聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 The Saskatchewan legislative sitting begins this week.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 As sittings of the assembly go, it looks like this will be a rather uneventful one.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 There will be no budget until the spring. Even the usually obligatory throne speech (however significant it ever is) isn鈥檛 required.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 And given this is now a third-term government, the desperate need for game-changing legislation isn鈥檛 there.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 (That said, we might see legislation toughening drunk driving laws, and that may spark some controversy.)
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 So one might be led to believe this should be a pleasant little gathering for Premier Brad Wall and his forces and a bit of a victory lap after the craziness of a spring election followed by a throne speech and a budget.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In fact, what controversy we may see this session will likely centre around an issue that really doesn鈥檛 even emerge out of Saskatchewan.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Certainly, Wall has every intention to make this a session about unifying the province against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau鈥檚 $10- to $50-a-tonne new carbon tax.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Notwithstanding the fact that Wall has offered nothing resembling a well-rounded alternative policy to combat greenhouse gas emissions, there is little reason to question his assertion that carbon pricing could cost Saskatchewan.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Even if one accepts the 鈥渞evenue neutral鈥� argument put forward by the federal Liberals who argue their carbon pricing revenue will remain within the province from which it is taken, it still is rather problematic for a province like Saskatchewan which is so dependent on its oil and mining sector.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 How drilling companies might react to such a levy when they might have an option of drilling south of the border is something the Liberal government hasn鈥檛 really answered.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 To this end, Wall has valid reason to re-ask questions about its impact on Saskatchewan jobs.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 These are the points that Wall would clearly like to make the focal point of this session.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But as relevant as the economic concerns of carbon pricing might very well be, it鈥檚 hard to not be somewhat suspicious that one reason Wall wants to make them the province鈥檚 exclusive issues is to deflect from another very real economic reality.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The other very real economic reality is that this is a province 鈥� regardless of whatever financial straits Trudeau鈥檚 new carbon pricing might put us in 鈥� that has its own economic and budget problems that Wall doesn鈥檛 much want to talk about.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We are a province that is clearly reeling from $40- to $50-US-a-barrel oil crisis after experiencing prices nearly $100-US-a-barrel higher.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But we are also a province reeling from the decision to borrow $700 million and $1 billion in the last two budgets to pay for the government鈥檚 aggressive infrastructure plan.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Obviously, the Wall government defends this as a wise plan.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 That said, one seriously doubts there is much interest in the government dwelling on this issue, especially when the consequences of nine years of spending choices are quickly becoming all too evident.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Already, we are seeing the government chip away at so-called marginal programs with many of them impacting the homeless, welfare programs and northern education.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Such cuts aren鈥檛 hitting the Saskatchewan Party鈥檚 core vote, but if this government is to deal with its now-structural deficit it can鈥檛 go on much longer without doing some things that will impact rural voters.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 If everything is on the table, then everything is on the table.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It is this sitting where we may start to see the reality of that hit home.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 After all, we are already hearing rumours that rural MLAs are not exactly overjoyed at the 2017 budget preparation that may soon impact their constituents.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Is it really any wonder that Wall would rather see the focus on Trudeau鈥檚 carbon tax and its impact than his own decisions?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It could be an interesting session, after all.聽
