Wall’s inconsistency rather clever

Premier Brad Wall’s views on federal-provincial relations after Justin Trudeau’s election were — putting it mildly — inconsistent.

On Tuesday, Wall described to reporters a very pleasant conversation he had with the federal Liberal leader and prime-minister-designate, in which he offered the younger politician sage wisdom about raising a young family while in public life.

Saskatchewan’s loss of its close ties to Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper were less of an issue, Wall said, because his Saskatchewan Party also has Liberal roots. Moreover the presence of Wascana Liberal MP Ralph Goodale (for whom Wall has a new-found admiration) was a huge plus.

In fact, Wall saw no need for greater access to the new PM through more First Ministers’ conferences.

They become little more than “a race to mic,” Wall noted. Much more often can be solved through “bilateral discussions” (telephone calls to the prime minister, as Harper preferred) out of the public eye.

Besides, premiers generally agree on most issues anyway, like the need to support First Nations.

Wednesday, Wall said he was going to Paris during next month’s United Nations climate summit because premiers were invited at this summer’s premiers’ meeting to a parallel “sub-nation” conference.

Wall said he very much wants to promote Saskatchewan’s clean coal technology in Paris. Also, there is a good possibility that Trudeau (who Wall correctly noted hasn’t yet offered his entire climate view) will consult the Canadian premiers on the country’s national position.

Besides, questions would be asked if he was the only premier who didn’t attend this meeting. And notwithstanding his budget commitment to reduce political travel for which he has been criticized, Wall vowed to keep the costs down.

So where does one begin with these inconsistencies?

Wall campaigned for his friend and local Conservative candidate David Anderson and informed Saskatchewan voters that Stephen Harper’s divisive Tory party was the best choice for this province because of its position on GMOs, pipelines and equalization. And he then suggests he will have no trouble working with Goodale and Trudeau?

Those “bilateral” telephone discussions with Harper were all part of the Harper “one-man show,” as it was known in provincial government circles, in which the PM made all the decisions.

Saskatchewan’s Conservative MPs had little influence, failing to deliver behind the scenes on the railways’ failure to move grain to market, stopping the takeover of PotashCorp by BHP Billiton or forcing Harper to make good on his equalization commitment.

Yet Wall thinks we can still do better by not forcing Trudeau to the public table of First Ministers’ meetings? And on key issues like the Senate or equalization, the notably disagreeable premiers are now all in agreement? On issues like including renewable resources in the equalization formula, which would cost Quebec and Manitoba billions and save Saskatchewan hundreds of millions?

And now, Wall wants to go to the Paris Climate Change Summit even though a large swath of his supporters are global-warming deniers?

Well, as contradictory as all this was, it was also Wall demonstrating pretty formidable political skills.

Consider the value to Wall — and the province as a whole — in establishing a personal relationship with Trudeau, who the premier was careful not to criticize during the election. This is not to suggest his conversation with Trudeau on family matters was not a sincere one. It is to suggest, however, that Wall was wise enough to identify a commonality with Trudeau and to try to develop a personal relationship. It’s what good politicians do.

As for the death of First Ministers’ events, count how few rightwing governments there are right now.

Wall has, and has already calculated the potential of being publicly throttled in the sea of NDP and Liberal First Ministers. (And let us acknowledge there is some validity to the view that such meetings are a race to the mic. In some circumstances, more can likely be accomplished with one-on-one phone calls.)

But it is really his handling of his Paris trip where one sees Wall’s national-level political skills.

By waiting until Trudeau’s election to decide to go to Paris, Wall has somehow sent out the signal to environmental activists that he is finally coming onside in the global warming debate — even if just through the rather specious clean-coal technology.

However, if social media this week was any indication, Wall’s own conservative supporters were more than delighted to hear him say he was ensuring “Saskatchewan’s voice be heard” in Paris.

After all, someone with a little common sense should be there to say that the oil sector needs to be considered at an environmental summit. The right surely can’t count on Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley being that voice.

Ironically, this was the week in which Wall may have finally ended the speculation on him moving to national politics.

But it’s not because he doesn’t have the skills to do so. Amid all his inconsistencies was a display of formidable political skills.