Moe's throne speech so utterly out of touch
Immediately after Lt.- Gov. Russ Mirasty declared in Monday's speech from the throne “my government's top priority during this session and in the coming weeks will continue to be working to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” he outlined the Saskatchewan Party government's priorities:
“Beginning tomorrow, Saskpower will reduce electricity charges by 10 per cent for one year,” he said.
And then: “The first bill introduced in this assembly will create a new Saskatchewan Home Renovation Ta Credit. Homeowners will be able to claim a 10.5-per-cent tax credit on up to $20,000 of eligible home renovation expenses incurred between Oct. 1, 2020 and Dec. 21, 2022.”
Why not? What says “fighting an out-of-control pandemic is our top priority” more than inviting three or four strangers into your home to install plumbing and new marble kitchen countertops?
Heck, why not also take them out to a bar, restaurant, casino ... maybe for a game of bingo.
Let's just ignore the reality that since Oct. 1 (when this vote-buying giveaway to fix up your self-isolation unit retroactively applies), we've had a 355-per-cent increase in COVID-19 cases (8,564 Monday from 1,927), a 1,677-per-cent spike in hospitalizations (123 as of Monday compared with seven) and a 96-per-cent increase in deaths (24 compared with 47).
On the idea of protecting health and the economy, Monday's throne speech said: “We can, and will, do both.”
If it wasn't so utterly tone deaf, disingenuously dishonest and somewhat threatening (“and will, do both”), Monday's throne speech might have come off as great comic relief for our stay-athome listeners.
As noted by The Canadian Press's Stephanie Taylor, large elements of Monday's throne speech were simply lifted, almost verbatim, from Premier Scott Moe's April 23 provincewide televised address to slowly reopen the economy. Anyone remember those carefree days before Saskatchewan COVID-19 cases rose by 2,487 per cent?
Has the government forgotten that it is talking about setting up field hospitals?
Has it not heard the stories from ICU doctors that they might have to follow the lead of Alberta and start rationing grandma's oxygen?
In fairness to Moe and his Sask. Party government, throne speeches seldom serve as touchstones to the realities of the day.
Generally a vacuous exercise in blue-skying, it can be argued Monday's 20-page speech didn't waver much from tradition. Moreover, even if it was just repeating one's self because one has simply run out of more meaningful things to say (note this coming from a daily newspaper columnist) thanking people for their sacrifices bears repeating.
Similarly, one normally expects a government coming off an election win to commit to a schedule of campaign promise implementation. Alas, a problem: Nothing in 2020 is normal.
Even if neither Moe nor the NDP understood at the time that their campaign promises were out of touch, surely Moe now gets voters aren't stupid or selfish and understand saving a few bucks on their monthly power bill is less important than making sure seniors are safe in personal care homes or kids are safe in schools.
Surely, someone within the brain trust of Moe's inner political circle recognizes this is not a year ago, or nine months ago when they were stupidly toying with the idea of an April election or even five weeks ago just after the election win.
Times have changed. This throne speech needed to be different. For Moe to continue to keep doing the same thing is now borderline dangerous.
Yes, dangerous. After the throne speech, Moe hinted in the legislature's rotunda that current restrictions already not working might be removed by Christmas.
As Moe watches malls and box stores crowded with Christmas shoppers and sees daily case COVID-19 cases and deaths rise, surely he understands now is not the time to send signals we can be lax?
Surely, Moe gets he just can't be seen to be following the counsel of the handfuls of yahoos protesting masks and shutdowns in front of the legislature.
There again, after Monday's throne speech, it's hard to guess what he and his government understand.