Sask. Party pillars crumbling at 25-year mark

The Saskatchewan Party should be celebrating this summer; the coalition between Liberals and Progressive Conservatives took place with the swapping of party colours 25 years ago.

But the silver anniversary of the August

1997 union of four PC MLAS and four Liberals seems to be having no dampening effect on the mounting efforts of the opposition to try to diminish the governing party's dominance.

The NDP is engaged in a leadership race, albeit a remarkably quiet one, clearly because the party feels it might have a better crack at power in 2024 than it would with outgoing leader Ryan Meili.

The Liberals seem rejuvenated under Jeff Walters, and right-wingers are attempting to form a new political party to build on the surprise success of the Buffalo Party in 2020.

One of the new party wannabes, the Saskatchewan United Party, is actively trying to acquire the 2,500 signatures needed to register officially as a party.

Many questions remain about this entity, which welcomed a Twitter endorsement on Sunday from former NHLER Theo Fleury, who now shares far-right conspiracy theories. Fleury's message: “There's a swamp in Saskie let's drain it.”

The party has posted a video to promote itself in which only one of three people is fully identified.

Regardless, sharks of disparate ideologies seem to be sniffing Saskatchewan Party blood in the water.

The original concept behind the party — to unite the Liberals and the PCS to try to break the dominance of the NDP — has proved a smashing success. All the other parties were crushed by the new coalition; the government has been re-elected three times with more than 60 per cent of the vote.

It's also a strategy that has proven doomed to collapse in Canadian politics. No tent is big enough to hold all folks with different beliefs.

That could well be happening now. Premier Scott Moe's handling of the pandemic has been panned from all sides, including those who favoured a safe, science-based approach and those who wanted a strategy that emphasized personal freedom.

Few appear satisfied, least of all those who lost loved ones.

But some of the key Saskatchewan Party pillars are beginning to crumble, too.

The party has long boasted about its record on growth, particularly in population. But Saskatchewan has mostly stagnated over the last five years, near the bottom in Canada for growth. Rural areas and smaller communities are declining.

The Saskatchewan Party has also portrayed itself as pro-business and favouring low taxes. But it keeps expanding the provincial sales tax, including in the most recent budget, which added PST to gym memberships and tickets for concerts and sporting events. That expansion will hinder sectors that are struggling to recover amid the pandemic. And, unlike many provinces, Saskatchewan's government has steadfastly refused to provide a break at the gas pump amid soaring inflation.

This government takes pride in economic management, but it last balanced the budget in 2015 and now projects more than a decade without a balanced budget. The pandemic played a role, but the deficits began before COVID.

Gross domestic product declined in the province for five of the last seven years, according to Statistics Canada. The GDP fell in one Canadian province last year: Saskatchewan.

Last year's drought was a factor, but a government that revels in taking credit for good economic times cannot run from blame during bad times. Agriculture, coupled with forestry and fishing and hunting, accounts for less than 10 per cent of the province's GDP, so it's reasonable to ask why the economy is not better insulated against turbulence.

Taxes are rising, the economy is struggling, a balanced budget is a dream for the future and population growth is stalling. That's a readymade campaign ad, regardless of political stripe.

Then there's health care, which perpetually ranks atop voters' concerns. It's seen as suffering, a condition punctuated by the departure of Saskatoon ICU Dr. Hassan Masri, who blasted Moe on his way out the door.

A muted 25th anniversary celebration would fit better than popping champagne.