It’s a new world of politics with Meili versus Moe

We resume the second sitting of the 28th Saskatchewan legislature Monday in what now seems to be an alternate universe. Well, perhaps not a completely alternate universe.

A completely alternate universe would have NDP Leader Ryan Meili serving as premier and Scott Moe as opposition leader — a scenario that the collective imaginations of Stan Lee, Gene Roddenberry and Rod Serling likely couldn’t envision.

So let us instead restrict our imaginations to the still-improbable scenario of today’s Saskatchewan politics:

The unlikely ascent to the premier’s office by Moe, who wasn’t even viewed as a potential successor when former Saskatchewan Party leader and premier Brad Wall announced his retirement seven months ago; and the success of the twice-previously rejected Meili, who was not so long ago thought to be too left-wing to become NDP and Opposition leader.

The twilight zone? Maybe not. To boldly go where no man (again, female leadership candidates were eliminated or, in the case of the NDP, non-existent) has gone before? Not quite. Expect a lot of the same old fights over carbon taxes and favours to big business and corporate friends that have surely been heard in the Saskatchewan legislature before.

But if Meili versus Moe isn’t quite the upside down of Saskatchewan politics, it surely is one of the stranger things we have seen in awhile. And how each performs this spring sitting may say much about where each of their respective parties are headed.

The first challenge for Moe is replacing the gregarious Wall — a polished, political persona who can charm a gaggle of grumpy reporters in the rotunda outside the legislative chamber and then spin a spell in a speech inside the chamber.

And then there are the problems Moe has inherited from Wall, which include the pending results of the RCMP investigation/Manitoba public prosecutions decision on any criminal charges stemming from the Global Transportation Hub, and a disastrous 2017-18 budget that may very well lead into a potentially even-worse 2018-19 budget to be delivered April 10. On Friday we saw a 7,800 or 1.4-per-cent reduction in Saskatchewan jobs in February compared with a year earlier.

Certainly, Moe hasn’t made the budget situation much better with his leadership promises to restore $30 million in education funding and cut the provincial sales tax on agriculture, health and life insurance that were both hit in this year’s budget. Wisely, Moe and his team have avoided emulating and may have even learned from Wall’s end-of-term problems. For example, Moe has taken a gentle, exceedingly open and accessible approach to reporters — an approach Wall somewhat abandoned.

It makes sense. Moe preached a “team” approach during his low-key leadership campaign that seemed to befit his personality. In that vein, one might expect him to hand off issues to ministers more than the mercurial Wall did, although his more even demeanour (compared with Wall) may be more of an asset than some think.

What will be closely examined is how much heat the soft-spoken Meili might be able to create.

Beyond the fact that Meili’s approach seems more cerebral than fiery, it may be unwise for Meili to come out a-blazin’ with an agenda that some are already seeing as too radical — especially in places like rural Saskatchewan, where the NDP badly lack support.

It would make for a strangely quiet, congenial legislature — something beyond imagination. Alas, there’s no guarantee this will happen.

Meili must also establish his own public persona, and has the added requirement of building solidarity in caucus. One way to do so would be to forcefully define Moe and the Sask. Party as the enemy, which would appease the NDP base — especially those who supported him because they wanted something different.

But that doesn’t seem to be Meili’s style, either. And judging by his measured responses on everything from carbon tax implementation, to his olive branches to caucus members, to now saying he may accept donations from unions and business, it doesn’t sound as if he’s advocating disruption and confrontation.

A quiet Saskatchewan legislature? That would be out of this world.