Saskatchewan Becomes a Have Province

[Reverend Blair]

It took a while, but the Saskatchewan finally repaired the economic damage done by the Progressive Conservative Devine government of the 1980's and the province is now a have province.

The status is dependent on oil prices at this time, but if wheat prices improve and the BSE crisis is solved, even a drop in oil prices will not end the province's status as a have province. Saskatchwan has been diversifying its economy for years and now has growing technology and manufacturing sectors, as well as traditional agriculture and resource-based sectors such as oil and potash.

The NDP government has been working toward this goal since Roy Romanow first came to power and has continued to carefully manage its fiscal situation under Lorne Calvert.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

I take it then, Reverend, that you're at least somewhat sympathetic to what's usually called the political left in this country? I've lived in Saskatchewan most of my life, except for brief periods in Ontario and Alberta as a student, and there's no place else in this country, or the world, I'd rather be. I've spent enough time in Manitoba to know that I could cheerfully live there too (love Winnipeg, great place to visit) but Saskatchewan will always be home to me. Familiar places, familiar people, most of my family is here, the big sky and the clean air and water, a sane and civilized place to raise my children...

Saskatchewan's always been a Have province to me, in terms of the things I value most. I could have made a lot more money with my skills and knowledge (computers, networking, telecommunications) if I'd gone to Alberta, but I chose not to. Last spring I went on a fly-in fishing trip in Saskatchewan's north, and we were dipping water out of the lakes we were fishing in and drinking it. It was clear and cold and wonderful. Where else in the world can you put a cup over the side of a boat and drink the water you're floating on?

I AM CANADIAN! I'm not proud of that, it's just an accident of birth that put me here and pride doesn't enter into it, but I'm really pleased about it.

Dex

 

[Reverend Blair]

I take it then, Reverend, that you're at least somewhat sympathetic to what's usually called the political left in this country?

You might say that. :wink: :lol:

I was born and raised (mostly) in Saskatchewan too, Dexter. I still have a ton of family there and go back to visit whenever I can.

I kind of ended up in Winnipeg by accident...I came here to go to school and ended up married and owning a house. Mrs. Rev likes it here, so we stay

The thing about Saskatchewan is that I was there when Devine was trying to sell the province off. I moved away before he got booted out office and members of his government started getting sent to prison. The province was was in the black when Devine came to power, it had the best roads in Canada, medical care was better than most provinces, the cost of living wa reasonable, education was above average. After he left, the province was deeply in debt and everything was falling apart. It didn't look like Saskatchewan would ever be a have province.

That it became a have province, has paid down its debt, and has done so without the huge manufacturing base that Ontario has and with only a tiny portion of Alberta's oil wealth speaks to some very careful management. That it has done so despite recent droughts, low wheat prices, and the BSE crisis shows exactly how far it has come.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

Yeah, I was here in the Devine years too, and watched in horror as he and his right-wing ideologues dismantled and sold off so much of our assets it damn near bankrupted the province while enriching his friends. Frankly, I have little but contempt for most of the contemporary political right. Joe Clark may be the last real Tory in the nation, since Dalton Camp passed on. I was delighted to see so many of Devine's colleagues end up in the slammer. And vastly amused to see what got them there: small-scale misuse of public funds, buying unauthorized things with their communication allowances, pissant stuff like that. Could it be any clearer? It was the crimes of stupid people in positions of power.

 

[passpatoo]

This is great news for progressives.

I've tried debating with some folks on a local discussion board how a left wing party would be better and against the conservatives. The other members ofthe discussion board all try to speak against the NDP, because of things such as "Ray Days" back in the '80's etc. What these folks tend to keep forgeting is the financial situation that was handed to him. Even now, Dalton and the Liberals are getting a bum rap due to the mismanagement by our previous PC gov't. Memories are short.

In the lead up to the US election, I remember reading that the US economy has traditionally (or consistantly) done better when the Democrats were in power. This makes me wonder if there are any similar statistics for us.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Saskatchewan Becomes

I know Manitoba has done better under the NDP than they did under Filmon, Passpatoo. When the conservatives here get mad, they generally end up pointing at Bob Rae in Ontario or going all the way back to the final days of the Pawley (sp?) government.

If memory serves correctly the NDP in BC have done no worse, and arguably much better, than conservatives in the province whether those conservatives have been under the guise of so-creds or Campbell's "Liberals".

If you want some hard data, you might try the Babble section of Rabble.ca. There are a lot of posters there from within the NDP and they generally know where to find the hard data.

 

[grimy]

First of all Dexter, it's great that you're proud to be a Canadian - but I must ask if in fact it's becomming more and more difficult to maintain that stance as it seems to me there is a serious erorsion or what Canadian values were, are and are supposed to be.

When the conservatives here get mad, they generally end up pointing at Bob Rae in Ontario or going all the way back to the final days of the Pawley (sp?) government.

Just how would you know what Conservatives do when they get mad. Are you in fact a closet Conservative ever leaning just a little to the right all the way from your extreme left? Wouldn't surprise me at all actually.

Ontario was in such dire straits after the Liberal Peterson gov't they made the huge mistake as they'll admit today and voted in the assinine NDP something that had never been done before. You have to give them full marks for giving everyone a go at maintaining and improving the status quo. Much to their chagrin however, they discovered that not only were the NDP useless, they were also like most other parties inasmuch as they promised much and delivered next to nothing.

So Bobby Ray took the fall and so he should have. He did nothing. Accomplished nothing other than higher taxes, a reducing population akin to what Quebec experienced when 101 came in and business that was taxed into extinction.

So tell me again the highlights of the NDP in Ontario, or anywhere else for that matter.

For the record, I happen to believe the NDP is a warranted albeit fairly useless party unless they admit to their function as the social conscience of government. That, they are good at. Anything else - hold onto your wallets.

 

[Reverend Blair]

ust how would you know what Conservatives do when they get mad.

Because I talk to them, Grimy. Many are quite reasonable, others start screaming about Bob Rae in an attempt to drown the fact that the NDP have an overall record of being at least as fiscally responsible as conservative governments.

Are you in fact a closet Conservative ever leaning just a little to the right all the way from your extreme left? Wouldn't surprise me at all actually.

I have no idea what that means. I'm guessing that it means nothing at all though.

I don't know where you're from, Grimy. You don't seem to know much about the NDP though and your attack on Bob Rae kind of proves my point. Saskatchewan, under three consecutive NDP governments, has managed to get back to where they were before Grant Devine and his Conservatives took over the province. Manitoba is doing far better under Gary Doer and the NDP than it ever did under Filmon and his Conservatives.

Bob Rae is not in power and hasn't been for quite some time. The groundwork he laid is quite arguably responsible for the economic boom that followed. I've had some quite conservative Ontarian business people say that, but they'll only say it in private.

 

[MarkMayner]

B.C did horrible under the NDP. A major reason for this is that not everything should be unionized.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Saskatchewan Becomes

BC is not Saskatchewan

 

[Andygal]

I live in BC, the NDP did a lot of damage in the 90's.

But I support NDP policies and will vote for them in the next federal election.

Just because ONE provinical NDP party screwed up doesn't mean they all will. And I like what Mr. Layton has being doing recently. I like it a lot, Mr. Layton's coduct was what caused me to make the final choice to support them. I was very pleased with it.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Saskatchewan Becomes

Layton has done very well. I voted against him for the leadership, but he's shown himself to be very capable.

Whenever anybody mentions the excellent job the NDP have done in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, you'll find some Conservative trying to denigrate it some way, Andy. In this case he had to dig up a thread that hadn't been posted in for five months.

 

[Andygal]

You're a member of the NDP? Cool, didn't realise that Rev.

I've noticed that conservatives tend to be very good at beating dead horses over left-wing corruption and forgetting totally about the corrupt nature of certain right-leaning governments. Not to mention they make the mistake of forgetting that the NDP in BC or example, are not the same as the NDP in other provinces or the federal NDP, so they use the bad things that happened in BC to attempt to accuse the NDP elsewhere of being fiscally irresponsible and such.

 

[Derry McKinney]

RE: Saskatchewan Becomes

If you like the NDP you should join too, Andygal. You can do it at the NDP website. If you want to join another party then go to that site.

 

[peapod]

Are you a member of the NDP party derry??

 

[Derry McKinney]

RE: Saskatchewan Becomes

That I am.

 

[Ocean Breeze]

Re: RE: Saskatchewan Becomes

Sask. Trivia :

Girl guide cookies were "invented" started in this province. Just watched an interesting documentary about Sask..... a province that does not get the recognition it deserves. Seems they have also been VERY resourceful in dealing with the border closing to beef. More power to them.

One major realization that has taken place in CA. Don't put all your trade in one basket. International community is out there and available for some excellent trade.