NDP resolutions hurt party’s credibility

Perhaps no one knows the pain of troubling convention resolutions more than the Saskatchewan Party.

It’s somewhat difficult for many to remember the painful past, given that the Sask. Party has now spent nearly a decade on top as the most popular government in provincial history, if popular vote means anything.

But in the early days after its August 1997 formation, when four former Progressive Conservative MLAs decided to get together with four Liberal MLAs to form the new party, the Sask. Party was almost sunk by a series of resolutions from special interests.

Resolutions to set up boot camps for young offenders and chain gangs for prisoners and to do away with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission altogether became the talking points for a party desperate for credibility.

And things only went from bad to worse at the party’s founding convention that November, when some of these resolutions — including the one aimed at blowing up the human rights commission — were actually passed.

Tails between their legs, Sask. Party MLAs returned to Regina for the fall sitting to face an absolutely merciless Roy Romanow-led NDP government that was quick to brand them as far too radical to ever be trusted to run the province.

Two important and painful lessons were learned by the Sask. Party almost two decades ago:

First, what your rank and file believes does matter because it not only moulds who you are, but also moulds the public perception of your party’s values;

Second, whether passed or not, extreme resolutions are fair game for your opponents in the cutthroat world of politics.

So it’s rather unfair to accuse the Sask. Party of now doing anything different than the NDP did in the past ... even if any party’s convention resolutions are virtually irrelevant.

No Saskatchewan political party likely has ever done a better job of purging itself of its political past (including, perhaps, its personal ties to the old Grant Devine Progressive Conservative regime) than the Sask. Party has done.

It wasn’t exactly done in a democratic manner. Not long after Brad Wall was selected as leader in 2004, he ordered the policy book be rewritten by a caucus staffer. Past controversial resolutions were forever stricken from the record.

And in the decade-plus since, you can likely count on one hand the number of Sask. Party resolutions that have actually been debated on the convention floor. This affords today’s governing party a noticeable advantage over its NDP rival, which still sees itself as a debating society.

But even if controversial resolutions never make their way into government or even party policy, there is no denying that what the rank and file has to say has significance. Surely that is the lesson we are also learning from U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s rallies.

So even if none of the NDP’s most controversial resolutions were passed as party policy, it remains totally fair ball for the Sask. Party to point out — as it has done ad nauseam — that precious NDP convention time this past weekend was spent debating calls to: honour the “Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement” against Israel (Regina & District Labour Council); “shut-down and transition out all coal-fired power plants” (Saskatoon Nutana); “decriminalize all illicit drugs” (Saskatchewan Young New Democrats), and; “adopt the LEAP Manifesto on a provincial level” (Regina & District Labour Council).

Notwithstanding the brave front we heard from Regina MLA Nicole Sarauer that this is a sign of “a truly democratic party,” those who know how politics works know this will still distract from what she calls “the real important issues” in the legislature, such as the Global Transportation Hub land deal.

Similarly, while it’s nice to talk about diversity in the party and even see it exhibited on the convention floor, when the NDP gathering is down to 150 or so, it becomes a further target for the Sask. Party.

Of course, the NDP will call this unfair, too. But it appears the Sask. Party has learned its politics from the NDP all too well.