Is your family in Saskatchewan better off today then it was 10 years ago?
This question is easy to answer for me – YES. Not everyone would agree and I wish them well in the next 10 years. Of course, we should first consider in what context “better off” means before we make any knee-jerk reactions.
I’m speaking in the context of better off as it relates to the role of our provincial government. My belief is that provincial governments do not exist to make me: happy, more confident, less dependent on drugs or booze, manage the economy, run businesses in competition with the private sector, find me a job, go to school, take care of my children or use common sense.
In my opinion the role of provincial government should be to provide basic services in a financially responsible manner. These services include road infrastructure, public safety, public education, public health, facilitation of provincial free trade and stewardship of our natural resources. This list is not exhaustive and has expanded over the years as people demand more services with the intent of using other people’s money to fund the services or to fund the services with debt. The following quote from Voltaire may be appropriate.
In general, the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.
—Voltaire, 1764
This seems rather true in the context of our federal government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. There is an insatiable demand for public services and our federal leader appears to be satisfied to meet the demands by taking from others or using public debt. Sadly, another topic for another day.
In Saskatchewan, in the last 10 years, we have received leadership from Premier Brad Wall and I want to congratulate him on his current retirement from politics. I have valued good leadership of various political stripes over the years – Roy Romanow, provincial NDP and Paul Martin, federal Liberal to name just two, although, I must say the list is not long.
Brad Wall brought an attitude change in this province that helped move a good number of people out of our “1930’s” mentality. The old mentality told us to be careful and not venture out into new possibilities. Of course, there were some people who overcame this on their own, but sadly, many had to leave Saskatchewan to achieve their goals and attain greatness elsewhere. The new attitude that Brad Wall instilled was that we could be better and we could create jobs and we could increase our population and be economically better off.
Brad Wall was not perfect and I disagreed with some of the people around him who did not conduct themselves in a manner befitting public office. Guess what, this has happened before and will happen again because government is basically inefficient and as some people come to the trough of power they seem to eat in excess.
Brad Wall’s detractors will say that we still had deficits under his command. Considering the economic slump in 2008 – 2009 and the precipitous decline in commodity prices, he did alright. If you check the following website, provided by The Canadian Taxpayers Federation, you will find that Saskatchewan has the lowest public debt in Canada.
The cumulative debt is still far too large for my liking and yet there is a loud group of people wanting more services with no rational way of paying for the services. You can’t have it both ways. More services require a way to pay for them. This will be the continued challenges for future provincial governments.
I believe Brad Wall’s tenure as Premier has been good for our province. Did your children have to leave Saskatchewan in the last 10 years to work in Alberta or British Columbia? Do you know of people who came home in the last 10 years because there are now meaningful jobs here for them? I know in our business we had three CPA’s came home from Alberta after having had to go to Alberta to find work. Can you imagine what this has meant to them and their families.
Both our sons live and work in Saskatchewan and I could not have envisioned this before 2007. We do not take for granted the ability to see them, go out for lunch or supper together or just talk face to face at any time we choose. In Saskatchewan, prior to 2007, our best exports were our people. Just ask the people around you.
I think the 10% plus growth in the Saskatchewan population speaks to a changed attitude and an economic improvement under Brad Wall’s leadership. We can now celebrate success in Saskatchewan and do not have to apologize for it.
Brad Wall is a cheerleader for the province and has a good sense of what it means to live, work and run a small business here with the support of government. I think you will be missed.
Brad Wall, I do not know you; however, thank you and all the best in your next ventures!
My second cup is now empty………………………….
Well said!