No, Brad Wall’s new musings about changing Saskatchewan’s resource royalty structure won’t pass without comment from this corner. But it’s worth noting that the reason for concern lies not a mere flip-flop from the Sask Party’s 2011 election platform, but what’s all too consistent in its behaviour since taking power.
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Accidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading. – Pratap Chatterjee discusses our new age of robber barons – and how the wealthiest CEOs get out of paying any tax at all on massive sums of money: The Institute for Policy Studies, a Washington DC thinktank, says that a chunk of the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Mitchell Anderson discusses the Ten Commandments that have ensured that Norway’s oil wealth is preserved for the benefit of citizens. But it’s particularly worth contrasting Norway’s philosophy surrounding non-renewable resources against the frenzy to extract everything today at any price (which of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for a sunny Sunday. – Mitchell Anderson’s second article on Norway’s success in converting oil resources into a massive source of public wealth focuses on the country’s history of resistance to outside ownership. But I wouldn’t see much reason why Canada couldn’t turn its own sense of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Mitchell Anderson reports on how Norway has assured itself of long-term fiscal security by saving a fair share of its oil resources: Norway produces 40 per cent less petroleum than Canada and has one-seventh our population, but has saved more than $600
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Zach Carter shines a spotlight on the few types of interests who stand to gain from austerity: But the austerity game also has winners. Cutting or eliminating government programs that benefit the less advantaged has long been an ideological goal of conservatives. Doing
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Dr. Dawg highlights Peter Russell’s take on the Cons’ 2008 efforts to prevent a Parliamentary majority from actually exercising its right to vote down a government which had lost the confidence of the House of Commons. And Steven Chase follows up by
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Erin points out that there’s a relatively simple cure for Dutch disease – just as long as provincial governments are willing to put citizens ahead of resource extractors: (S)ince resources are priced in American dollars, the higher exchange rate further reduces provincial resource
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
This and that for a sunny Saturday. – Paul Wells discusses the clash shaping up between the Cons and the NDP: Some 57 per cent of respondents said they’re dissatisfied with the Harper government, compared to 36 per cent who like it. Last month’s federal budget drew more unsatisfied reaction
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Thomas Walkom highlights the lesson we should draw from the economic devastation caused by the shutdown of an Electro-Motive plant which was supposed to serve as a poster child for corporate giveaways: Using tax breaks to encourage domestic production is a standard prescription.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Evening Links
This and that for your evening reading. – pogge points out yet another Con slush fund, as public money earmarked for green infrastructure was instead diverted to oil, gas and forestry companies. – Meanwhile, the Cons’ attempt to paint a proliferation of oil pipelines as a matter of national unity
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On predictable problems
Yes, the news that the Muskowekwan First Nation may soon see its own potash development is a plus in many ways. But it’s worth pointing out how the story might have been important to the provincial election campaign which concluded earlier this month. After all, one of the Sask Party’s
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading.- Yes, there’s plenty of reason for outrage that the Cons are selling access to cabinet ministers through a high-priced club. But this isn’t the first time Con cabinet ministers have dedicated their profile to the…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading – with an economic fairness theme.- John Burton highlights Saskatchewan’s ownership of its own potash resources – pointed out so frequently by Brad Wall in opposing BHP Billiton’s bid for PCS – as being exactly th…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On renegotiations
One of the main arguments against a potash royalty review has been the claim that the 8 years since a 2003 overhaul – in which potash prices have tripled and profits soared – is too short a time frame to consider changes to the royalty system. So let’s…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On complexities
Bruce Johnstone makes about the best case one possibly can for the Sask Party’s refusal to review potash royalties. But it necessarily misses a rather important point.After all, there’s absolutely no basis to consider the current royalty structure as a…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On royal bias
The Wall government’s position on reviewing an eight-year-old royalty regime when the expected result would be substantially more revenue for the province: firmly against.The Wall government’s position on reviewing an eight-year-old royalty regime when…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how Saskatchewan’s election campaign is shaping up as a choice between personality and policy.And for the latest noteworthy policy proposal from the NDP, see yesterday’s community hospital announcement.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading.- Libby Davies weighs in on what comes next for the NDP:(Jack Layton) had a vision for Canada that was about inclusivity and fairness, and he was willing to work with others to make this happen.However, …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On inexplicable delays
Yes, the positive media response signals how important the impending debate over the NDP’s Bright Futures Fund proposal figures to be in the lead-up to Saskatchewan’s November election. But the even more significant bit of fallout looks to be part of B…
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