUM PRICES
AND NEAR-RECORD WHEAT AND BARLEY PRICES
SWIFT CURRENT, SK—"The Canadian Wheat Board is using its single-desk marketing power to capture record- and near-record prices for western farmers. And because it’s farmer-controlled, the CWB passes back to farmers a much higher share of domestic and global prices than they would receive if grain companies were buying and selling the crop," said NFU President Stewart Wells.
Wells was responding to today’s announcement of the CWB’s Pool Return Outlook (PRO)—its projection of farmers’ expected returns for the current crop year.
PRO values showed that farmers growing durum wheat (1CWAD, 12.5% protein) could expect to receive $10.50 per bushel, farmgate, after deductions. That’s the highest price ever.
The PRO also showed that the CWB was capturing very high prices for all types of wheat and barley. At port position, the CWB estimates its average returns to be more than $8.00 per bushel for good quality milling wheat, $5.53 for feed barley, and $5.57 to $6.31 for malting barley. "Today’s values demonstrate what independent economists have consistently found: The CWB’s single-desk returns higher prices to farmers than would be the case in a grain-company controlled, multiple-seller environment," said Wells.
These record- and near-record values demonstrate that the government is dead wrong to pursue an illegal and ideologically driven agenda to strip the CWB of its single-desk. The government is appealing a July Federal Court decision that ruled illegal the government’s Order-in-Council stripping the CWB of its barley mandate. "The government should stop its appeal immediately," said Wells.
Today’s high values also demonstrate that the government is wrong to block increases in initial prices for wheat and barley. The initial price for good quality durum is $3.92. The expected final return in $10.50. "Prime Minister Harper and his Cabinet deliberately set initial prices lower than the CWB’s recommendation at the beginning of the crop year. Despite two months of calls from the NFU and CWB to raise initial prices, the government has refused to do so—standing between farmers and their money," said Wells. He continued: "Farmers should phone the Prime Minister—(613) 992-4211—and demand that he set the initial price at 75% of the PRO."

There must be an election on the horizon – SUN President Rosalee Longmore is campaigning for her Brad.It is obvious from her statements that Brad coaches her. Pouring more money into nurse’s salary will fill vacancies? If money could buy nurses, I am sure the present Government would find the money. Have they not put millions of dollars into Health Care? What Rosalee is not saying is that they are just not available. Alberta is suffering from a shortage of nurses and the Sask Party thinks Alberta does everything right. Does Brad tell Rosalee WHERE he is going to find the 800 nurses that he will hire? Smooth talking Brad. He will say anything in the moment. True to the Sask Party way – they have different statistics than the people in charge of hiring. I wonder how SUN membership feels about their money being spent supporting the Sask Party’s policy if they have a policy they will enforce.

Cpl. Nathan Hornburg was killed on Monday while on patrol. Read more here. This brings the Canadian death toll to 71 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat since 2002.

Here we go again. After the demise of the Devine government - Brad Wall's tutor and hero - a trust fund was established to be used in reconstructing or reviving the Conservative Party. Today it was announced by Grant Schmidt, he of Schmidt house fame, that a group of citizens would like to revive the Conservative Party. They are seeking the funds estimated to be $1000000. Now this would raise havoc with the Sask Party's election plans and many of the old Tories now within the Sask Party. D'Autremont, Billy "The Kid" Boyd and Brad Wall. oops - sorry, he has betrayed the party faithful and has jumped ship. There isn't a chance that the funds will be released - one notable trustee is not Poppa Wolf but Momma Wolf. That's right, Brad Wolf's Mommy - and she jumped ship with boy Brad. The Fiacco bus ad fiasco, the D'Autremont bungle - will it ever end? The Sask Party doesn't have a hidden agenda -give me a break.

Another tactic to discredit the CWB! What is with this NEW PM? Farmers wait for their initial payment to be increased to the tune of nearly $3.00. Only government can do this and he delays making this adjustment. Another tactic to discredit the CWB!

Last week I received a flyer from David "Yes Sir Mr. Harper" Anderson that is chock full of insane goodness. In big bold letters on the front it proclaims "Equalization: Promise Kept!!!". Yes, he did use three exclamation marks. I guess he thought that when people saw the first exclamation point they would say "What is he talking about? We all know that Harper broke his promise. David's gone insane.", the second exclamation point would have people thinking "well, he really means what he is saying", and the third exclamation point would convince people "it must be true...what other possible reason could he have to use three exclamation points, unless the exclamation point key on his keyboard is stuck?".

Unfortunately for "Delusional David", he could use a thousand exclamation marks behind his lie, and it wouldn't make it any closer to the truth. The Conservonuts did NOT keep the promise that they made leading up to the election. This promise, in case you forgot, was to remove 100 percent of non-renewable resources from the equalization formula. Not 10 percent, or 50 percent, or even 99.9 percent, but 100 percent.

Further down on the pamphlet, he then states "Fact: Conservative Government removed non-renewable resources from the equalization formula.". This, my friends, is what I call a weasel phrase. While technically true, it's intent is to mislead. They did remove "some" non-renewable resources from the equalization formula (half of them), but the comment misleads the reader into thinking that they removed all of them. This is, in my opinion, the most reprehensible form of deception. To use a weasel phrase, the person is admitting that they KNOW that their position is false, and are looking for a way to purposefully deceive the reader. David Anderson is akin to a con man. Do we really want a deceptive con man representing us?

In his little piece of propaganda, David Anderson goes on to spout the same irrelevant talking points to attempt to prove that the Conservatives kept their promise.

Budget 2007 gives the people of Saskatchewan the best equalization deal in history. $225 million for use by the provincial government in any way it sees fit.

...

The federal budget shows that Saskatchewan is seeing a $230 per person increase in equalization payments alone. Under the new equalization formula, Quebec receives a $91 per person increase in equalization, while Manitoba will see a $104 per person increase.

Well, that certainly sounds good, but did the new equalization formula exclude 100 percent of non-renewable resource revenue like was promised? No? Then you broke your promise you twit. I don't care what kind of a deal Saskatchewan is getting, the Conservatives broke their promise, and when you say "Promise Kept!!!" you are lying!!! (there, I used three exclamation points to counteract David Anderson's initial three)

Let's look at an example. If someone promises to paint your entire fence for $20, and you agree, they should paint your fence shouldn't they? If they mow your lawn and re-shingle your roof but only paint half of your fence, they broke their promise. It is nice that they mowed your lawn, and extremely nice of them to re-shingle your roof, but they promised to paint your fence. Should they come back at you and say that they "kept their promise!!!" because you now have a nice lawn, and roof and some of your fence is painted? I think not, I don't care how many exclamation points they use.

A promise is a promise and a lie is a lie. The Conservatives broke their promise to the people of Saskatchewan, and David Anderson lied when he said that it was a promise kept.

Can this be? A Fiaco as Regina's mayor, a Fiaco running for the Sask Party, Bus ads pulled by City council? Not another wolf in sheeps clothing. I don't want to believe it but I think there must be some conflict here. Why was this contract signed in the first place if the law has been on the books that long? Does someone not know what they are doing and had to be reminded a week later? Pretty big whoops to me. I'm sure it doesn't have anything to do with internal politics!

Crown Corporations
Well, well. We finally have on record what everyone knew all along. – no more equivocating. The Sask Party, if elected, will review all the Crowns and where they are competing with private business – they will be dismantled! Dan D’Autremont used SecurTek as an example – workers would be absorbed by Sask Tel. Doesn’t Sask Tel compete with Rogers?
Let’s look at Sask Power. Didn’t the City of Swift Current threaten to obtain their electricity from other than Sask Power? Guess who is the senior alderman on City council – none other than John Wall – father of the fearless leader of the Sask Party – what’s his name? Oh yes – the wolf in sheep’s clothing – Brad Wolf. Who’s afraid of big Brad Wolf and his hidden agenda? It scares me.
Now let’s look at SGI. Compulsory car insurance rates are at the lowest in Canada. Are we competing with private business? Do you remember the rebate we received this year from SGI? Part of their profits. Do you think the private businesses would return some of their profits to their clients?
The agenda of the Sask Party would remove all the profit making crowns and leave us with service crowns which cost us to service the people of Saskatchewan.

The Sask Party sees dead people...I mean porn. Apparently the Sask Party is charging that the NDP are putting subliminal messages into its advertising. The Leader Post put the story on the front page as if it were fact. Here is the picture that they are frothing about:

Funny huh? The clearest letters are P, R, T, N. OH MY GOD! They are promoting PRTN...AAHHHH! Those bastards! Think of the children whose minds will be warped by the idea of PRTN! Even if you take the blurry "O" into account (even though the "F" is just as clear), you still get "PORTN". What is PORTN? I guess the Sask Party find it easy to ignore the clear "T", especially since it blows up their entire batshit nuts tinfoil-hat conspiracy theory.

I'm not surprised, because conservatives will often cherry-pick facts that support their allegation, ignoring any that don't jive with their theories. Of course this accusation is slight of hand by the Sask Party to attempt to distract the public from the message that the public doesn't really know where Brad Wall stands on the issues that matter. We should demand that Brad Wall go on the record explaining why he has changed his mind to the NDP view on so many issues. But then again, actually going on the record is how the NDP got the ammunition for the ad in the first place.

Oh, and as for the Sask Party's allegation that the NDP is calling the people of Saskatchewan sheep. It's called a metaphor you dimwits, the NDP is saying that the Sask Party says what people want to hear, but once in power, will betray the voters.

Or it simply could mean that the Saskatchewan Party is really into porn and sees it everywhere. Maybe that could be the Sask Party's election slogan "Vote Saskatchewan Party, we never stop thinking about Porn".

I often read the MLA reports in our local paper in Swift Current, and for the most part, fight the expulsion of bile at the stupidity of most of the statements contained within. Jeff Potts wrote a letter to the editor in response to one of Brad Wall's reports. I am posting it here, with Mr. Pott's consent. Enjoy!

Editor:
MLA Brad Wall’s latest, report to constituents was improperly titled. It should have been called my fictional report to constituents.

In fact, there are so many incongruities in Wall’s "report" that it is difficult to address them all in a letter to the editor.

Wall continues to lament the fact that election dates in Saskatchewan are not fixed and thus we have to play a "guessing game." He seems to be suggesting that the NDP government has somehow acted improprietously by following normal parliamentary conventions. The only government in the history of Saskatchewan which didn’t call an election within the normal four-year term was the Conservative government of Grant Devine which refused to face the public amidst corruption charges and nearly bankrupting the province. At the time, Wall was an advisor(sic) to the premier. Did he advise him to call an election within the four-year period, or did he recommend holding onto power? Further, one of the best reasons to have non-fixed election dates is the fact that many Saskatchewan people live in rural areas. Both seeding and harvesting are dependent upon weather and believe it or not, the NDP has set election dates to try and ensure that as many people as possible are able to get to the polls. That’s why they don’t have elections at Christmas or summer vacation or during the times when farmers are out in the field.

Wall’s fiction continues with his "accounting" of Saskatchewan’s economic situation. He says that the government is on a unprecedented spending spree without regard for fiscal responsibility. Pshaw.

Exactly which spending is Wall talking about? Funding for the new hospital? Funding for the Civic Center project? If Wall opposed the provincial government from funding those projects, he could have said so from the outset. That would have been honest. Instead, Wall has chosen to throw mud at the NDP with the hope that some of it will stick.

The truth of the matter is that the NDP could give Wall a schooling when it comes to fiscal responsibility. The NDP, saddled with over $12 billion of conservative debt, made the tough decisions, balanced the budget, paid down long term debt and then reduced the taxes on Saskatchewan residents which had been imposed by the Conservatives (the Tories were the ones who raised the PST to 9%).

But I’ve gone on long enough. Voters out there with a conservative mindset aren’t ones to be swayed by the facts. That’s what’s truly lamentable.

Jeff Potts
Swift Current

2 Canadian soldiers and 1 Afghan interpreter were killed when their vehicle was struck with an IED on Wednesday evening. Read about it here.

Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne of the 5th Ambulance company, based out of Valcartier, Que., was named as one of the soldiers killed by the Department of National Defence late Wednesday night.
...
Another soldier and two Canadian journalists were also hurt in the incident, which occurred during a joint operation with the Afghan National Army referred to as Operation Eagle Eye.

That brings the total Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan to 69 and 1 diplomat.

Pte. Simon Longtin was killed by roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan on Sunday. 67 Canadian Soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan and 1 diplomat.

Gerry Ritz, who once described himself as a pit bull (thereby insulting the integrity of the breed), was rewarded by his master, Stephen Harper, with the portfolio of Agriculture Minister. Ritz was rewarded for NOT standing up for the residents of Saskatchewan during the battle over equalization. He repeated his mantra over and over again that Saskatchewan should be happy at whatever "King" Harper decides to give us. He supports the breaking of promises and the usurpation of the Canadian Wheat Board.

Harper clearly wanted someone whose hostility and blind obedience would ensure that co-operation with the sitting, and future Saskatchewan government, would be minuscule and discounting.

But Saskatchewan's NDP government -- which has been embroiled in a fierce battle with the Harper government over what it says is a broken campaign promise on equalization that has cost the province hundreds of millions of dollars -- met news of his appointment with barely disguised irritation.

Government Relations Minister Harry Van Mulligen said Ritz was the most aggressive -- to the point of being insulting -- defender of the federal government among Saskatchewan MPs.

"I think the very clear message from the prime minister here is that he wants a continuation of the hostility that we see between Ottawa and Saskatchewan," he told reporters at the legislature.

As for how much Stevie Boy Harper takes the Saskatchewan people for granted, consider this observation by Ralph Goodale:

Liberal House leader and Wascana MP Ralph Goodale said Saskatchewan went from having two members of the ministry to one, an unacceptable ratio considering Saskatchewan's 12 Tory MPs make up nearly 10 per cent of the government caucus.

So say goodbye to Chuck "The Terminator" Strahl and say hello to Gerry "Pit Bull (emphasis on the Bull)" Ritz.

Six Canadian soldiers were killed on Wednesday when their armoured vehicle was hit with an IED. Read more about it here. This brings the total Canadian dead in Afghanistan to 66 Canadian soldiers and one Diplomat.

BTW deaninregina tracked down the article about the infant mortality rate in Afghanistan. It is stories like this that show that some good is coming out of the war. I will leave it up to the reader to decide for themselves whether it is worth the deaths of our fine Canadian soldiers. To the soldiers, be safe, and Canada is extremely proud of you.

For the second straight quarter, Saskatchewan's population has grown. In fact, according to this James Wood from the CanWest News Service, "The latest increase is also the highest first quarter interprovincial growth since 1976". The article also mentions:

The numbers are especially heartening for the NDP government as the province's net gain is based mostly on getting 769 more people from Alberta than Saskatchewan lost to its booming neighbour and traditional nemesis.

"I think there's a buzz about the province and that's certainly the impression I'm getting from expats who are living in Alberta and are on their way home," said Finance Minister Pat Atkinson, who pointed out the population includes 5,176 more people than at the same time last year after four straight quarters of growth.

Of course the Saskatchewan Party thinks that the population should be growing faster. Apparently, controlled, responsible population growth is not what the Saskatchewan Party wants. They want droves of people to move to Saskatchewan, and in the grand tradition of Conservative parties, they don't want to actually plan ahead. Alberta has an ever increasing problem with homelessness. Saskatchewan needs to be careful not to grow faster than our infrastructure can handle. Housing prices in Regina and Saskatoon are increasing at an alarming rate. If we intend to keep growing, serious investment in the province's infrastructure is increasingly crucial.

Our provincial NDP government is certainly on the right track.

Three Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan by a roadside blast today. You can read more about it here. This brings the total Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan to 60, and 1 diplomat.

In the wake of the Saskatchewan NDP government announcing that they will seek legal action to force the Conservative federal government to actually keep a promise, Jim Flaherty is in full spin mode. It really is amazing to watch and listen to these galling liars try to use quasi-logic to assert that they didn't break their promise on equalization to Saskatchewan.

"Contextually, I have trouble understanding why the premier would be upset. Actually, he should be rejoicing that Saskatchewan does better than any other province per capita in this budget," Flaherty said Thursday. "We're satisfied our position's sound and constitutionally grounded."
...
Flaherty said the prime minister did not break his promise and that the cap on the value of oil and gas revenues adheres to the principle that a province receiving equalization payments should not have a higher fiscal capacity than a province that is not.

Let's look at a scenario from a real life perspective shall we. Let's say your teenage child wishes to use the family car anytime they want to. To convince the parents, the child swears to keep the gas tank filled. The parents are not sure if that is enough, so the child ups the ante and swears that they will also perform regular maintenance on it (oil changes, wash it, etc.). The parents agree and the keys are given to the child. Once the teenager has the car, they continue to put fuel in the tank. In fact, they put premium gas in the tank, but neglect any other maintenance.

After a while, the engine seizes up because the child didn't perform oil changes, or even check the oil. When the parents receive the bill for a new engine and confront the child, the child says "What are they complaining about? They should be happy that I not only put gas in the car, but I put in premium. I didn't break my promise, besides, putting gas in adheres to the principal of keeping the car moving, none of his friends perform maintenance on their parent's cars. Why should my parents receive special treatment just because I promised it?". I am sure that every parent out there would accept this argument. Then Flaherty resorts to one of the most hackneyed non-logical tricks in the book that liars use when they have nothing to back up their argument.

"It just doesn't make common sense," he said, noting any "reasonable Canadian" would agree with him.

He tries to imply that if you don't agree with his position, then you don't possess "common sense" and that you are not a "reasonable Canadian". Give me a break you half-wit. Is that the best you can do? Apparently it is. Since he has no defense against the broken promise to the people of Saskatchewan, Flaherty tries to use a cheap psychological trick to sway your opinion. He also tries using repetition of a lie, "...the prime minister did not break his promise...", hoping that if you hear it enough, you will believe it.

Those tricks will work on his right-wing bretheren. They will grasp at anything so they don't need to face the reality that the party that they voted for has no problem bald-faced lying in order to purchase votes. Kudos to the Saskatchewan Party for finally standing up, even if it is just a little bit, to their heroes the Conservatives, and finally standing behind the people of Saskatchewan by supporting the court action. The same can't be said about the "Dim Dozen". The Saskatchewan federal Conservatives that were elected, in part, due to this promise. They can't pry their lips off of Harper's ass long enough to stand up for the people who elected them.

Trooper Darryl Caswell was killed in Afghanistan on Monday, June 11 2007. Trooper Caswell, 25, was killed when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb. This brings the total Canadians killed in the war in Afghanistan to 57 Soldiers and 1 diplomat.

On Wednesday, June 13 at 7:00 p.m. a meeting will be held at the Entrepreneurial Center (885 6th Ave NE, Swift Current, SK) to discuss TILMA. One of the main topics will be the effect TILMA will have on our provincial organizations such as Sask Power, Sask Tel, Sask Health, etc. Hope to see you there.

A Canadian soldier was among the ones killed when a helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan. Read about it here. This brings the total Canadians killed to 56 Canadian soldiers and 1 diplomat.

What is wrong with the federal Conservatives anyway? They still refuse to admit that Harper lied about Equalization payments to Saskatchewan during the election. Angela Hall from the Regina Leader Post looks at Equalization again in an article called "Equalization: great deal or election lie?" Whether it was an election lie should not be in question. It was an election lie, plain and simple. It said in the Conservative's own pamphlets that 100 percent of oil and gas revenue would be excluded in the calculations. There were no caveats, there was no "unless" statement, it was there to purchase votes. Once the Conservatives got the power that they desired, they decided to ignore the promise made to the Saskatchewan people. What Harper failed to realize is that our elected officials would surely stand up for the communities that they represent right? Surely Conservative MP Carol Skelton would say that she wouldn't rest until Saskatchewan was given what they were promised right? Wrong!

In an open letter late last week, National Revenue Minister Carol Skelton, MP for Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, said the federal budget gave Saskatchewan $878 million in new money, more per capita than any other province.

OK, so she is trying to distract us from the fact that Harper lied by talking about something we would be getting anyway. It is sort of like someone getting stopped for DUI and explaining to the officer that they had paid all of their outstanding parking tickets. It's great that they paid their parking tickets, but one has nothing to do with the other. Well maybe Gerry "Harper is so dreamy" Ritz will stand up for the people who elected him.

Battlefords-Lloydminster MP Gerry Ritz echoed the sentiment during debate at the House of Commons Monday.

"(Premier Lorne Calvert) is getting the best deal of any premier in this country, more new dollars per capita than anyone else," Ritz said during question period in Ottawa.

Nope! "But officer, did I mention that I purchased raffle tickets to support the police force?" The sorry attempts by the Saskatchewan Conservative MPs at slight-of-hand with the truth would make any amateur magician blush. I wonder what our representative, David Anderson, has to say on the subject? Probably something like "Harper is my god, and he is allowed to lie because he is infallible...oh, and screw the farmers and the Canadian Wheat Board!"

Let's ask Harry Van Mulligan what the real story is.

But provincial NDP Government Relations Minister Harry Van Mulligen has argued the $878 million figure is misleading, and in no way meets an election commitment that would deliver an estimated $800 million in annual funding to Saskatchewan through equalization payments.

"One of the things I've learned in the bit of experience I've had in public relations is that you can advertise a horse's rear end all you want, but at the end of the day you still have a horse's rear end," Van Mulligen said Tuesday.

According to a breakdown from his department, 85 per cent of the $878 million is one-time funds.

Some of the money is the province's share of national programs and -- while there is funding for worthwhile projects -- it isn't a "special deal" for Saskatchewan, Van Mulligen said.

A breakdown from the province of some of the $878 million coming from Ottawa includes $250 million for Saskatchewan's share of new federal investments in agriculture, $180 million for a biofuel project if it proceeds, $87 million for income tax reductions, $48 million for infrastructure, $45 million for the province's share of the EcoTrust program, and $10 million for the Canadian Police Research Centre.

"A fair amount of this money, 60 per cent, is not going to the provincial government to put towards priorities of Saskatchewan people," Van Mulligen said.

Well, that makes sense. We were promised that funding anyway. Once Gerry Ritz heard this, he probably responded thusly "and officer, did I mention how your uniform really brings the blue out in your eyes?"

Stephen "horse's rear end" Harper needs to simply come clean. Just admit that you lied. He could even say that he had every intention of fulfilling the promise, but when he actually got ahold of the funding, he realized that it wasn't realistic. He should explain why it isn't viable. Talk to us like adults. Show us some respect. Don't insult our intelligence by denying that you promised something that we have in print, on audio, and on video. Don't get your insane "minions" to tell the people of Saskatchewan to shut up and be happy with whatever Harper throws us.

Be an adult. Just admit it already!

A Canadian soldier was killed by an IED near Kandahar today. Read about it here. This brings the total Canadians killed in Afghanistan to 55 Canadian soldiers and 1 diplomat.

Congratulations to Gary Doer and the Manitoba NDP for forming a majority government for a third consecutive time.

When I heard on the news, and read in the paper that some Saskatchewan Party MLAs chanted "Na na na na...Hey Hey Goodbye!" at the end of the session last week, I couldn't believe it. It flabbergasted me. That these maturity challenged cretins would soil the legislature with tactics that would make a 10 year old cringe. What the hell is wrong with them? In what dimension of reality did these pieces of excrement's excrement believe that it is okay to sing a classless taunting chant, that is embarrassing when used at a hockey game, in the legislature?

In my opinion, this is far worse than if they flipped the NDP the bird or gave the "up yours" arm gesture. These gestures tend to be given in the heat of emotion, and are quick to do, so one may almost involuntarily perform them. But to sing a refrain from a song, that takes commitment. It isn't quick. It isn't in the heat of debate. It is a vicious, conscious, totally classless act of childish immature arrogance. The fact that the reports said that more than one Saskatchewan Party member was involved is even more disturbing. This wasn't a spontaneous act of a lone Saskatchewan Party member done in the heat of debate, it was a group of members participating in a despicable act of unbelievable arrogance and classlessness. Is this how the Saskatchewan Party wishes the Saskatchewan public, Canada, and the world to perceive them? To be seen as a bunch of immature, classless, arrogant brats? Is this the "change" that the Saskatchewan Party is talking about? From respected government to disrespectful, arrogant, immature government?

This is embarrassing to every person who is currently residing in Saskatchewan, or ever resided here, because MLAs represent us. There is no excuse for this action...none. They consciously belittled the sitting government, and all of the people who voted for them. They couldn't have acted more disrespectfully if they had spit on Premier Calvert himself. In Pee Wee hockey games, or football games, the two opposing teams meet after the game and respectfully shake hands. These Saskatchewan Party MLAs taunt their opposition instead of showing respect for their service...and the Saskatchewan Party hasn't won anything! How will these dung-heaps act if they are the actual ruling government? This is how seriously these MLAs take public service, they equate it to being fans in the stands of a sporting event. They think that governing the province is a game, to be won and not earned. Well, maybe they weren't thinking at all...and that is much worse.

What does this behavior show the rest of Canada, and the rest of the world? How can we garner respect if we don't show respect to those we don't agree with? The Saskatchewan people deserve to know which of our elected representatives haven't yet achieved the maturity of a grade 5 or 6 child.

It is time for Brad Wall to be a leader of his party. It is time for him to denounce these members and force them to apologize and then step down from their seats. It is time for him to prove to the youth of this province that disgraceful behavior such as this among our elected representatives will not be tolerated in a civil society. This is a rare opportunity for Brad Wall to show that he can be a great leader. It is his opportunity to show Canada and the World that he is a person of class and integrity, and demands that his colleagues be held to the same standard. That is, of course, assuming that he disapproves of the actions. For all I know, Brad Wall was one of the ones singing.

Is there anyone out there who believes that behavior such as this, by elected officials of any stripe, is acceptable? If you voted for the Saskatchewan Party in the last election, it is time for you to step up as well. I hope that you are as embarrassed about this as I was with some of the actions of the NDP. And I hope that you will let "your" party know (as I have done with mine) that when they act with such disgracefulness, it is unacceptable to you. Remember that elected officials are mirrors of the ones who voted for them. Call Brad Wall's office and demand accountability. After all, Mr. Wall is the apparent leader of the Saskatchewan Party. Or is he simply the babysitter?

According to this article;

The rate of teen pregnancies in Canada has hit an all-time low and has fallen more dramatically than in the United States and England over the last three decades, says new research published Wednesday.

This is good news. A decrease in unwanted teen pregnancies results in a decrease in abortions. Now why are teen pregnancies down? Is it abstinence only education? Is it because abortion is illegal? Of course not. Abortion is not illegal, and, for the most part, we don't teach abstinence only. So what is the cause? According to Alex McKay, author of the study published in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality;

The findings suggest young women are better informed and have greater access to contraception than ever before, said Alex McKay, author of the study published in the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality -- though it does not mean teens are less sexually active or routinely engaging in safer sex.

"The current generation of teenage women in Canada is more knowledgeable about sexual and reproductive health than any previous generation. And that's a progressive phenomenon," he said in an interview. "Basically it reflects the increasing opportunities and capacities for young women to control their sexual and reproductive health to a greater extent than ever before."

It's been said by many people many times, "Knowledge is Power". You can't stop behavior by simply punishing it. You need to educate people as to why the behavior is destructive and how they can avoid the destructive consequences. Unwanted pregnancies and abortions are down because we have given Women control over their bodies not in spite of it. I know, those of you who want sexual education out of the schools, availability of contraception diminished, and abortion to be made illegal, will stick to your convictions. Don't let pesky facts and statistics get in the way of your non-sensicle ideology.

This article in the Regina Leader Post mentions that both the NDP and the Saskatchewan Party are considering more oversight and transparency over the government funding provided to MLA Caucuses.

NDP MLA Kevin Yates, a member of the legislature's board of internal economy, said the government would be supportive of changes that would see the provincial auditor audit caucus funds.

As well, the government "would have no difficulty" with caucuses being brought in line with the disclosure rules for government departments, which must make public their payments to employees and suppliers that exceed $50,000.

It's about time! We, the taxpaying public, pay for these caucus expenses, so we should know where the funds are going. For example, in the article it mentions that;

In this year's provincial budget the Saskatchewan Party received $1,110,000 while the NDP caucus received $596,000.

What? Why did the Saskatchewan Party recieve nearly double the amount of our money for their caucus than the party that is actually in power? It must have been all of the campaign commercials and mail-out cards that they sent out. Isn't it nice to know that our tax dollars are being used so that the Saskatchewan Party can attack the incumbent government by putting down our fine province. If I wanted to contribute to the Saskatchewan Party's campaign fund, I would do it directly. No party should be able to use our tax dollars to campaign, unless we bring in publicly funded elections.

Maybe we should. All taxpayers appear to be contributing to the Sask Party's campaign anyway, maybe we should fund the entire thing. That would level the playing field. All of the Corporate Alberta money that the Sask Party is counting on to warp reality in its next election campaign would not be allowed. Each candidate would be allowed a certain amount of money to spend on their election bid. I like it. Let's take all of the Corporate money out of our democracy.

I wonder if the two parties would agree?

I don't often agree with Regina Leader Post columnist Murray Mandryk, but I think that he was on to something in this article. In this article, he points out that both the government and the opposition have been less than forthcoming with the truth. He points out:

But as unacceptable as it is for governments to either withhold information or downright mislead the public, it's worth noting most of those in the federal Conservative and provincial NDP caucuses are fighting for their political lives. Desperate times spawn desperate acts.

But what would be the excuse for an opposition party already 25 points ahead in the polls to be anything other than absolutely truthful? And if you're already twisting the truth while you're in opposition, what are you going to like after a few years in government?

This is what's so disturbing about the Saskatchewan Party sitting since April 2006 on leaked police reports on the Ann Lord investigation, then misleading the press, public and legislature by stating it just received these documents this March.

The Saskatchewan Party isn't outraged over the fraud case, they simply see it as ammunition to wrestle power away from the NDP. If they were legitimately outraged by the fraud case, they would have brought it up when they had the evidence. What else are they sitting on?

This shouldn't be the case. The province is doing extremely well. This article talks about how exports from Saskatchewan will lead the nation. And we hear stories of success from returnees to the province.

“In Canada we have a two-track economy. We know we’re on the good track here,” EDC’s chief economist Stephen Poloz said Thursday during a luncheon held by the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP).

Saskatchewan’s growth comes during an overall levelling of the export sector in Canada as the country copes with a slowing global economy triggered by the United States.

...

Poloz said he doesn’t foresee a dip in Saskatchewan’s export growth, as development of the biofuels industry promises sustainability in the long term.

The news is welcome for Saskatchewan exporters, said STEP president and CEO Dale Botting.

“It’s quite gratifying given we’ve worked hard to further put Saskatchewan on the map,” Botting said.

“Our economy is diverse and that’s helped contribute to the export success.

“We’re doing things that the world needs now,” he said.

I remind all politicians that they serve at the pleasure of the voters. Stop your political grandstanding and get to work. And the voters (us) need to be diligent as well. Do your research and demand better of your representatives, whatever political stripe they may be. And more important, don't let cynicism turn into apathy. Voting is a privilege and a duty as free citizens of both Saskatchewan and Canada. Don't take it for granted.

Un believable that the Sask Party members would wave " stolen possessions" in the legislature and then claim the ends justify the means. I believe Hitler did the same in the 40,s! Here we have a party , the Sask. Party, claiming the corruption of the NDP. I am not apologizing for the NDP actions but what about the HUGE swindle of the Liquor Commission by Brad - was the wedding a huge success? The character assination Carried out by the Sask Party was a disgrace not only to the NDP but to the people of Saskatchewan who deserve better than this!

You know, when the situation concerning the theft of $6,000 dollars from the NDP caucus first came out, I thought "the Sask. Party will have a field day with this". And they are. Then I began to purge the political poison from my blood and looked at it from a non-partisan perspective. What the NDP did was wrong. It was politically motivated, and they should have known better. I hold them to a higher standard than Conservatives. I expect Conservatives to try and cover up their transgressions because that is what they do. Conservatives care only about money, power and winning. They believe that the ends always justify the means. They believe that they haven't broken any rules if they don't get caught. They, quite frankly, make me sick. I have very little respect for most Conservatives, so when they are crooked and get caught, it has little effect on me because I already know their ideology.

Now the NDP, who are supposed to be more left-leaning than the Sask Party and other Conservatives, are supposed to believe in transparency and truth. They know that transparency opens the party up to criticism, but principles matter damnit! Politicians need to learn from Richard Nixon, it isn't the crime that gets you, it is the cover up. But transparency requires commitment. To falter, even once, relinquishes the moral high ground just a little bit. Pointing out the numerous times that fraud was committed by the Conservatives is irrelevant. Just because they broke the law and the public trust, in no way, exonerates the NDP. This doesn't mean that I will now vote for the Sask. Party. You don't get rid of a loyal family dog because it growled once, and instead get a dog that destroys the furniture and bites everyone. You work with the family dog and hope that it learns that growling is unacceptable.

That being said, let's get on with the people's business. The Saskatchewan Party is free to use the NDP's transgression in their attack ads if they will. They are free to bloviate about how wrong it was to the press. They can feign their outrage over it in public if they wish. But let's not waste any more time in the spring sitting over this. There is work to be done. This petty bickering in the house is not accomplishing anything. Both parties need to keep their political positioning out of their place of work. The questions were raised, and answered. Let it go. At least let it go in the legislature. Talk about it all you want to outside of the legislature, but when you are at work, do the people's work. Pass laws, discuss items that effect the people of Saskatchewan's well being. Stop with the childish antics and act like adults. I am talking to both parties here. The tax payers of this province pay your salaries. Do our work. Don't throw your feces back and forth like two rival groups of Capuchin Monkeys. This isn't a productive use of our money, and frankly it is beneath both the NDP and the Saskatchewan Party.

The unabashed jealousy of columnist Bob Hughes never ceases to surprise me. He can't stand anyone but him achieving success. Take Mr. Hughes' latest bile-inducing attempt at rational thought.

Life is not always fair. Some people have $5,000 cats. I have a cat whose sole ambition is to some day weigh 5,000 pounds. He is well on his way.

First he never stops to think of why things may be priced what they are. Maybe the Asian Leopard Cat is in demand and people are willing to pay $5,000 for it. While his cat, which may have great sentimental value to Bob, is not in demand.

Then he makes an insane comparison between Sam Richardson and Al Gore. I have nothing against Sam Richardson. I know he is a curler. I have never heard him speak. According to Mr. Hughes, he is a fine speaker. Mr. Richardson apparently gets between $1,000 - 2,500 per engagement (click here to see how much other sports figures charge per engagement). Good for him, I wish him success, but I am really not that interested in what Mr. Richardson is speaking about, and so I am not willing to spend money to hear him speak. If, however, 3,000 people were willing to shell out between $30 and $75 per person to hear his message, then I would say "Good for him, he deserves the $125,000 that he was paid" and move on. I wouldn't begrudge him his success. I wouldn't discount his message because he got paid to convey it. I wouldn't be jealous that people wouldn't give me bus fare to hear me speak. Maybe I should find something worth talking about, and people would desire to hear me speak?

I have never heard Al Gore speak in person. As far as I am concerned, he is just another politician giving a speech.

I see Bob, without anything to back up your opinion, you spew it forth like a fountain of vomit. You are like the lovable drunk who, after a few drinks, becomes an expert on things that you know nothing about. Your statement would be like if I said that "the new Spiderman movie sucks hard" without ever seeing it. That's not what I would consider responsible commentary, and people shouldn't trust such an uninformed opinion. But Bob Hughes is a little, little, petty man. His ego just can't fathom how insignificant he is in comparison to Al Gore, or the Asian Leopard Cat. He likes to think that people respect him. When he sees people who are successful, he is so overcome with envy that he does the only thing he can, he creates another non-sensicle article criticizing people who have the audacity to be more accomplished than he is. What irritates me the most, is that he is using a fine man in Sam Richardson in his diatribe. Leave him out of it. Or become his agent and attempt to book him for speaking engagements.

People like Bob Hughes desire to belittle those that are better than them. When he wrote for the Sports section, he would take great delight in his "Chaos by the Creek" articles. He participated in Schadenfreude because he is so envious of the abilities of the professional athletes. When the 'Riders lost, which was a common occurrence at that time, Mr. Hughes appeared to take great delight in breaking down these superior athletes. He never gave any suggestions as to how to improve or anything, he simply insulted their ability to play the sport. Now he is trying to belittle Al Gore. Grow up Bob, and stop acting like a 10 year old who hates the neighbor kid because he has a nicer bike than you.

On Monday, April 16th, the local announcer at CKSW stated that the people of Saskatchewan wanted a change in government. I’m not sure on what basis he said this. Was it because business is booming in Saskatchewan, more people are employed than ever in this province and the citizens enjoy the lowest utility rates? Was it because a new business from Alberta is relocating to Swift Current which will employ 180 people or did the opposition write the script based on the hate mongering policy which they are permeating this great province. Perhaps the announcer is prepared for the slippery slide to fiscal irresponsibility, the selling off of natural resources to their corporate buddies, and a complete disregard for the working people in this province.
The opposition condemns loudly and long on the wasteful spending of the government – but not a word when Harper reneged on the equalization formula which robbed the citizens of Saskatchewan of $800 million dollars. Shameful!!
Did you appreciate the rebate from SGI? Most if not all the citizens did. Besides having the lowest auto insurance rates in Canada, thanks to SGI, a crown corporation and through prudent fiscal management, part of the profit was returned to the people. The profit did not go to New York, London, Tokyo or Zurich but remained here with the people. What would the Sask Party have done? First of all, SGI would have been sold to the highest bidder, workers would have been displaced, rates would have sky rocketed and the profits sent to New York, London, Tokyo or Zurich. You still want a “NEW” government. Give me a break.
Call it fear mongering but time after time Wall has stated that there are too many Crown Corporations. Which ones doesn’t he like? I hope he never gets the chance to show his true colours as the people of this great wonderful province will certainly suffer.

Handing over billions of dollars in equalization payments just before the Quebec election made political and practical sense for Harper. He needed the Bloc support to pass the budget and he needs their support because of their larger populated voting area to win the next Federal election.
Federal Industry Minister Maxieme Bernier announced the Bombardier contract in Quebec to gain more favour. The Tories collapsed the Liberals deal and recapped $180 million of the $3 Billion that the Liberals had already invested. We are told this is a good deal for Canadians because the Tories have stricter repayment guidelines. I suggest it is a better deal at pork barrelling and vote buying. Harper seems to believe if he says it… coming from this “new” yuck government, we should believe him.
How do you Tory voters in Saskatchewan and Alberta feel about this? How do you feel about Saskatchewan losing billions of dollars in transfer payments because he has your votes sewed up. The elected MP’s come blasting out telling us we got what we were promised so quit your whining. This is the “New” government and we know what we promised.
I implore the voters of Saskatchewan and Alberta to find out a few facts before we go to the polls for the next Federal election. Please don’t go to vote the same old way just because your Mom and Dad or Grandpa and Grandma voted a certain way. Lets get informed!

A Canadian soldier was killed in Afghanistan when he fell while climbing a communications tower. This brings the total to 54 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat. See the story here.

According to Saturday, April 14th's Regina Leader Post, the Saskatchenut Party is planning on launching their usual diatribe of substance less attack ads on Monday. I can hardly wait!

While the picture shows a giant fan sending stacks of money flying away, an announcer takes the NDP to task for “blowing your money.”

The ads criticize the NDP for paying $275,000 to a former employee who was fired following allegations of harassment — a reference to the settlement of former Department of Environment manager Murdoch Carriere’s lawsuit against the government. They also slam the NDP for “wasting” money on government advertising initiatives.

What could possibly be missing from such an ad? Hmmm...I wonder what it could be...maybe...THE TRUTH! First of all, when Carriere was fired, it was because of the 0 tolerance policy for workplace harassment adhered to by the Calvert government. Lorne Calvert didn't fire Carriere using the proper channels, so Mr. Carriere had every right to sue the government for wrongful dismissal. The department of Justice lawyers informed the government that they would lose the suit and in order to save the taxpayers money, they were advised to settle the suit. Now, I believe that it is admirable that Lorne Calvert was so incensed by the behavior of Carriere that he insisted that he be fired IMMEDIATELY, but the channels are there for a reason. It is so that when a government of a certain ideology is in power, they can't fire people simply due to political leanings. If the channels are too difficult to navigate in the instance of workplace harassment, then the government has the power to alter the law to make it simpler in extreme circumstances. I implore the NDP to look into doing such a thing.

Why didn't the Sask Party bring that up, and recommend that the government correct the problem? The answer is pretty clear. The Saskatchewan Party has no desire to improve government. They have no desire to do the job that they were elected to do, as the opposition they are to perform oversight, and recommend ways for improving laws and policies. Instead, they only want to act like spoiled little kids and bitch, moan, and yes, distort reality in an effort to achieve power. All Brad Wall and the Saskatchewan Party care about is achieving power. The right-wing hates government, which is "we the people", yet they desire to govern. This type of duality is dangerous. They believe that government is bad, so in order to prove their point, government must fail. So, if they do a good job as the party of power in the government, they, in essence, disprove one of their core ideologies. This idealogical conflict ensures that Saskatchewan Party will fail as a governing party. When I say fail, I mean fail the majority of the Saskatchewan people. The migration of the province's wealth into a small minority of hands means that they may be better off, but the well-being of the majority would decrease.

Let's look at the second implication in this ad, that it is appalling for the NDP to have spent money advertising the benefits of life in Saskatchewan. More specifically, the Sask Party thinks that they shouldn't have advertised to people who already live in Saskatchewan. Yet they complain that people are leaving Saskatchewan because they don't seem to realize how nice this province is. If only there was SOME WAY TO LET THE PEOPLE IN SASKATCHEWAN KNOW THE BENEFITS OF RESIDING HERE. Oh wait...there is a way...it's called ADVERTISING! And the advertising appears to be working. The population of Saskatchewan is growing. Now, there is no way to accurately measure what effect the advertising had on bringing people to the province as well as convincing current residents to remain here, but it is fair to assume that it didn't hurt.

Do you think that commercial will be re-edited to be more truthful? Here is re-tooled script for the commercial.

The NDP is wasting tax payers money by following expert lawyers' advice and having 0 tolerance of workplace harassment. The Saskatchewan Party would show much more tolerance.

The NDP is also squandering your money on advertising the benefits of Saskatchewan. Advertising that appears to be effective. The Saskatchewan Party doesn't believe in telling people about Saskatchewan. Advertising Saskatchewan's numerous advantages and strong points would only lead to people moving here and not moving away.

Every good idea that was ever perpetrated by the NDP government, including the ordering of a fine Merlot with their Blackened Catfish at supper, were actually stolen from the Saskatchewan Party. So, If you like the direction New Democrats are taking the province, then vote Saskatchewan Party in the next provincial election. Yes, we know that it sounds incredibly ridiculous, but we at the Saskatchewan Party have so little respect for the intelligence of the voting public, that we think that you will buy it.

...The Saskatchewan Party...We Got Nothin'!...

I authorize Brad Wall to feel free to use the above script in any of his future commercials.

2 more Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday. According to a front page story in Thursday's Regina Leader Post:

Master Cpl. Allan Stewart, 30, and Trooper Patrick James Pentland, 23, died after their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in an area about 38 kilometres west of Kandahar City, and in a region that Canadians claimed last June to have mostly rid of the Taliban influence.

Military officials confirmed the dead soldiers were members of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ont.

That makes 8 Canadian soldiers killed within a week. There have been 53 Canadian soldiers and 1 diplomat killed in Afghanistan.

6 Canadian soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan. Read about it here. The dying continues. This brings the total to 51 Canadian soldiers and 1 diplomat.

NATO reported that six soldiers had been killed by a roadside bomb in Helmand province.

"Sadly today has been a difficult day in Afghanistan," Harper said at a dinner for veterans in the French city of Lille, near historic Vimy Ridge.

"We've learned that an incident has claimed the lives of six Canadian soldiers and injured a number of others."

"Our hearts ache for them and their families, and I know as we gather here on Easter Sunday our thoughts and prayers are with them," said the prime minister, who is in France as part of the ceremonies marking the 90th anniversary of the attack on Vimy Ridge in the First World War.

Harper's announcement was met with an audible gasp from the crowd.

My sincere condolences to the friends and families of the soldiers who were killed or injured. Let's bring them all home soon.

A front page story in the Regina Leader Post talks about how Climate change is threatening to destroy "20 to 30 per cent of all the life forms on Earth and flood hundreds of millions of people out of their homes". The article goes on

“Hundreds of millions of people are vulnerable to flooding due to sealevel rise,” says the report. By 2100, it says rising waters will drown low-lying, and densely populated coastal regions in Asia and small island countries.

It says one sixth of the world’s people also face growing freshwater shortages as snow-packs shrink and glaciers recede.

Ecosystems and their inhabitants — mangroves, coral reefs, salmon runs, polar bears — are also at risk, the report says: “Roughly 20 to 30 per cent of species are likely to be at high risk of irreversible extinction if global average temperature exceeds 1.5 to 2.5 C,” which could occur within decades given current greenhouse gas levels. It says many more plants, bugs, birds and mammals could disappear if temperatures climb much beyond that.

I don't want to be alarmist, no wait...yes I do, we need to curb our polluting habits NOW! The scientists released a report in February that stated that "global warming is “unequivocal” and human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, is the main driver causing temperatures to climb". Worldwide devastation and mass extinctions are likely if we don't smarten up. A lack of fresh water, due to the loss of glaciers, pest infestations, drought, malnutrition, forest fires, disease, and more severe storms are just some of the "benefits" that we can look forward to.

I know that some people will undoubtedly say that these dastardly scientists are simply trying to frighten us to further their agenda, although I'm not sure what they think that agenda is, possibly to SAVE THE INHABITANTS OF EARTH. I have gotten right-wingers who respond to the idea of Global Climate Change by stating things like "Do you want to park your vehicle and start walking to work". Wake up! There is no "agenda", facts are facts. If the facts frighten you then we need to change our habits and be proper stewards of this planet.

We need to do this for the well being of future generations. Just as the World War I and II veterans fought fascism in order to make the world safer for their children and grandchildren, it now falls to us to do everything that we can do to alleviate global climate change for our children and grandchildren. This is a world event. This effects everyone, young, old, rich and poor. Do what you can do to lessen your personal pollution footprint. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. Make your next auto purchase a hybrid. Carpool when possible. In the winter, set your furnace 2 degrees cooler, and in the summer avoid air conditioning when possible. Click here to obtain more tips.

Former Vice President of the United States of America (elected President in 2000 by the people, but George W. Bush was elected President by SCOTUS)is coming to Regina on April 23, 2007 to grace us with his immense knowledge of Global Climate Change. The event is sponsored by SaskTel, which will recoup their money if 5,000 people purchase tickets to the event. Any profit will be donated to an environmental charity. The right-wing is not particularly happy. They are claiming that this event is partisan. That it is the NDP's attempt to be "seen with the stars" to quote Bob "I should have stuck with chaos by the creek" Hughes. I hope that Mr. Hughes and the rest of the cynic brigade take advantage of this "attempt" to actually learn something from Mr. Gore.

This is a fantastic event for Saskatchewan. Global climate change is REAL! It is not some attempt by the left. As Al Gore mentions in his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth", this is not a political issue, it is a moral issue.

Every adult that attends should take along at least one youth (10 - 17yrs). These children are the ones that will have to live with the consequences of our disrespect of the planet. For tickets, Click here to visit ticketmaster. I hope that everyone will take advantage of this unique opportunity to expand your knowledge on this issue.

Tories sinking to new depths on barley is the headline for Bruce Johnston's article in the March 31st Regina Leader Post. Mr. Johnstone really peels back the Conservative curtain and shines a light on their tactics for getting the results that they desire. I usually try not to quote entire articles, but everything in this piece is important

So Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl got his wish and 62 per cent of 29,000 western Canadian farmers voted to get rid of the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly over barley sales.

“What a great day for western Canadian farmers,’’ Strahl enthused. “Sixty-two per cent of barley producers said they want their freedom of choice to market their own barley … We are going to give them the choice that farmers demanded.’’

Maybe it was a great day for Strahl and Stephen Harper, but I’m not so sure it was a great day for western Canadian farmers and Canadian democracy.

First of all, 62 per cent of farmers didn’t vote clearly for marketing choice, as Strahl would have us believe.

In fact, 45 per cent of the 15,300 Saskatchewan producers who voted — roughly half of all the producers polled — wanted the single desk retained, as did more than 50 per cent of 3,700 Manitoba producers.

Only in Alberta, where the government campaigned against the CWB monopoly on barley marketing, did a clear majority (63 per cent) favour marketing choice.

But what does marketing choice really mean?

In addition to options to keep the status quo or remove barley from the board, the plebiscite posed this loaded option to producers: “I would like the option to market my barley to the Canadian Wheat Board or any domestic or foreign buyer.”

Could some producers have been fooled into believing that they could have their cake and eat it too? In other words, keep the Canadian Wheat Board but have the option to market their grain elsewhere?

Why wouldn’t they? That’s what Strahl kept telling them, even though Strahl’s own handpicked task force said operating the Canadian Wheat Board in an open market was unworkable.

As the National Farmers Union president Stewart Wells noted, ask a misleading question and you’ll get a misleading answer. Wells said many farmers voted for Option 2, thinking they were supporting the CWB.

In fact, it was surprising the Tory government didn’t receive a more resounding vote in favour of “marketing choice,’’ given that the deck was stacked against the CWB from the getgo.

Here are just a few examples of the questionable tactics used: misleading plebiscite options; issuing “gag orders’’ against CWB directors and staff; firing the CWB president during the election; arbitrarily changing the voters’ list during the election; disenfranchising thousands of producers; sending multiple, numbered ballots to producers, then calling them to ask which ballot they wanted counted; no third-party spending limits; etc.

The list of dirty tricks and undemocratic practices (no public voters’ list, no secret ballot, no thirdparty spending limits) would make a Third World dictator blush.

But it appears that Strahl and company aren’t finished yet. Not content to trample over producers’ democratic rights, the Conservatives want to push through changes to the CWB without passing legislation.

Strahl believes barley marketing can be dropped by simply changing the CWB’s regulations. The CWB thinks otherwise and is threatening to take the government to court.

The last time this happened (when then-agriculture minister Charlie Mayer removed barley from the board in 1993), the Tory government lost the battle in the courts and were defeated in the following general election.

I’m not suggesting that the barley plebiscite challenge will bring down the Harper government. But the government knows it would face an uphill battle to pass anti-CWB legislation in this minority Parliament.

Therefore, Strahl is attempting to do indirectly (change the board’s regulations) what he can’t do directly (pass legislation ending the monopoly).

Whatever one thinks about the Canadian Wheat Board, the tactics employed by the Conservative government during its year-long battle with the CWB are reprehensible, undemocratic and possibly illegal.

All Canadians should be concerned about the depths to which the Conservatives will sink in order to sink the Canadian Wheat Board.

Boy did he hit the nail on the head.

A front page article in the Regina Leader Post states that

Alberta’s non-stop population boom seems to be slowing, with Saskatchewan once again outpacing Alberta for migration between the two provinces. In the fourth quarter, 2,838 Albertans moved east to Saskatchewan while 2,710 people headed the other way.

Oh Oh...there goes another Saskatchewan Party talking point. Lest the Saskatchewan Party followers, who appear to not like Saskatchewan all that much (how ironic), think...no that's the wrong word...assume that this allegation was pulled out of the Leader Post reporter's ass

According to the latest Statistics Canada quarterly report, Howie is one of many people flocking to Saskatchewan. Between October and December of last year, the province’s population grew by 2,080 people, from 985,859 to 987,939.

...

This is the third consecutive quarter the province has seen a boost in its population.

The percentage of population change for Saskatchewan was 0.21 per cent, which was the third-highest increase in the country, after Alberta (0.65) and British Columbia (0.25).

For the first time in 23 years, Saskatchewan’s boost in population also came at a higher rate than the national average of 0.14 per cent.

How does the Sask. Party respond? Oh in the usual way

Saskatchewan Party MLA Lyle Stewart said the Opposition was pleased to see the population increase.

The party had long advocated for changes to taxes to improve the business atmosphere in the province, which was adopted by the NDP government last year and Stewart believes has helped draw people back to the province.

It is all about the Sask. Party's ideas. It is all about the business tax cuts. Let's ask Gene Howie, who is the person cited in the article who moved back to Saskatchewan after 18 years in Calgary, what drew him to our fine province.

“Everything I need, I’ll find in Regina,” Howie said in a phone interview from Calgary, where he was preparing for the move.

“Calgary is an expensive city so you can’t take in all the events that go on here anyway. It is limited to what you can afford.”

...

Family is a large part of the draw back to the Queen City for Howie. He has bought property in Regina and is planning to open a barber shop.

Howie admitted the province can offer a better quality of life due to the much lower cost of living.

“Regina has a lot to offer now,” said Howie.

It's funny that the first thing that he mentioned wasn't CORPORATE AND BUSINESS TAX CUTS. He mentioned the affordability of living here, he mentioned how family friendly the province is. Hey, that sounds like a social reason. What gives? The article states that Mr. Howie is planning to open a Barber Shop as well. He is a small business person, yet his main focus was family and cost of living, not business taxes.

Read this site to find out Brad Wall's ability to manage a business. This is the man that the supporters of the Saskatchewan Party want to manage the province. I wouldn't trust him to manage a 3 person rush to a 6 hole outhouse.

Notorious piece of human excrement Maurice Vellacott apparently thinks that enough time has passed since his last batshit nuts comments, so he is at it again. He has the nerve to stand up and call Lorne Calvert a liar on the front page of the March 22 issue of the Regina Leader Post. Excuse me you mental midget, but in which party’s election pamphlet does it ensure that provinces get to keep "100 per cent of your oil and gas revenues"? There is no caveat included with the pamphlet that states that "unless the Conservative party forms the government, then go screw yourselves". I guess, knowing the Conservative mindset, that was implied, but to say that "the premier’s lying through his teeth" without citing examples shows the maturity of this cretin.

Then Moron Vellacott calls Mr. Calvert a Socialist, thereby exposing his lack of properly firing synapses for all to see. These habitual liars, that go by the name of the Conservative Party, go on to cite items that have NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT HARPER PROMISED THAT THE PROVINCES WILL GET TO KEEP 100 PERCENT OF OIL AND GAS REVENUES!

"Every single province gets more money under this budget and a lot more money as the years go by," Harper said.

Oh yeah, and he lied.

Vellacott suggested Calvert wants Saskatchewan to continue receiving equalization, “the federal dole” for have-not provinces, because he can’t cope with the province’s red-hot economy.

The statement is almost as stupid as Brad Wall’s statement that "If you like the direction New Democrats are taking the province, then vote Saskatchewan Party in the next provincial election". But not quite. Vellacott will have to work harder to match Brad’s oral idiocy.

Oh yeah, and Harper lied.

Gerry Ritz, another Saskatchewan Tory MP, said the budget has gone over “great” with his constituents.

I suppose Gerry, that if Harper would have kept his promise, your constituents would have been livid right? I am sure that they would be screaming for Calvert to give the $570+ million back.

Oh yeah, and Harper lied.

"Whatever envelope (the money) comes labelled in, Saskatchewan people are happy," Ritz said, adding that "they’re proud to be a have-province."

So the fact that the people of Saskatchewan are "proud to be a have-province" means that it is okay for Harper to lie to get their vote?

Oh yeah, and Harper lied.

"There’s been some disgruntlement and I understand that," said Newfoundland MP Norman Doyle.

But he said Newfoundlanders will "come to understand … that we’re not losing any money at all."

Oh yeah, and Harper lied.

Nova Scotia MP Gerald Keddy said voters in his provinces gain far more in tax cuts than they stand to lose in equalization.

"I think Nova Scotians will take the $112 million in tax relief," he said.

None of that changes the fact that Harper made a promise that he didn't keep.

Oh yeah, and Harper lied.

I actually had one Conservative supporter try to come to Harper's defense by saying "Harper didn't lie, he just didn't tell the truth". Yeah, and the ocean isn't wet, it just isn't dry.

Now before all of you brain-dead Conservative commenters decide to inform me of every broken promise by every politician since the beginning of recorded time, let me say this. The "but Jimmy did it" defense doesn't work when you are 8 years old, so it definitely doesn't work when you are of adult age. Because someone else broke a promise, in no way, excuses Harper or the Conservatives from promising the people of Saskatchewan one thing and then figuratively flipping us the bird. Then, to add to the insult, Vellacott opens his mouth and spews sewage all over the place. Who voted for this racist, chauvinistic, reality challenged dullard? Couldn't they have found a less insane candidate? Maybe a rabid skunk or something would be less irritating.

Oh yeah, and Harper lied.

There is an article on B3 in Friday's Regina Leader Post that gives us an insight into the delusional mind and suspect logic that drives the leader of the Saskatchewan Party. The article recounts a speech given by Wall to people that paid $200 to hear him speak.

If you like the direction New Democrats are taking the province, then vote Saskatchewan Party in the next provincial election, Oppostion Leader Brad Wall told supporters at a party fundraiser.

Most of the NDP’s good ideas have come from the Sask. Party anyway, he said.

Yes Brad, we all know, you are the first person in recorded history to think of tax cuts for business (even though NDP premiers long before the existence of the Saskatchewan Party, have implemented business tax cuts), protecting wildlife, increasing food allowances and all the rest of any NDP policy that Brad agrees with. His Narcissism is out of control. If something that is done, that he likes, by definition, he thought of it first.

I wonder if this is a deep delusion that we should be worried about, or is he simply trying to find a reason why people should vote for a change in government when the government is doing a fantastic job. When he sees a movie that he likes, does he go around and claim that he thought of the idea first. "If you like films by Martin Scorsese, then hire Brad Wall because Scorsese stole all of Brad's directing ideas."

Once again he let's us see that he loves TILMA.

“We need to be at the table as perhaps the most resource-rich member of Confederation when B.C. and Alberta are discussing reducing barriers to trade and investment,” Wall said, referring to the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement currently under discussion.

What TILMA basically does is takes any regulations governing labour (eg. safety regulations, local hiring policies, etc.)off of the table. Considering that the vast majority of people in the workforce are labour and not management, this should give everyone with a job pause. Of course, large corporations and big business owners love the idea of a labour force that has no power or rights. TILMA will erode hard-won rights by previous generations. Click here to find more information regarding TILMA.

Wall also outlined commitments his party plans on implementing if elected, including immediately moving on opening a children’s hospital within a hospital in Saskatoon, a possible patient audit of the health-care system “to ensure patient care ahead of paper shuffling,” and increased focus on the innovation agenda and commercialization of technology.

This paragraph mentions Brad saying things that people want to hear. There is no real substance. He uses a slogan “to ensure patient care ahead of paper shuffling,”. What is he talking about? Less than 5% of healthcare money is spent on administration. Is he saying that we should receive healthcare without filling out any paperwork? How would doctors get paid? How would we track expenditures? Unless he is planning on somehow re-routing some healthcare dollars like he re-routed alcohol back in the day.

But what really stands out for me in this paragraph is the line increased focus on the innovation agenda and commercialization of technology. This is a death-knell for SaskTel. Brad is obviously implying that we need to privatize our technology. The fact that we have best Internet and cel phone coverage in Canada doesn't enter into the equation according to Brad. The fact that SaskTel is profitable, and the "dividends" go to all of us in the form of healthcare spending, education, highways, and social services is lost on Mr. Wall. He would rather have some telecom corporation from outside the country come in and control our technology. He would rather have the profits leave the province. Does anyone believe that small communities such as Waldeck, Herbert, and Cabri would have high-speed Internet available if the technology was privately owned? Of course not, it wouldn't be cost effective to upkeep the infrastructure. Because SaskTel is owned by the people of Saskatchewan, they can eschew larger profits to provide a valuable service to the smaller communities.

Talk show host Randi Rhodes once said "When somebody shows you who they are...believe them". Well Brad is showing us that he is an narcissistic, anti-labour, corporatist, who looks up to former bosses who defrauded the people of Saskatchewan.

When Brad Wall shows me his true self...I believe him.

The Humboldt hospital, which was under Catholic control, will now be transitioned to be under public control. This CBC article explains this in more detail. 69 percent of 977 people in the district, who were polled, indicated that they wanted the hospital to be switched to public control. They have decided that freedom of religion is important. That a particular religion's beliefs should not be forced onto others. Catholics are still free to not receive sterilization procedures if they wish.

Bravo Humboldt.

Premier Calvert announced that the Saskatchewan government will spend $5 billion dollars over 10 years to make the highway system safer and more effective. I salute his leadership and forward-thinking. He acknowledges that the current system of simply fixing potholes and attempting to smooth thin-membrane highways isn't working. The way that the highways have been maintained for as long as I can remember no longer is viable.

The frothy-mouthed knuckle-dragging right see this as an admission of wrong doing, but I see this as the willingness to change as the need arises. It takes leadership to commit to a new way of approaching a problem (remember that Conservatives soil their diapers in fear at the mere mention of change). Premier Calvert has decided to be proactive instead of reactive. I applaud this. Far too often politicians stay away from any project that won't come to fruition within the 4-year election cycle. We force politicians into this proverbial corner by not being an informed electorate.

I am looking forward to the details of the plan that will become more evident in the upcoming budget. I also wonder if the Saskatchewan Party will commit to continue this plan if they form the government in the next election. If they won't commit (and the fact that if they do commit to this plan they are admitting its value, so I am not holding out much hope), the public should demand that they tell us their alternative. More likely, they will say that "we thought of it first". Every idea that the NDP creates that is successful is co-opted by the Sask Party. I am waiting for Brad to take credit for Medicare.

The NDP acknowledges that a strong transportation infrastructure is integral for the viability of future growth. The frequency and severity of the highway traffic has increased substantially since the CROW rate was killed by the federal government in 1995. The highway system needs to be altered to reflect this reality. There are other benefits to this project. Jobs and safety are two of these. Did the Sask Party endorse this plan? No, they did what they always do, they complained.

However, the Saskatchewan Party said the government's new transportation plan is an admission by the NDP it's been failing people for the last 16 years.

Opposition critic Randy Weekes said if the NDP had paid more attention to highways over the past few years, the present crisis wouldn't exist.

"[It] is going to take a number of years to address the problems that have arisen over the neglect of the transportation system," Weekes said.

Is the Saskatchewhine Party able to do anything other than bitch and moan? The current highway upkeep system isn't working, so the NDP is willing to change the way things are done to find a system that works. That is what mature adults do. It is the infantile complaining by the Saskatchewan Party that retards progress. The NDP KNEW that by dramatically changing the highway upkeep plan, that the Sask Party would spin it as an admission of mistakes, but they did it anyway. Why? Because they care more about improving the province than worrying about giving the Sask Party something to whine about. Is that what the Sask Party thinks their job is? Well it isn't. Their job is to represent the people that voted for them. To bring forth ideas. To perform oversight. It is the job of the governing party to implement the best ideas that benefit the majority of the people of Saskatchewan. It shouldn't matter what party comes up with an idea, a good idea is a good idea. Why can't the Sask Party admit that this is a good idea, unless they don't think that improving the road infrastructure is a good idea.

Another Canadian Soldier has been killed in Afghanistan. Read this article for more information. It appears that he was accidentally shot within the secure confines of the Kanahar airfield.

This is the first death of a Canadian Soldier in Afghanistan since late November. Let's hope that it is at least another 3 months before another one of our brave soldiers is killed.

Wasn’t that a Sask. Party Convention! 400 people attended – amazing! 400 misguided sheep hoping for fodder from the leaders hand . A convention where no mention was made of policy! Well let’s not forget the beliefs of Brad Wall – leader of the official opposition and soon to be shepherd of the bawling right. What are his beliefs? What are his convictions?

Remember this person worked as a senior advisor in the Devine government – he worked directly for minister John Gerich who was convicted of fraud. Brad in an interview with the "muttering duck" stated he admired Gerich and thought he was a great and honourable man. And this person wants to be Premier of this great province?

Wall talked about privatization of the Crown Corporations prior to the 2003 election, trashing our labour laws and occupational health and safety standards and wanting to establish "boot" camps. Has he abandoned these right wing policies – not on your life. He’s trying to camouflage his true intent!

In November 2005, he stated "There’s too much state owned enterprise in Saskatchewan". Does he mean to privatize the Crowns? You better believe it. SGI would disappear in a flash as private insurers rolled in, took huge profits from the people and laughed all the way to the bank. Wouldn’t you like to see Rogers take over Sask Tel, move the offices, along with thousand’s of jobs to some foreign country like Alberta? Wouldn’t you like to pay Manitoba Hydro for your electricity!! The list goes on. The media may cry that the NDP is using the scare of privatization- well I am scared!

What about our labour friends. Worried? You better believe it. Brad Wall would like to "rebalance" our province’s labour and occupational health and safety standards legislation in favour of big business. Brad stated in March 2006 "… we would want to make some changes with respect to labour legislative environment…"

Who is Brad Wall’s idol? Steven Harper who is bent on destroying the Canadian Wheat Board (Multi Nationals love him!). Slash social programs, and break their promise on equalization for Saskatchewan. We hear no outcry from the Sask Party leader.

According to the Sask Party Website, he is apparently "one of the best public speakers in Saskatchewan" and "he loves the province". That is why he tried to organize a $8000/person trip to golf in the good ole USA. No thanks! How about a great fishing trip to Northern Saskatchewan, a retreat in our own Cypress Hills Provincial Park; a spa vacation in Moose Jaw? The list goes on. Yeah, he loves our province – can’t wait to tear it apart.

I ask people to seriously consider the beliefs of this man, this party and react accordingly.

This article talks about the commitment of the New Democratic Party to help those who have little to obtain training, and affordable housing.

* $49.5 million for about 500 affordable rental and homeownership units for low- to moderate-income families and youth at risk.
* $10 million for ongoing rent subsidies for 300 low-income families and youth at risk.
* $500,000 to support a training component aimed at increasing participation among inner- city and northern youth in housing construction and repair projects.

I have to admit that I was surprised that:

The Opposition Saskatchewan Party finds no fault with the government's investment. But with Calvert in the fourth year of his mandate, it's widely expected a provincial election will be held this year.

They obviously think that this announcement was made only because of a potential upcoming election. I think that the only reason that the Sask. Party isn't complaining is that there may be an upcoming election and they don't want to piss of the North and the poor. I know that this idea is incredibly cynical, I mean what human being would be against helping these people? I will await the response of the flying-monkey right.

This article from Angela Hall at the Regina Leader Post talks about improvements to the Crop Insurance program.

Coverage per acre is increasing from a provincial average of $64 in 2006 to $86 this year.

The 2007 crop-insurance program will also see premiums overall reduced by 3.4 per cent, following two "relatively good" production years that have helped the program significantly reduce debt, the minister said.

"This is the first year as minister responsible for agriculture that I've been able to announce greater coverage and lower premiums and it's because of the '05, '06 years and production there," Wartman said....

...Also, the "establishment benefit" now covers damage by gophers, which have been a major problem in drought-stricken areas of southwest Saskatchewan. If gophers damage acres on a farm so the crop doesn't get established, an establishment claim will be paid, Wartman said.

The government didn't reintroduce spot-loss hail coverage. Agriculture Minister Mark Wartman indicated that the private industry is providing sound hail insurance. To this the Saskatchewan Party, the heroes of private industry, obviously don't think that the private industry is doing a good job providing hail insurance.

Saskatchewan Party MLA Glen Hart criticized the hail decision, saying it's something many farmers have been calling for.

"Without the spot-loss hail option in crop insurance, it adds significantly to farmers' overall crop-protection costs," Hart said.

Is he saying that the private insurance companies are charging too much for the insurance and that the government should take over the hail coverage? But the Saskatchewan Party doesn't like government controlled insurance.

The Sask Party has to complain about something I guess. It is their strategy after all. Their strategy certainly isn't appealing to voters based on policy. They didn't even debate policy at their convention. There is no way that they could say "good job, the lower premiums and expanded coverage will really help the farmers". That would cause their heads to explode. Also, they don't want to help farmers. I conclude this based on their support of the Conservative's attempt to destroy the Canadian Wheat Board. I should clarify, they don't want to help small family farms. They are all for helping monolithic corporate farms, who are salivating at the thought of the demise of the CWB. After all, this will cause the small family farmers to go bankrupt, and the large corporate farms can devour their operations for a pittance of what the land was originally worth.

Good job to Mister Wartman for actually helping farmers by expanding the coverage and lowering the premiums. As David Marit, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities indicated:

...the program appears to be moving in the right direction...

It is far from perfect, (spot-loss hail insurance, etc.) but it shows that the NDP is working on helping small farmers survive unforeseen problems. With Global Climate Change causing extremely unstable and unpredictable weather patterns, the farmers need the safety net to survive.

According to this article on CBC.ca, Stephen "Bush Buddy" Harper said that he would respect the passage of a bill that requires the government to meet commitments to Kyoto.

"Of course, if and when that becomes law, the government would respect it," Harper said in the House of Commons during question period Thursday.

Well isn't that special. What a sacrifice Stevie is making, actually obeying the law. Of course he is bitching and moaning about it...

"I'll just point out that the bill has no plan of action in it; the bill gives the government no authority to spend any money to actually have a plan of action."

What?! You mean that a bill was created without all of the answers already included to all of the environmental problems? Won't that mean that the Conservonuts will have to actually "govern" and come up with a plan? I am sure that Harper didn't think that "governing" was part of the deal. He undoubtedly thought that being in power meant that he had the combination to the treasury safe, and that he could enrich all of his crony buddies. At least that is what he was led to believe according to George "Wha' happened!" Bush.

Bush doesn't seem to need to obey pesky laws. He just creates a signing statement that indicates that the law applies to everyone but him. After all, another favorite of little Stevie Harper, Richard Nixon said "When the President does it...then it's not illegal." What a shock it must have been to Harper when he realized that he can't usurp the will of the parliament. He probably pouted...stamped his little robotic feet and threw a hissy fit.

Harper appeared to be backing away from previous government suggestions that it would simply ignore the law, and would be prepared to face any resulting lawsuits or even a non-confidence motion that could trigger an election.

Let's see if Harper can come up with a feasible plan that will satisfy this law. I have my doubts. I don't know if they can fit their "tax cuts for the wealthy" idea to this problem. Once they get past that, they are totally out of ideas.

I read an article in the Regina Leader Post that stated that Brad "Cheshire Cat" Wall is sure that the Saskatchewan Fascist Party will form the next government. Why is he so sure? Well, because things are so good in Saskatchewan, so, of course, people want a change. He claims that any good ideas that the NDP comes up with are the Sask Party's ideas. Especially the tax cuts. He assumes this because the Sask Party only has one idea...tax cuts. To paraphrase the Sask Party plan:

1. Lower Taxes
2. ????????
3. Prosperity

I do find it interesting that the Sask Party didn't debate any policy at their convention. What's up with that? What is the purpose of having a party convention if you are not going to figure out what the Party's goals are? Is this the way that the Sask Party plans to govern, to have parties, but not actually talk about doing anything useful? Obviously, the Sask Party isn't interested in anything other than winning. That's it! They don't care about environmental policy. They don't care about eliminating poverty. They don't care about job creation. They don't care about issues facing farmers. They don't care about improving our health care. I can only assume that they don't care about these things considering the fact that they spent the entire weekend focusing on what they really care about...winning an election.

Or maybe they knew that if they debated policy, it may be covered in the press. Then the voters would learn what they truly stood for. Brad knows that if the people actually knew what the Saskatchewan Conservative Party's values were, they would realize that they are insane, and that would be detrimental to primary goal, which is winning an election. They would realize that they are anti-Union and anti-Government. Both of these institutions are comprised and elected by "people". The Government represents us, and we have control over who represents us. Any time the Sask Party insults the working of government, they are insulting you and me and anyone that voted. The Sask Party hates "us". Why would anyone think that a party that hates government would be good at governing?

Unions represent workers, you know, the majority of the people of society. Their purpose is to ensure that management, which is driven by greed, can't sacrifice worker safety and fairness for profit. It ensures that labour, which is the most important part of any business, is treated with fairness and respect.

The Sask Party doesn't respect labour. They believe that labour exists to be exploited by Corporations and business owners. They are counting on you believing the right-wing propaganda that has been spewed over the years. This propaganda has convinced the public that Government is bad and so are Unions. What that, in essence, is saying is citizens are bad and so are people who work. If you are a citizen or a person that works, you should realize that you aren't bad. Allowing Corporate bosses to convince you that Unions are bad for your best interests is as ludicrous as allowing Oil Companies to tell you that alternate forms of energy are bad. Wait a minute...Oil Companies ARE telling us that alternate forms of energy are bad, and there are some morons who believe them. I call those people Saskatchewan Party potential voters.

Wall said voters would respond to a positive message on issues such as joining a trade and labour mobility agreement with Alberta and British Columbia, and a "patient-first" audit of the health care system.

I wonder how many people even know he is talking about. He is talking about TILMA. If you want to read an article outlining some of the implications if Saskatchewan becomes signatory to this agreement, click here. From this article:

Long fought battles for issues like pay equity, employment equity and basic rights against discrimination and harassment would seem to be at odds with the overall goals of TILMA.

Now I understand why the Saskatchewan Party is for TILMA, they love discrimination and harassment, and detest pay equity and employment equity. They would love workers from other provinces to be able to come to Saskatchewan, be willing to work for a pittance, and take the job of a local worker. Of course, the Sask Party would argue, if the local worker is willing to work for less, maybe they would retain their job. Brad Wall wants to set up a labour race to the bottom. Oh yeah...that's in everyone's best interest. How else can the rich get richer, while keeping an ever growing pool of desperate workers to drive down wages. In case you think that you are not a member of this "worker pool", ask yourself this question: "Do I work for an hourly wage?". If the answer is YES, then welcome to the "pool".

We had a saying during the last time that the Conservatives were in power in Saskatchewan; "Unemployment is Devine!". If the Saskatchenut Party gets in, we will have a new saying; "Labour's Back is Against the Wall!".

Stephen "I hate...no wait...Now I Love the Environment" Harper has once again proved that he will do or say anything to appeal to voters. Of course, he has a tendency to make contradictory promises that he never intends to keep. A letter that Harper wrote to his right wingnuts in the Canadian Alliance party in 2002 shows what he really thinks of any scheme to reduce greenhouse gasses, specifically the Kyoto Accord.

In the letter he shows his ignorance as he parrots the points of the "Global Warming" deniers.

He writes that it's based on "tentative and contradictory scientific evidence" and it focuses on carbon dioxide, which is "essential to life."

Of course, he is all concerned about the environment now.

In recent weeks, Harper has spoken strongly about the environment, saying he will dramatically revamp his minority government's much-criticized clean air act.

His comments come as public-opinion polls indicate the environment has become the number one issue among Canadians.

Do we really believe that he is doing anything more than paying the environment lip-service?

During the lead up to the election, Stephen Harper promised to revitalize childcare. His answer, give families, regardless of wealth, $1,200 for each child under six years old, and tax cut incentives. Of course, doing away with the Liberal's 5 billion dollar plan to build a national early learning system was integral to their plan. Remember that to the Raisin Brain Right, anything with the word "national" in it is Socialist, and therefore evil. This article in the Regina Leader-Post, explains the failure of the Conservatives' idiotic plan.

One year after the Conservatives won power on a platform touting 125,000 new spaces over five years, there isn’t even a clear plan on how to create them.

And there’s uncertainty mixed with alarm across Canada over looming fee increases and program cuts since the Tories dropped the $5-billion Liberal plan to build a national early learning system.

“They’re really over a barrel,” said Monica Lysack, executive director of the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada.

“They don’t have a plan. They haven’t created a space. Parents are being caught in the middle of this cut-and-run approach.”

If Harper and his merry band of morons had bothered to do some research into their plan to give tax incentives to businesses to create childcare spots, he would have seen that the plan had already failed in Ontario.

The Conservatives committed $250 million in last year’s budget to create new spaces in 2007-08. But their tax-incentive plan to lure employers and non-profit groups into the costly and bureaucratic child-care business has been widely panned. Similar efforts in Ontario under the former Mike Harris Tories failed badly when corporations didn’t bite.

This goes a long way to proving my hypothesis that Conservatives are insane. After all, Albert Einstein defined insanity as: "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

The Conservatives under Harper have struck again! First there was the reneging of the promise to exempt Natural Resources from the Equalisation formula – Saskatchewan would have received $800 million for its coffers. “No, no, That’s not what I meant when I promised that!! I don’t need the 12 seats in Saskatchwan, I’ll get more in Quebec.”

Then along came the CWB question. Our David Anderson trumpeting 36% of the people who voted Conservative claimed he and the Agriculture Minister, Hon Chuck Strahl that most of the farmers wanted to get rid of the CWB. Guess what? 4 out of 5 directors elected in the fall of 2006 are strong supporters of a single desk CWB. The Manitoba plebisite further illustrates the support of single desk. So what? Muzzle the CWB with a gag order, fire the present CEO and install a lackey who gets his orders from Strahl, Anderson, etc. True Democracy in Action!

Then there was the issue of the Metis who attended the residential school at Ile-a-la-Crosse. In a radio interview during the election campaign Harper promised that the students of the residential school would receive compensation. Today we are told that Metis students will received no compensation whatsoever. “We didn’t have all the facts when we promised compensation.”

Then compare these actions to the Leader of the Opposition in Saskatchewan, who applauds the action not only of Mr. Harper but of his former employer – a convicted member but an outstanding man according to our MLA! Shades of hypocrisy.

Come on Saskatchewan voters – let’s show Harper, Strahl, Anderson, Wall and the rest of the Conservatives cronies that we favour honesty and integrity in our elected representatives – not dishonest and deceitful individuals seeking personal wealth and glory if not for themselves then for their corporate buddies!

Stephen "Two-Face" Harper doesn't want to lose the 10 seats that the Conservatives have picked up in Quebec, but the 12 seats in Saskatchewan are up for grabs! This article reports that Harper is breaking his promise to the Saskatchewan people in order to keep his promise to Quebec.

In the last two election campaigns, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservatives pledged to exclude natural resource revenue from the federal program that gives to poorer provinces to help narrow the gap between "have" and "have-not" regions.

But the CBC's French-language network reports the government will renege on that pledge in its next federal budget, expected in March. Radio-Canada said Harper instead plans to follow the recommendation of a federal task force by including 50 per cent of the natural resource revenue when calculating a province's wealth.

If Harper makes the move, it would mean big losses in equalization payments to provinces like Newfoundland and Labrador and Saskatchewan....

...But the plan would help Harper meet another campaign promise to Quebec to find a long-term revenue transfer from the federal government.

Harper knows that his hold on the Quebec voters is tenuous at best, but he assumes that he can treat the Saskatchewan voters like doormats and they will still vote for him. Are Saskatchewan voters that gullible? The Federal Conservatives are reaching in our pockets and stealing $800 million from us. Are you Conservative voters OK with that? Are Saskatchewan Conservatives going to allow Harper to abuse them? Is Brad Wall OK with that? He always supports the Federal Conservatives, but insists that the Saskatchewan Party is not a Conservative party.

When the next Federal election comes around, lets send a message to the Conservatives. Lets tell them that we will not accept them stealing from Saskatchewan in order to keep a promise with Quebec. Lets tell them that we will not tolerate their attempt to destroy the Canadian Wheat Board against the wishes of the ones it effects the most. Lets tell them that their lies and deceit are unacceptable. Let them keep their 10 seats in Quebec, but lose 12 seats in Saskatchewan.

Well, another day, another broken promise by the Conservative government. This one has to do with our children. 25,000 new childcare spaces were promised within a year if only people voted their lying asses into office. And just like so many of their other promises, they hope that people have forgotten that they said it. Why would anyone believe a single syllable that passes through the robotic lips of Stephen "RC8900-C35" Harper?

"Somewhere around 80 per cent of children don't have access to licensed early learning child care programs. So there's a huge need."

During the campaign before the Conservatives won the election of Jan. 23, 2006, Harper promised to ease the childcare crunch. He promised to give families $1,200 a year per child under six. Parents have been getting their cheques since July.

Harper also said a Conservative government would create 125,000 spaces over five years with the help of the private sector and non-profit organizations which would get a $10,000 tax credit for every space created.

"We figure we'll reasonably create about 25,000 spaces a year," Harper said then.

A year later, no spaces have been created and the plan for more spaces hasn't been completed yet.

During the election, the other parties pointed out that the Conservatives' plan wouldn't work, but voters either didn't believe them, or didn't care about childcare. Well, live and learn. The lesson is simply this; everything that is promised by any Conservative government has little chance of being implemented unless it enriches their Corporate overlords.

With the defection of Liberal MP Wajid Khan, the NDP's 29 votes are crucial for the Conservative government to get their legislation through. This is great for social minded people. The Tories ' main desire is to stay in power, so if they wish to do this, they will have to leftify thier policies a lot. Jack Layton stated in this article that they will work with the Conservatives on an issue by issue basis.

But it's unlikely the party would be a political ally for a Tory agenda, Layton said.

"It would be pretty hard to see how that could happen, and we have no inclination to do that," Layton said, adding he would need to see "dramatic" changes in direction before the NDP supports the Tories on issues such as emissions regulations.

"Just like when the Liberals were in power, we were able to convince them," he said, adding it was the NDP that prevented another round of corporate tax cuts, as well as secured more funding for transit and affordable housing in 2005.

The article goes on to explain how the NDP will try to make the Conservative's clean air act actually work to clean the air.

If you haven't already seen the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, I strongly suggest that you do. We only have one world, and if we destroy it, no amount of money will save you. Climate change should be the number one issue in any election.

Organize a viewing party with friends and family. I watched it again on Christmas with my family, and it certainly created a buzz. It is available for purchase, or rental from your video store.