Brian Crossman is a partner in Estevan-based Independent Well Servicing.
Brian Crossman. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
Hey Sask Party MLAs and supporters, we need to talk. It is an election year after all. The STF is negotiating for more money and support, y’all are fighting the feds on carbon tax. (Thanks for that, by the way.) I will preface this by saying I have friends in the Sask Party, and I believe them to be decent people and want what is best for the province for the most part. I also have friends in The Buffalo Party and The Sask United Party, and the same goes for them. I have met several people from the NDP, I also believe they want what is best for Saskatchewan as well, I just can’t support their socialist ideology. It’s not in my DNA. My point is, I believe everyone wants what is best for our province.
But because I don’t want a socialist government any time soon, and because I want to be kinder and gentler toward our politicians, I would like to offer some friendly advice. This advice applies to politicians of every stripe, but in this case, we will focus on the leadership of the Sask Party.
Control Your People
You have a few “renegades” in your midst. Y’all know who they are, but when an MLA is having legal troubles for whatever reasons, this is a problem. Now I get that you can’t control what they do in their personal lives, and I am sure (I hope) you have mechanisms in place to properly vet all potential candidates to ensure a certain level of integrity is adhered to. When you turn the radio on and hear about assault charges, solicitation for sex and MLA’s profiting from housing people with taxpayer dollars doesn’t exactly make one warm & fuzzy. Keep ‘em in line.
Arrogance
This one is for you, Mr. Premier. I have met you and you seem like a good guy, and you tend to get things done. I understand when you are the boss you must get your horses pulling the same direction. But sometimes, the media portrays a bit of arrogance on your part. Take a page from the Brad Wall book. Be more approachable, be flexible (but firm) when dealing with the unions, the public, the media and the MLAs on both sides of the house. Admit your mistakes, and take responsibility for everything within your control.
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Using Social Media
When the province is paying down debt, showing positive job growth, and any form of success that is a direct result of Sask Party policy, social media is awesome. Twitter (“X”), Facebook, LinkedIn and all the rest are great ways to get your positive accomplishments out there in the public eye. Don’t be afraid to use these same platforms to apologize when you make mistakes. Seriously, give it a try sometime, you may be surprised. (Refer to above paragraph) However, don’t use social media to call out, tease, bully or harass whichever public service union you are currently negotiating with, or even the NDP for that matter. Take the high road. Be better. Leave the petty shit to the NDP, Liberals and the CBC.
Lead by Example
This has been in my mind a lot lately. Y’all have been negotiating with the STF about wages, classroom complexity and all that. Of late the talks were regarding cost of living being added on to the teacher’s contract. This seems to be a fair way to protect the living of the teachers going forward. But I did a little reading and had a conversation with a good friend and discovered that pay raises are pretty much automatic for MLAs. Excuse me? I checked online and the base salary is $106,384 and goes up as high as $183,759 annually (the premier). Don’t forget that they have expense accounts on top of this, which is fair to some extent. At the end of the day, they get paid well for serving the province. That’s a sweet gig in my opinion.
Here is an important suggestion. (The kids say “pro tip,” I think.) Before the next election, how about trying something totally unexpected. Institute a four-year wage freeze for ALL MLAs. If any opposition MLAs balk at this, it’s a bad look for them, so they will have to play ball. If any Sask Party MLAs complain, remind them to ask their constituent’s opinion on this. Will that pay off the debt? Hell no, but when it’s time to negotiate with all provincial public service unions, you have another pretty solid leg on the bargaining table. On a side note, hopefully the STF and the public sector unions can understand that this is all taxpayer’s money (which is also their money) and that there is only so much of it available. If we all work together, and there is no deficit or debt, the province can maybe start to make the improvements to education, health care and infrastructure that we all need. Optics are important but results even more so. “Lead by example.”
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Don’t Forget Who Pays the Bills
This is the foundation of any government. These are the people y’all represent. Taxpayers, be they individuals or businesses are the people who provide the financial resources so society can function. Before you get too defensive, yes, we hear you all the time saying how you are always watching for the best interests of the taxpayers. But you must mean it and prove it not only in your words but your actions. Remember, bureaucracy costs money, and rarely if ever saves money. Keep a reign on how many people you need shuffling papers. Lean and mean. One other thing, if you go to Paris for a business trip to represent Saskatchewan, we are not against a little sight-seeing. What bothers people is spending $3500 to hire a limo service to tour around. Surely you can shop around for a better deal, or better yet, pay for it yourself. (Remember, “lead by example.”)
I realize I am probably over-simplifying all this. But you must also realize you just don’t just represent the Sask Party voters. You also need to look out for the supporters of the Buffalo Party, the Sask United Party, the NDP and yes, even the Green Party. (Note: I did not say Liberal Party, as I’m not even sure they have more than a half dozen supporters in Saskatchewan.) You need to be all things to all people but stay true to your principles. Not as easy as it sounds, I know. (I have a gift/curse for over-simplification)
There you have it. Just run the show in the right way, be good people, do not consider yourself above the people of Saskatchewan, use the internet carefully, set the example, be honest and of course, respect the taxpayers. And don’t forget, the voters of Saskatchewan have options. Easy Peasy lemon squeezy. No need to thank me, just do the right thing for the people of Saskatchewan.
P.S. The provincial government recently released the 2024 budget, and while not earth-shattering, it made sense. They are in deficit, but they spent in ways intended to keep the population happy. It won’t of course, but the intent is there.
P.P.S. Please continue to support the energy industry, the base revenue and spin-off revenue is huge for the province. We all know responsible use of our resources is what will lead to the energy transition, not over-taxing the working class.
Brian Crossman is a partner at Independent Well Servicing in Estevan. Don’t forget to vote this fall, he sure as heck is going to.
Correction: The original version of this column stated that “… and if they have served 6 years of pensionable service, they receive a pension as well.” That is not correct. That was a reference to the pension members of parliament qualify for and receive. Saskatchewan MLAs are on a defined contribution plan like other civil servants. Pipeline Online apologizes for this error.
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