Climate change holdout
He mourns the loss of jobs in the oilpatch while other premier st out carbon taxes, capand-trade schemes and worldsaving climate change talks in Paris. He encourages the federal government to re- double its security efforts and extend its arbitrary deadlines as the rest of the country embraces warm- and- fuzzy pro- refugee sentiments. He defends the petroleum sector as Alberta promises royalty reviews.
Brad Wall, the premier of Saskatchewan, is the last contrarian standing. But, he insists, “I don’t feel that lonely.”
After every Conservative government was swept from power federally and provincially in the past year, Wall is still standing, a lone but sturdy fence post on a clean, clear patch of freshly seeded farmland.
The Saskatchewan premier is a true ideological conservative, championing free markets and small governments. Polls show he remains Canada’s most beloved premier, even after eight years in power.
In some ways, he is the most potent opposition force in the country, unburdened by the political baggage that had accrued under Stephen Harper and, thus, more powerful even than the official opposition in Ottawa.
No one is expecting any great upset in April, when Saskatchewan heads to the polls. Likewise, few expect the 50- year- old premier from Swift Current to jump to federal politics. For one thing, he cannot speak French fluently, and the Conservative Party as a whole seems to be casting about for a more female, more central Canadian leader.
Besides, Wall seems best able to play the part of the conservative right where he is, a prairie premier, secure in his base, and free to challenge the popular new prime minister.
“I’m just going to stay focused on the job that I have to represent Saskatchewan’s interests in the national context,” he said.
Expect to hear more from him on interprovincial trade, the economy and pipelines. He’s heartened by recent reports Ottawa is taking the downturn in the oilpatch seriously. He would like the petroleum provinces get a little extra help with some of that long- promised infrastructure money as a form of stimulus.
No one is asking for a bailout, he said, but Wall wants to ensure the federal government does no further harm to the badly battered resource sector, whether that harm comes in the form of a national carbon tax, or a poorly timed payroll tax.
And considering the Alberta government seems to have abandoned its traditional role as defender of the energy sector, this is a natural position for Wall. “It’s in the interests of all Canadians, especially in leadership, to stand up for the sector,” he says, “... but we act almost like we’re embarrassed by it and that bothers me a bit given what that sector has done for the economy of this country and our quality of life.”
Under his leadership, Saskatchewan has enjoyed several years of population growth and economic strength. Before the Saskatchewan Party’s ascendance, the province was better known as the place young people left to find better opportunities. It has since become a petri dish of conservative economic principles and the province’s success feeds into Wall’s popularity.
Don’t underestimate his ability to read a right- leaning crowd. He’s an emerging force in national politics and on the hustings.