POLITICAL REPORT CARD
Grading Brad Wall and his cabinet
As any teacher will tell you and as any student knows, there’s always that one test — the one for which the entire class is ill-prepared. Marks go down. The students are upset. Parents are upset. Everyone is demanding a re-test. Unfortunately for Premier Brad Wall and his cabinet members, there are no re-tests in real-world politics. There are only big tests — like the 2017-18 provincial budget that didn’t go well. And when it comes to final June report cards, that poor budget performance is reflected in this year’s cabinet grades, writes Murray Mandryk.
C+ PREMIER BRAD WALL
This is still an above-average premier — the most popular one in Canada, according to the polls.
But that the word “average” now enters any conversation assessing Brad Wall says much about the kind of year he had.
As a political strategist, Wall remained particularly successful at the intergovernmental affairs aspect of his job. He clearly found himself on the right side — or at least, the more popular side — of Saskatchewan’s interests when the carbon tax and pipelines came up. Yet his testy relationship with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t prohibit him from playing a major role in international relations at a critical time of a Donald Trump government.
However, in the past year he has been the architect of two of the worst budgets in Saskatchewan history — the 2016-17 budget with one of the highest deficits and the 2017-18 budget that has been among the most painful.
He also bears responsibility for the under-performing cabinet he constructed.
Last year: B+
C+
DEPUTY PREMIER, LABOUR AND EDUCATION MINISTER DON MORGAN
With an upping of his responsibility came an upping of Don Morgan’s game. He was highly effective in the assembly — a face of government who is respected in caucus and even liked by those who don’t much like the Wall government these days. This is important in tough times.
And compared with his struggles last year, we saw fewer self-inflicted wounds.
The problem is, labour relations remain a mess — although that’s perhaps to be expected when you are the one overseeing the government demanding a 3.5-per-cent wage cut. Education relations aren’t good either, although he did listen on maintaining locally-elected school boards and in back-tracking on planned library cuts.
Last year: D+ As his responsibilities increased, Don Morgan, below, minister of labour, education and deputy premier, raised his game, too. KAYLE NEIS
D+ FINANCE MINISTER KEVIN DOHERTY
He delivered the biggest deficit budget in 2016-17 and one of Saskatchewan’s biggest-ever tax-hike and service cut-filled budgets for 2017-18.
But here is why Doherty’s tenure in finance shouldn’t be considered a complete failure: Notwithstanding record, billiondollar borrowing in 2016-17, the unwillingness of past Sask. Party finance ministers to rein in spending and make tough decisions caused a mess Doherty inherited. And he tackled that debt with tough, true-to-conservative principles like cutting STC. What might be even tougher was hiking the PST.
And Doherty managed to keep his temper in check, generally calmly explaining what he did.
Unfortunately, what he also did was cut corporate taxes, while fighting the deficit through often petty cuts — a weak, weak strategy that should have been avoided.
Last year: B-
D ECONOMY MINISTER JEREMY HARRISON
The kindest thing one can say about Harrison is he was slightly better than his predecessor, Bill Boyd. The less kind, but fully accurate thing you should say is that he became the government’s face of obfuscation, saying there was no wrongdoing in the GTH. Dishonestly portraying NDP MLAs as unwilling to take the 3.5-per-cent wage cut while attempting to mislead the public on how large ministerial wage cuts were (at a time when legislative secretaries were actually getting wage increases) only added to the distrust of the Sask. Party government.
Nor did Harrison ever seem particularly forthright about the performance of the economy — one for which he’s offered little help beyond minor support to the tech industry that seems more about filling vacancies in Saskatoon’s Innovation Place.
Last year: C+
D GOVERNMENT RELATIONS MINISTER DONNA HARPAUER
Her title is government relations. Relations with municipal governments — normally allies of government … or at least neutral — have never been as bad in the Wall era.
The pinnacle of this may have been her meeting with the cities to discuss inappropriate cuts and then proceeding to arbitrarily impose cuts as she saw fit.
She cut grants in lieu to the cities, yet could not explain how grants in lieu work. She threatened to take away municipalities’ right to sue, but had to back down. Harpauer may be Wall’s worst-performing minister.
Last year: C+
C+ HEALTH MINISTER JIM REITER
He failed his last-minute test on appointing six partisans to the new Provincial Health Authority. It took him down half a grade point. Up until Reiter’s appointment of his partisan-laced board, he was doing remarkably well.
The auditor has noted two-forone MRIs haven’t been as successful as the government hoped, but he earns full marks for maintaining his health budget in full in these tough times. He did not receive the credit he deserved for his role in securing the $50-million donation from Jim Pattison for the Children’s Hospital — a move that might very well have saved the project.
Alas, much hinged this year on his provincewide health board — his centrepiece of transformational change. He didn’t get it right.
Last year: B
C RURAL AND REMOTE HEALTH MINISTER GREG OTTENBREIT
Personal health considerations unfairly prevented Ottenbreit from accomplishing all he might have otherwise accomplished. He offers the intangible of being a sincerely likable guy who puts a very pleasant face on government. Unfortunately, his key issues like northern health and mental health services, recruiting rural doctors and placating rural concerns over declining health delivery haven’t changed much.
Last year: C
C+ ENERGY MINISTER DUSTIN DUNCAN
Still an above-average performer who is likely underutilized in the energy portfolio.
Energy ministers have no real control over oil pricing or drilling activity/land lease sales. Oil is $10 US a barrel below what was estimated in the budget, but drilling and land lease sales are doing better. Relations with the oil sector are strong, but Duncan is obviously not solely responsible for that. His handling of the Husky pipeline spill was hit and miss. One should wonder why the energy minister was handling it in the first place.
Last year: B-
C+ JUSTICE MINISTER GORDON WYANT
Another above-average performing minister who comes across as likable and competent.
Credit him for the admission that he was the one who caught the problem of doling out GTH money to an anonymous bidder. Unfortunately, he didn’t do enough on the GTH, and his best legislation advancing the protection of abused women was largely riffing on NDP MLA Nicole Sarauer’s bill.
Justice and correction issues were kept to a minimum, but there were still issues.
Last year: B
D+ ENVIRONMENT MINISTER SCOTT MOE
A Saskatchewan environment minister who spends more time fighting the economic downside of the carbon tax than fighting for the environment. He should have had more of a role in the handling of the Husky pipeline spill, but that likely wasn’t his doing. Some credit for his bill on managing drainage ditch issues, but many argue it could have been tougher.
Last year, C+
B- AGRICULTURE MINISTER LYLE STEWART
Cabinet’s most consistent performer. Stewart has simply proved to be the right person in the right position. He works hard to maintain good stakeholder relations and to present good policy. A perfect case in point: The recent pasture land lease announcement where he listened to farmers. A slight decline because his position needed to be stronger on drainage issues.
Last year: B+
C- SOCIAL SERVICES MINISTER TINA BEAUDRY-MELLOR
If you’re a social services minister telling reporters “I am not a heartless person,” you likely haven’t met expectations.
Yes, her budget went up, but that was largely because of social services usage — not a good thing. Some programs were maintained, but Beaudry-Mellor needed to be a stronger advocate for her stakeholders and ministry. She wasn’t. Case in point: Cuts to funeral expenses for the indigent.
Last year: No grade
C- ADVANCED EDUCATION BRONWYN EYRE
The government tried desperately to hype her as thoughtful, articulate and knowledgeable about her portfolio. Her performance suggested otherwise.
Relations with universities are at a low ebb and her cancellation of NORTEP was neither forthright nor justified. Another minister who didn’t do a good enough job advocating for her ministry.
Last year, No grade
C CROWN INVESTMENT CORP. MINISTER JOE HARGRAVES
Not the greatest communicator, but Hargraves nevertheless gained a reputation as a straightshooter. He was straight forward in explaining the tough decision to shut down STC and didn’t mince words with his displeasure with limo company Carpe Diem’s attempt to portray itself as taking over. Wasn’t quite as successful in his handling of concerns over SGI asset sales, but held his own as a new minister.
Last year: No grade
C
PARKS, RECREATION, CULTURE AND SPORT MINISTER KEN CHEVELDAYOFF
Back in cabinet. His puzzling departure from cabinet was perhaps as surprising as his return. Cheveldayoff needed to be more of an advocate for urban Meewasin and Wascana parks that took a hit. But he remains a strong communicator, a smart political organizer and someone who works well with stakeholders.
Last year: No grade
C- HIGHWAYS MINISTER DAVID MARIT
Highways spending remained solid, but it would under any Sask. Party minister. Provides a bridge to rural stakeholders, but that isn’t a tough assignment in this government … even now. What detracted from his solid debut was the Regina Bypass, for which he took little responsibility.
Last year: No grade
C- CENTRAL SERVICES MINISTER CHRISTINE TELL
Credit her for cancelling Executive Air. However, she is a minister who struggles to understand her ministries. Why we need a separate Central Services Ministry remains a question, but a vastly lightened course load allowed for any improvement in grades.
Last year: DMurray Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post. mmandryk@postmedia.com