Valerie G. Barnes Connell Jordan
Daily Herald
With everything I remember learning about strength, the message was “it’s better to work together.”
How do we get that message to the Saskatchewan Party, particularly the elected members? It’s a head scratcher for sure, that one.
If the November provincial election tells us anything; the major success of the governing party is separation. In this past election we saw the cities and the north go strongly NDP and the rural areas, remain with the Sask. Party. It’s so blatant.
Is it divide and conquer? It shows how polarized this province has become when one group votes for an opposite philosophy, than the other. That seems to be our polarized Saskatchewan.
I think back, even as a teenager, living in Ottawa, I was impressed with Saskatchewan, when they stood so strongly for universal healthcare. There’s the birth of the co-operative movement, along with universal healthcare and birthplace of the NDP. These are amazing building blocks that this province pioneered.
This political party, that chooses to name itself after the province, bears no resemblance at all to the province’s story.
As someone who has lived in various parts of the province, been involved in widespread activities across the province, I’m just sad.
When I arrived in La Ronge in 2006 to work with The La Ronge Northerner, I found a busy, active and vital community. And, I found fear.
Mistasinihk Place, the Saskatchewan government operations centre in the North, was filled to brimming over with provincial government folks. Government personnel activity flowed back and forth between Regina and La Ronge. And, for the most parts, there was communication.
After the 2007 provincial election that quickly began to change until the government office spaces are filled with other things and many people working for the province are headed by people living in Prince Albert or south. To the north, Prince Albert is south.
Recently I contacted a provincial government communications person to SPEAK to someone about a news release topic that had come out. I got a text of something the communications person put together, telling me it was to be attributed to the Saskatchewan government.
The text has nothing to do with the questions I had after reading the news release. I scratch my head, how do you keep in touch with your people, that, as a government, you are elected to take care of?
We are seeing extreme destruction in the north with the widespread clearcutting of our forests and a potential peat moss mining operation, which a group, For Peat Sake; Protecting Northern Muskegs has been fighting since 2020.
The northern muskegs, particularly peat moss, is a huge protector when it comes to climate change, not just for Saskatchewan people, but across the country.
Now, we have our MLA trying to find some solutions to an acute health situation – 27 cases of Scurvy and food prices going through the roof. The Saskatchewan Party members, who are representatives on the committee charged with the responsibility for dealing with such situations, adjourned a meeting before any discussion or action was taken, even when they’ve had prior notification of impending issues of concern needing to be raised urgently.
Words fail me, and that doesn’t happen often. Living here for very close to 20 years, I am a northerner now.
I deeply mourn for the Saskatchewan I remember and loved. The governance is so broken, and a large part of the population don’t even recognize it. How many lives will we lose before people wake up?
Living in the north is like living in a foreign country. People in the south have no understanding of the north; There is no connection. And, they are making decisions for people living here with no understanding of, or care for, the land and people they are responsible to serve.
Tommy Douglas must be spinning at high speed wherever he is at this moment.
A big thank you to the members of the Legislature, who care and are fighting to save the lives at risk here.
Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season and the best in 2025!!!