SHOW OVER SUBSTANCE
The Liberal Party of Canada brought its road show to Saskatchewan this week, but the spectacle left most residents more confused than impressed. The 2018 Liberal caucus retreat brought many of the party’s 183 MPS to Saskatoon — along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — to prep for Parliament’s fall session.
If the province was asking, “Why us?” when it heard about the Trudeau and company gathering, it never got a clear answer during the visit.
Maybe it was timed as a show of support for the Humboldt Broncos, as the team played its first home game on Wednesday. This is a worthwhile sentiment, and Trudeau certainly paid respectful homage to the team from the very first moment he arrived.
“Canadians everywhere were heartbroken (and) mourned alongside the community. In the wake of this tragedy, Humboldt has shown incredible resilience and strength,” he said.
Perhaps the Liberals chose Saskatchewan to shore up support for Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale, who has represented Reginawascana since 1993. Despite the fact he is an island in a Conservative stronghold, however, Goodale doesn’t seem to be in any imminent political danger.
Saskatoon establishments were, of course, grateful for the shot in the arm for business, but the effects of this boost were gone once the MPS and their entourages left.
A couple announcements of substance came in the form of a $56.2-million partnership with the Saskatoon Tribal Council. The money will flow to prevention activities that help keep families together, as well as a pilot aimed at gauging its effect. Another couple million dollars is earmarked for preserving Indigenous languages. This is welcome, both for the funds aimed at dealing with important issues and for the fact it shows Ottawa is listening when it comes to the needs of First Nations and Metis people in Saskatchewan.
Other issues worrying the people of Saskatchewan — the economy, the battle over the carbon tax, NAFTA, the Trans Mountain pipeline — were barely acknowledged, let alone addressed. Although Premier Scott Moe said he had a positive meeting with Trudeau, there was no apparent movement when it came to the troubled relationship between the feds and the province.
There were many events and media availabilities, most of which were aimed at making ministers visible rather than listening and connecting with the voters in this part of the country.
This was a missed opportunity for Trudeau and the Liberal caucus to show their government cares and plans to address the needs in the centre of the country.