COVID-19 humbling may restore reasonability
If there has been one difference between the Brad Wallled and the Scott Moe-led Saskatchewan Party governments, it’s likely the perception of compromise.
Perhaps it is nothing more than perception. There’s actually little reason to suspect Wall is any less stubborn or ideological than Moe. And there really hasn’t been all that much policy difference, although there surely have been differences in style, emerging out of two very different political backgrounds.
Wall — as did virtually everyone who surrounded him — cut his political teeth on the sharp failures of the Grant Devine Progressive Conservative government’s unrelenting privatization agenda that set back conservatism in this province for decades.
From this (plus time in the ever-humbling purgatory of opposition to the Roy Romanow/lorne Calvert NDP governments) Wall and company may have learned a little about political decency and humility that manifested as a more breezy, less acrimonious style when it came to dealing with both political opponents and tough issues.
But such subtlety may now be lost on this newer generation of Saskatchewan Party governance that never sat to the left of the Saskatchewan Speaker in opposition.
Moe inherited a decade-old government still steamrolling ahead in popularity that befit his straight-ahead style of ceaselessly hammering away at Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his carbon tax.
(Remember his “just watch me” speeches that carried on long after he first uttered those words in his Sask. Party leadership victory speech? For that matter, remember his seeming stubbornness in contemplating a snap spring election just as the novel coronavirus was taking hold on the world?)
Well, the nature of COVID-19 has taken the starch out of the Moe government, sometimes forcing it into retreat. Never is there a day that’s a clear win.
Wednesday, for example, Moe had the pleasure of announcing only three new cases in the province (there were zero the day before) and 10 recoveries, reducing the number of active cases in Saskatchewan to 68. However, he was cursed by the news of a third death in two days. There are now 10 deaths in this province and an outbreak in Saskatoon.
Moe may not be seen as arrogant, smug and swaggering, but others in his government surely are after years of not having anything resembling an effective opposition and pretty much getting away with whatever they wanted without consequence (See: The “no-wrongdoing” Global Transportation Hub land deal; its arrogance and unaccountability in Wascana Park developments.)
So, with much-needed humility, the Sask. Party government acquiesced to the NDP’S incredibly modest demand of a 14-day mini-sitting to pass a 2020-21 budget that will undoubtedly have a record deficit.
Credit Moe and company for at least finally realizing that this is a very bad time to be seen as arrogant and undemocratic and that’s exactly what government House leader Jeremy Harrison’s proposal of three question periods and eight sitting days was.
Surely the guy also heading the government’s business response team had better things to do than dedicate all his time and energy to screwing over the Opposition over a few days of sitting time?
So petty was Harrison’s approach that it now calls into question whether Moe really wants an accountable budget or whatever his government can get away with before the Oct. 26 vote.
Worse yet, it comes at a time when the government is finding the bullets coming at them from all directions, not the least of which is their own caucus members like Greg Brkich, who raised concerns about the temporary closure of rural hospital emergency rooms.
Again, some credit to Moe for taking responsibility Wednesday (although his mea culpa seemed to gloss over the notion that even temporary ER closures are unnecessary and problematic).
Moe may now be using Wall’s playbook, but more likely it’s being humbled by COVID -19.
The thing is, though, it shouldn’t take a global pandemic for government to recognize the importance of humility.