Sask. Party must put province ahead of its own conservatism

Politicians are often judged by the company they keep … or in the case of Export and Trade Development Minister Jeremy Harrison, by the company he chose not to keep.

Why Saskatchewan’s export and trade minister would blow off a national meeting about trade is a little baffling.

But it’s not as baffling as why Harrison would argue jobs for local tradesmen on public projects are less of a priority than trade agreements that exist only to help secure jobs for Saskatchewan workers.

However, none of this is as baffling as Premier Scott Moe being more interested in hanging around Ontario Premier Doug Ford these days than doing most anything else. Notwithstanding their similar views on the federal carbon tax, attaching the Saskatchewan Party government to anything in Ontario — let alone the Ford brand and all its accompanying baggage — seems a peculiar choice for Moe.

The rather simple explanation is that Saskatchewan’s government is caught up in the conservative politics of the right. And for a party that’s been arguably more successful than any in the history of our province (at least, based on general-election popular vote) this is something that it needs to rectify.

The Saskatchewan Party’s priority needs to be the first word of its very own name — not its own conservative politics.

For the second time in two weeks, Moe met with Ford. Ostensibly, it was to talk about Ontario- Saskatchewan trade relations, but the centrepiece joint news conference was about little more than bolstering antifederal-carbon-tax sentiments that are already evident in the political base of both premiers.

To be fair, it is natural Moe would seek out allies from elsewhere to oppose what is clearly a national issue. But is Toronto really the best place to stand up for Saskatchewan farmers? Was anything more accomplished on either trade or the carbon tax than what he heard two weeks ago when Ford came to Saskatoon? Besides political points, what was gained by Moe flying to Toronto at taxpayers’ expense to stand beside Ford as he blustered on about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “complete scam” to “buy votes”?

There is a good argument that Saskatchewan needs strong allies in this carbon-tax fight, but this province would be so much better served by aligning with economists or others, rather than the blustery conservative politicians in the country.

There was also a time when the Sask. Party was still a coalition of Progressive Conservatives, Reformers and Liberals whose priority was: (First) what’s good for Saskatchewan, and; (second) everything else, including its own conservative politics.

Sure, the Sask. Party always provided a right-wing slant on what it believed was good for Saskatchewan. But as per former premier Brad Wall’s 2010 national campaign to lobby a federal Conservative government against the BHP Billiton takeover of Potashcorp., the old Sask. Party government also delivered on the notion of “Standing up for Saskatchewan” separate from the politics. (Although some will note the exception of Wall caving on holding Stephen Harper to his 2006 equalization promise.)

Unfortunately, this Ford/moe dog-and-pony show (soon to be joined by Jason Kenney from Alberta, as Moe notes) reeks of pure partisan politics. And so does Harrison’s decision to join Ontario in boycotting last week’s interprovincial-trade meeting with federal Internal Government Affairs and Internal Trade Minister Dominic Leblanc.

Harrison called the meeting “ad hoc”, “political” and “partisan” — ironic, considering such criticisms are coming from Jeremy Harrison. But who was being partisan here?

The Leader-post’s D.C. Fraser learned Saskatchewan was informed of the meeting on Oct. 5, registered to attend Oct. 18 and pulled out on Oct. 23. Ad hoc? Last-minute? More political than, say, the Ford/moe meetings? When you start to catch politicians playing transparent politics games, you begin to question other notions like Harrison’s argument that freer trade trumps legitimate concerns from union pipefitters over procurement practices costing them work.

After all, Sask. Party conservative politics seems to be trumping most everything else of late.