Sunday 16 September 2007

Veil Lifted on Sask. Party Support for Crown Corporations

Joe Kuchta over at the "Owls and Roosters" blog has just written a comprehensive analysis of the Sask. Party's position and their plans to privatize Saskatchewan's Crown Corporations entitled: "Saskatchewan Party support for The Crown Corporations Public Ownership Act misleading; review and legislative changes likely if elected".

The analysis lifts the veil on the Sask. Party's plans and makes a direct connection between the Sask. Party's Official Policy and the hard-right ideology of The Fraser Institute. Remember the Fraser Institute - they think Saskatchewan should eliminate all Crown Corporations, they think Saskatchewan should eliminate workers' constitutional and charter right to democratically form unions, and they think our minimum wage should be reduced - to name just a few things from their "wish list".

Kuchta concludes:

"It appears that the Saskatchewan Party has misled the public on its support of The Crown Corporations Public Ownership Act and continues to do so today.....

.....Again, what the Saskatchewan Party is not telling people is that its support of the Crowns begins and ends with the four major ones with the rest apparently being expendable.

A vote for the Saskatchewan Party is a vote for the Saskatchewan Party Policy Book and a process that could begin the review and dispensing of nearly all of the province’s Crown corporations."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

One should be cautious about conceding the safety of the four major Crowns.

We know unequivocally that the SaskParty, as with all conservative parties, is fundamentally opposed to public ownership as a philosophic concept.

They are also supportive of the market in the control of the private sector as the most significant economic development tool.

Yes. They have said they would protect the major crowns. They have also said otherwise. They have also made it clear that they would not expand the four major Crowns.

There are countless quotes from SaskParty documents supporting each of the above, including from written submissions they have made to the Government.

Their flip flop on all issues coincides interestingly enough with public commentary which suggests that their real position will hurt them electoraly. The Crowns and TILMA are two blatant examples.

The fact that they are recently saying they would not privatize the four major Crowns means nothing.

I would be cautious about giving that new statement any play or any more credence than anything else they say.

Anonymous said...

Oh please larry (X2)

BTW: Hows that hog plant running?

Larry Hubich said...

Which hog plant?