POLITICAL REPORT CARD
Grading ministers in the Sask. Party government
As some teachers will reluctantly admit, there are always comparisons between last year’s graduates and this year’s graduates. This is not to suggest we have had a complete turnover in the Saskatchewan cabinet. Fifteen ministers were in cabinet a year ago, and seven have all or part of the same portfolios, so Premier Scott Moe’s class is much the same as the one Brad Wall left behind. That said, writes Murray Mandryk, it sure feels like something is different in the 2018 cabinet report card. For some, it was hitting the reset button in a new job under a new premier. For all, it was recovering from a very tough 2017.
B- Premier Scott Moe
Taking over from valedictorian Brad Wall was no easy task, but the Saskatchewan Party government really hasn’t missed a beat. Moe’s 56-per-cent approval rating is the highest in Canada. Moreover, taxpayers saw a much better 2018-19 budget with a smaller deficit, fewer cuts and the restoration of some education funding. Yes, he’s been too focused on scoring easy points on carbon tax and the Trans Mountain pipeline, and his most recent foray into the equalization may wind up doing more harm than good. Also, his failure to recall his meeting with former economy minister Bill Boyd on his drainage project has hurt Moe’s hard-earned personal creditability. But there has been a surprising upgrade from Moe’s days in environment and Wall’s last days in office. D+ Moe’s last year as environment minister C+ Wall as premier last year
B- Deputy premier/ Education Minister Gord Wyant
There are still bad relations with teachers — even after restoring $30 million in education funding. This is an inherited problem for Wyant, but it seems likely the teachers will win in contract arbitration and yet still wind up unhappy. Nevertheless, Wyant remains highly effective in the assembly and his biggest contribution may be offering a badly needed urban/ liberal voice and perspective to the Sask. Party government that’s tilted to the rural/right. In fact, his grade might have been even higher, were it not for the suspicion his voice doesn’t carry the authority in cabinet that a deputy premier’s voice should. C+ Wyant’s last year as justice minister
B- Finance Minister Donna Harpauer
An underperforming minister in other portfolios, Harpauer may have found her niche in the stressful money ministry. But, again, her success this year might be in contrast to last year’s budget — especially when you consider her deficit reduction in the 2018-19 budget was partly due to changes in pension liabilities. But cobbling together a much better budget shortly after the Sask. Party leadership race and presenting it immediately after her hometown Humboldt Broncos’s bus crash was a remarkable feat in itself. More work needs to be in holding the line on salaries and especially capital expenditures, but Harpauer has made huge strides. D Harpauer’s last year as government relations/ First Nations minister
D+ Kevin Doherty as finance minister last year
CJustice and Labour Minister Don Morgan His up-and-down career in cabinet took a downward slide this year — one of seven cabinet ministers with a lower grade on this report card. It may not have totally been Morgan’s fault, as he was tasked with the impossibility of defending the Global Transportation Hub (GTH), now under RCMP investigation, while also serving as justice minister. And no Sask. Party minister will ever thrive in labour.
That said, some of his problems were of his own making — flippant remarks on not being an expert on dirt and the goofiness of dumping the GTH on the City of Regina. Credit Morgan for moving on support for women fleeing domestic violence. However, he likely should have done more and done it faster. Still, a popular minister who takes on a much bigger load than most, and, according to Sask. Party insiders, contributes to cabinet in ways not often seen.
C+
Morgan’s last year, as deputy premier and labour and education minister
C-Trade, Export and Immigration Minister Jeremy Harrison Received a few breaks — a slight change in portfolio duties that sees less emphasis on trying to oversee/manage the volatile resource-based economy and a huge break no longer being responsible for the GTH.
His pivot to carbon-tax talking points at every non-opportunity has often been obnoxious. The decline in jobs, interprovincial migration and now attracting new immigration makes it look like he hasn’t had much success in his main responsibilities. But this is something the economy minister can’t control and some credit should be given for his honest-but-too-late admissions about the GTH fiasco during his short-lived leadership run. D Harrison’s last year as economy minister
CHealth Minister Jim Reiter Some would argue the modest success in the transformation to single health authority is worth note, but the book is still out on whether this governance restructuring has really accomplished anything when it comes to actual health delivery.
Sadly, all too little has changed/ improved in health-care delivery so far — especially when it comes to addictions and mental health where he and his government talk the talk but, so far, haven’t walked the walk. Reiter’s best work was getting private funding for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, but we still can’t be sure the direction for the massive project is the right one. Longer surgical wait times suggest things in health have slipped a bit. If so, Reiter’s grade should also slip a little bit. C+ Reiter’s last year as health minister
CRural and Remote Health Minister Greg Ottenbreit His struggles with cancer continued to hampered his work. Problems continue recruiting rural doctors and especially northern doctors. But Ottenbreit’s fortitude and good nature continue to be inspirational to cabinet … and the rest of us. C Ottenbreit’s last year as rural and remote health minister
C+Advanced Education/ Innovation Minister
Tina Beaudry-Mellor Clearly grew during her Sask. Party leadership bid and any minister’s best moment this past year might have been her strong stance regarding the
U of S volleyball coach who recruited an accused sexual predator. But problems remain at all levels of post-secondary funding. C- Beaudry-Mellor’s last year as social services minister
D+Social Services Minister Paul Merriman Rising social-assistance rolls (also, a problem under BeaudryMellor last year) and rising complaints registered to the Ombudsman were problematic enough. Now we see added issues because of the budget decision to end rental-housing subsidies.
Certainly, a tough position for a rookie minister, but the simple fact of the matter is we aren’t seeing a strategy to solve old problems as we acquire new ones. No grade last year
DHighways/SaskBuilds Minister David Marit As a rookie minister last year, Marit bore less responsibility for the Regina bypass mess. A year later it’s still costly and government has really done no better job explaining the cost. In fact, Marit has obfuscated when it’s come to disclosure of lawsuit costs and other bypass matters. C- Marit’s last year as highways minister
B+Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart The dictionary definition of steadiness, offering more solutions to problems that arise without creating new ones. Ongoing solid relations with stakeholder groups continue to pay dividends. Like referees, the best ministers are often the ones you don’t notice. What we should have noticed, however, is the quiet work Stewart has done on Indian pulse tariffs and moving products to port. Likely, the best minister. B- Stewart’s last year as agriculture minister
C+Government Relations and Metis and First Nations Affairs Minister Warren Kaeding Perhaps the pleasant surprise in this cabinet has been that earnest, straightforward Kaeding has seemed to somewhat restore relationships with the towns and cities after huge hostilities last year. Similarly, he faced a tough situation in the wake of the Gerald Stanley verdict. That said, we haven’t moved forward with a Sixties Scoop apology and more work needs to be done on intergovernmental co-operation. Nevertheless, a better-than-average performance for a first-time minister. No grade last year
C-Crown Investment Corp. Minister Joe Hargrave With the messy business of the STC closure and defining privatization now behind the government, one might have thought Hargrave was due for an upgrade. It hasn’t worked out that way. High electrical utility rates and uncertainty with SaskTel’s future suggest we still have problems under the CIC umbrella. Moreover, STC problems haven’t gone away and Hargrave’s suggestions that ride-sharing or private-sector business would fill STC’s void have only fuelled the flames. C Hargrave’s last year as CIC minister
DCentral Services/Capital Commission Minister
Ken Cheveldayoff With relatively few responsibilities, a veteran minister shouldn’t have found himself in much trouble — especially a veteran minister who aspired to premier. The notion that every public building (along with cafeteria services in them) could be up for sale was bad. So was the Capital Commission’s handling of not only Justice for Our Stolen Children protests and the private development in Wascana Park. C+ Cheveldayoff’s last year as parks minister
D+Environment Minister Dustin Duncan Still a formidable politician in the house who can debate with the best of them, but his madein-Saskatchewan climate-change strategy exposed the fact that neither he nor his government has new environmental solutions to offer. Worse yet, it too often seems they have little interest in the area at all. For example, the Sask. Party government keeps claiming it still has a goal to obtain 50-per-cent renewable energy, but nothing is being done to move closer to that goal.
The recent provincial auditor’s report on failing to enforce drainage regulations bears that out. C+ Duncan’s last year as energy minster
CParks, Culture, Sport, Recreation and Liquor and Gaming Minister Gene Makowsky He seems perfectly suited for parks, culture and sports and few problems in that area. But there have been big problems on the cannabis file — both in the franchise bid process and the regulations that came late and were not handled more smoothly. Some of it — but not all of it — may have been due to a rookie cabinet minister making rookie mistakes. No grade last year
CEnergy Minister Bronwyn Eyre Has been rather invisible as energy minister, which is likely a good thing. (As one New Democrat said, she’s best at portfolios that don’t involve people.) That said, Moe seems to have recognized that her detail-oriented style may be better suited for an economy-based portfolio rather than one on the social policy side. C- Eyre’s last year as advanced education minister
D+Corrections and Policing Minister Christine Tell It is her strongest portfolio, given her own policing background, and it’s a portfolio that gets little attention. However, when problems occur, they tend to be magnified. And remand problems have become a bigger problem on her watch than they should be. Moreover, her reliance on officials to handle straightforward scrums for which the minister should be responsible is puzzling.
C- Tell’s last year as Central Services minister