Sask. Party’s hubris got in the way of its fall sitting agenda

The Saskatchewan Party’s absolutely worst question period answer may have been its best ... which tells you much about the struggles of the governing party during the fall sitting.

It came on the third-last day of the fall sitting that ended Thursday — a sitting that started out brimming with ambitious promise, like a new law exposing violent predators in domestic relationships, historic changes to trespassing laws, safer travel due to mandatory semi-truck training, and a long-overdue apology to those who were ripped from their families as babies and raised in a foreign culture.

That even such issues could become tainted by the tone and perceived lack of sincerity of Sask. Party government ministers says much about why they would struggle mightily with much bigger problems like the Regina bypass and Global Transportation Hub (GTH).

Notwithstanding a new leader and premier who absolutely reeks of humbleness, this is a government whose ministerial answers this fall usually caused more suspicion and doubt.

So imagine how taken aback everyone was Tuesday when we heard Sask. Party Advanced Education and Status of Women Minister Tina Beaudry-mellor essentially admit she didn’t know how a problem happened, but that it was wrong and needed to be fixed. Its content implies a bad answer. But as a sincere Sask. Party response, it was a breath of fresh air. That issue was the appointment of Vince Natomagan to the board of Northlands College, notwithstanding his lengthy criminal record of assault dating back to 1989, including a guilty plea (two weeks after his Northlands appointment) to assault causing bodily harm and uttering threats in relation to an August domestic violence incident.

And, oh yes, Natomagan was also a prospective 2016 Sask. Party candidate, who withdrew on the eve of his nomination for unspecified reasons.

Political parties screen candidates for criminal records, yet Saskatchewan governments appointing people to boards to spend taxpayers’ money don’t have the same criminal record check process you have to go through to drive your neighbour’s kid home from school.

Confronted with all this, Beaudry-mellor offered the very best response we’ve seen from a Sask. Party minister in quite some time: sincere contrition and actual ministerial responsibility and apologies for this having happened under her watch. By the next day, Natomagan was gone from the board.

It was what the public should expect from government, yet other Sask. Party players almost messed this one up as well.

Rather than choosing to shut up and listen in the assembly Tuesday when NDP MLA Carla Beck was rattling off Natomagan’s lengthy rap sheet with violence-against-women offences, Trade and Export Minister Jeremy Harrison used his lengthy parliamentary experience — which he invariably works into conversations — to holler at Speaker Mark Docherty to shut down the line of questioning because it was in the context of a political nomination. Docherty — in his own worst moment in this sitting, which included dropping an f-bomb — tried to do so, but the NDP persisted. Eventually, it was a mortified Beaudry-mellor who righted the issue by taking responsibility and fixing it. Contrast Beaudry-mellor’s response with the smug, condescending and self-serving responses from other Sask. Party ministers during this sitting and what you are left with is the classic problem of a third-term government that’s losing touch with the people who elected them. Too often, they are providing political responses rather than real ones.

It’s a gift to Leader Ryan Meili and his NDP Opposition, which hasn’t exactly been stellar this session, either. While the NDP’S new-found aggression has sometimes served it well, moves like Beck’s unfounded and irrelevant accusations on Thursday that Natomagan was a Beaudry-mellor leadership supporter demonstrate there is capacity for political pettiness on both sides. (Rightly, Beck was told to apologize and did so.)

But this is a bigger problem for the Sask. Party, because humble accountability is an absolute necessity in government.

This sitting, the Sask. Party government instead let its hubris get in the way of what should have been a good agenda. Mandryk is the political columnist for the Leader-post.