Leadership needed in tough times

Editor:

When it comes to financial sacrifice, Brad Wall clearly has no interest in practicing what he preaches.

Wall had no problem saying that he expects “goodwill and good faith” from public sector workers while threatening them with layoffs and pay cuts.

He clearly had no problem telling 251 custodial workers – the lowest-paid government workers – that they’ll be fired as soon as he chooses a contractor to replace them with employees who are paid even less.

But when Wall had a chance to show leadership and integrity by giving up some of his own income, he wanted no part of it.

Wall is now the last premier in Canada to accept a salary top-up from his party. It’s paid out of donations to the Sask Party, meaning that Wall is personally taking money from the corporations and wealthy individuals that his policies benefit.

Wall’s $37,000 “top-up” is about the same as what a full-time government custodian makes in a year. He could give it up and still be making a taxpayer-funded salary of $166,140.

When BC Premier Christy Clark recently stopped accepting her own stipend, Wall was encouraged to do the same. He refused.

Is this the kind of premier we want running our province? One who continues pocketing tens of thousands in corporate donations each year, while throwing hundreds of Saskatchewan workers out of their living-wage jobs?

Don’t be fooled: we’re not all in this together. Wall and his government are exempting themselves from having to make financial sacrifices in tough economic times, despite expecting everyone else to compromise.

Sid Wonitowy – Yorkton