Uber social conservatives win long-sought influence in Sask.

Since the founding of the Saskatchewan Party there has always existed festering pockets of resentment toward things like the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission (SHRC).

One of the very first resolutions the Sask. Party passed at its inaugural November 1997 convention was to completely disband the SHRC — established under the NDP in 1972, a quarter-century after Tommy Douglas's government made Saskatchewan the first jurisdiction in North America to pass a bill of rights.

At that first Sask. Party convention 27 years ago, there was an abundance of social conservative ideology — enough to pass the anti-shrc resolution and others calling for chain gangs for prisoners and boot camps for young offenders. (Don't bother to look for those resolutions, though. Just before the 2007 election, then leader Brad Wall had all such resolutions expunged.)

The historical reality of the Sask. Party — one it prefers not to talk about — is that it has always struggled to confine its uber-social conservative element to the corner of that big, free-enterprise party tent it pitched in 1997.

But as recently as 2016, the Wall government gave serious consideration to a law requiring girls under 18 years to have parental consent before having an abortion.

The bigger political problem for the Sask. Party is that such notions were simply not palatable to a majority of Saskatchewan voters — even among those who subscribe to the need for just one free-enterprise party to keep the NDP out of power.

Of course, that was at a time before the Sask. Party started catering to the policies of parties even further to the right.

In this POST-COVID-19 world where rightwing radicalism jumps from social media silo to social media silo, Premier Scott Moe appears to have abandoned any notion of maintaining a somewhat centrist political brand.

Where Wall advocated some level of co-operation with the federal Liberal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Moe's immediate message upon grabbing the Sask. Party leadership six years ago warned “just watch me.”

Where Moe once relied on the medical guidance of chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shabab and the leadership of the Saskatchewan Health Authority to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, he later embraced the `wisdom' of Nadine Ness and the Freedom Convoy organizers.

And where even Moe once consulted with more liberal thinkers in cabinet like Mark Docherty, Tina Beaudry-mellor, Gordon Wyant and Don Morgan, he has elevated Trade and Investment Minister Jeremy Harrison, Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill and Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre, who shepherded the pronoun bill through the legislature last fall.

Those festering pockets of resentment now mingle freely in the Sask. Party tent. Perhaps this is why Eyre has found it necessary to stack the SHRC with Sask. Party partisans on what has always been an independent, non-partisan, quasi-judicial body.

After learning Eyre appointed a Sask. Party candidate to sit on the SHRC, we have now learned that one of her own Sask. Party constituency co-presidents has also been appointed.

These appointments were part of a purge of the SHRC in January that followed the board's sharp criticism of the pronoun mandate and the resignation of well-respected human rights commissioners like Heather Kuttai.

Moe called Kuttai's resignation “perplexing,” but it now seems like just another step in the Sask. Party evolution under his watch.

Notwithstanding warnings of Bill 137's harm from judges, lawyers, teachers, psychologists and others, Eyre insisted the social conservative legislation was necessary to “right the imbalance.”

We all now know what that means, because it's always meant the same thing. We just didn't know this notion was now so all-pervasive in the Saskatchewan Party.

After all, there was a time when the Sask. Party hierarchy actually fought against social conservatives hijacking the party and doing things like disbanding the human rights commission.

Instead, the Sask. Party hierarchy is now hijacking the human rights commission.