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Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Brad Wall is serious about free enterprise, and isn’t afraid to invite libertarians into his cabinet
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said Tuesday he is assuming responsibility over the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs. The ministry, formerly the responsibility of MLA Bill Boyd, will now be part of Executive Council.
"This change reflects the critical importance of Saskatchewan's growing relationships internationally and with our partners in Confederation," Wall said.
Wall is essentially taking over the responsibility of selling Saskatchewan’s new free enterprise political climate within Canada and globally. He also announced that Enterprise Minister Ken Cheveldayoff will also serve as Minister responsible for Trade, representing the Premier at meetings of trade ministers.
"We must continue to develop other markets for Saskatchewan products within North America but especially off-continent," Wall said. "I will be relying on Minister Cheveldayoff to help provide leadership on this file."
The U.S. market currently accounts for 63 per cent of Saskatchewan’s export business.
Wall is aggressively positioning the province as a business-friendly jurisdiction, while Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach, by contrast, is under fire for the New Royalty Framework which critics say will permanently damage the province’s energy sector, once a source of high paying jobs.
By all appearances, Wall seems dedicated to revitalizing Saskatchewan’s economy, which will create opportunities at home for many young Saskatchewanians who in the past have been forced to look to Alberta and elsewhere for jobs.
Further evidence of Wall’s free enterprise orientation can be found in Friday’s announcement of changes to the provincial cabinet that included the appointment of libertarian MLA Jeremy Harrison to Minister of Municipal Affairs. Harrison’s well known commitment to personal and economic liberty is seen as an asset to Wall, or, at the very least, not seen as a liability.
Compare Harrison’s success in Wall’s administration to libertarian Scott Reid’s lack of success in Harper’s administration and you get some insight into where these two conservative leaders are going. Elected in 2000, Reid has not been invited into Harper’s cabinet and continues to serve as Deputy House Leader despite his expertise in constitutional matters and a broad range of policy issues -- and despite his strong personal relationship with Harper.
Look to Saskatchewan for long term economic growth, and to Brad Wall as the future of Canada's conservative movement.
(Picture: Brad Wall)
Posted by Matthew Johnston
Posted by westernstandard on June 3, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
Let's hope SK continues to see the kind of growth that will get the attention of the rest of the country.
Posted by: TM | 2009-06-03 3:45:45 PM
Let's hope it lasts. People in Saskatoon are seem to be excited about electing a new NDP fraudster in chief.
Alleged fraudster, of course.
Or should I say 'cleared'.
Posted by: K Stricker | 2009-06-03 4:59:40 PM
Sask. seems like the place to be to catch the next economic wave. Wall is no small part of that momentum.
Posted by: voltaire's bastard | 2009-06-03 6:12:37 PM
I hope it lasts too, but you know the line about hoping in one hand...
What's up with this dry weather? I was at Sask. Landing today, and Deifenbaker lake looks like the Bay of Fundy, at low tide. When you get upstream, the river is high at Medicine Hat. Where is all that water going? Did the dam bust?
Posted by: dp | 2009-06-04 2:18:19 AM
You forgot about Harper's treatment of Bernier. It makes him a hypocrite. See Don Martin's column in today's Post.
Posted by: Robert Seymour | 2009-06-04 3:33:41 AM
You forgot about Harper's treatment of Bernier. It makes him a hypocrite. See Don Martin's column in today's Post.
Posted by: Robert Seymour | 2009-06-04 3:33:41 AM
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
This is relevant to this particular discussion HOW?
Posted by: Stevie 202 | 2009-06-04 10:16:58 AM
How exactly is Harrison a libertarian? He is a life long political staffer which is the reason for such a large government.
Posted by: Suzzane | 2009-06-04 2:11:02 PM
Harrison is a libertarian in the same way Scott
Reid is a libertarian, Suzzane.
Do both these gentlemen need to do more to advance personal and economic liberty? Yes they do. Yes they do.
Posted by: Matthew Johnston | 2009-06-04 2:55:34 PM
Well Steve 202,
Matthew mentions Harper's treatment of libertarians in his caucus as compared to Wall's.
Bernier is in Harper's cabinet and a libertarian. Matthew should have mentioned Harper's severe treatment of him as compared to that women who lost the CANDU file as further evidence of Harper's contempt for libertarians as compared to Wall.
That's HOW my comment relevant to the particular discussion. HOW about toning down your contempt. HOW about working out your suppressed emotions in therapy instead of taking them out here towards me, though I've never done anything to you. All that it would take is spending a bit more time on what I wrote.
Posted by: Robert Seymour | 2009-06-04 4:14:45 PM
Maybe Wall's style will catch on. Certainly it has been good for Saskatchewan.
Posted by: The original JC | 2009-06-04 4:22:39 PM
So Harrison is not a libertarian?
Posted by: Suzzane | 2009-06-08 2:54:31 PM
The Wall Government is not promoting free enteprise - it is promoting the growing government, just like the Calvert Government before it. Saskatchewan's economic boom can be attributed to a growing demand for commodities by China and India. That said, I sincerely hope to see Saskatchewan's boom continue indefinitely, and I also long for a government in Saskatchewan that will truly promote free enterprise and smaller government.
It is good to see Jeremy Harrison advance in the Wall Government; congratulations to him. But with the size of government having growing by 22 percent since Wall became Premier, Harrison's abilitiy to have an impact on this administration will be like trying to turn back the ocean with a teaspoon.
Posted by: JM | 2009-06-08 3:03:33 PM
Harrison trying to have small government? This guy is a life long political hack. He is part of the reason why government is big. How do you say he believes in small government when the majority of his jobs have been government paid.
Posted by: Suzzane | 2009-06-10 8:16:00 AM
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