Wall taking credit for NDP’s hard work

As Brad Wall departs politics, once again we are told he has brought about “a decade of growth.” Of course, this is coupled with a description of how everything was bad under the previous NDP government. Let us review the facts.

When Mr. Wall was running to become premier in 2007, he said, “Elect me to manage the boom.” He himself acknowledged that he inherited a booming economy, not to mention money in the bank, from the NDP.

Population statistics from Statistics Canada show the population trend line which brought Saskatchewan’s population to 1.2 million began a year before Mr. Wall took office, and he benefitted from that as well.

The oil royalties, potash royalties, corporate income tax and reformed personal income tax systems which contributed to our stronger economy were all put in place by NDP governments and very few changes were made by the Wall government. The heavy lifting to restructure the taxation system was already done.

Let’s thank Mr. Wall for his public service and for any of his accomplishments. Building the Saskatchewan economy all by his lonesome is not one of them.

He can take full credit, however, for big deficits, public debt and heartless cuts, which are hurting vulnerable people. Let’s call a spade a spade.

Ruben Peters, Saskatoon