Even though the writ has not been dropped yet, Crown corporations and other agencies that have anything to do with the provincial government have been pulling away from anything that resembles public exposure lately. Anticipatory reaction is rather amusing.
While it appears as if the Brad Wall-led Saskatchewan Party is prepared to run roughshod over the less-prepared New Democratic Party to gain a second full majority, the only question that remains in most political pundits' minds is how large will this majority be?
Some are suggesting that it could be a blow-out with as many as 50 of the province's 58 seats being claimed by Wall and his team.
That prediction might seem a little too ambitious, especially since the official campaign hasn't even begun, but to date we have observed how the Sask. Party has enjoyed a pretty fruitful four-years with only a few speed bumps hampering their progress on the road to prosperity.
At the same time, it has become quite apparent the NDP and its leader, Dwain Lingenfelter just haven't resonated with the general public. They appear to be old, tired and angry, and that doesn't bode well for any party that finds itself in opposition on the Saskatchewan political scene.
While the Saskatchewan Party has proved to be excellent spenders of provincial resource revenues, they have yet to prove themselves as true fiscal conservatives, but so far, the NDP have not capitalized on that fact.
In particular, the NDP have probably not gained many new friends in the Estevan constituency with their recently released energy/environmental policies that pretty well eliminate coal as a fuel-source for the future. Party loyalists and their leader will no doubt provide a regional argument to lend lame support for coal while campaigning in the south, but will more likely emit different sounding words as they roll across the central and more northern parts of the province where they stand a chance of gaining or retaining a few seats.
The NDP have attempted to strike a chord on the potash royalty review and rent control files, but so far their efforts have mostly elicited yawns from the electorate.
On the other hand, the Sask. Party hasn't had to raise much awareness for anything drastically new. They're in the passing lane and rolling right along with their only real enemy being a potential lack of focus. They merely have to ensure that a good majority of their supporters decide to show up to vote on Nov. 7. They set their mandate months ago and for those of us who look at their map from time-to-time, we simply see more of the same which really hasn't been such a bad thing for the past three years.
Oh sure, we'd like to see a few more savings and debt repayments and a little more attention being paid to details, but they are just that ... details, not major potholes.
Yes, we want a twinned highway and yes, they could do a better job of managing acute health care systems by bargaining a little more enthusiastically with the pharmaceutical manufacturers, and yes, the educational administration and funding reshuffle has exposed some significant flaws, but for the most part, this province is riding the crest of resource riches. We have what others want and that puts Wall and company in a pretty good position.
But we emit a cautionary note here. We say all this a few days in advance of the official start of the 2011 campaign. Things could change in a finger snap during a short campaign. We learned that lesson from the recent federal election. Nothing is for sure.
Will Wall be back as premier? Will Lingenfelter be looking for a different job in December? Their fate is in your hands.
