| |
  |
The Conservatives - The Ties that Bind
Tom Lukiwski, Carol Skelton, Brian Fitzpatrick and the rest of the federal Conservatives [who] have ties to the Saskatchewan Party
-Prince Albert Daily Herald: October 5, 2006
CPC MP Tom Lukiwski was a former general manager of the Saskatchewan Party, he also served as executive director of the former Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan's representative in the federal cabinet, National Revenue Minister Carol Skelton, is a long-time Sask. Party member who was on hand at the [Sask. Party 2007] convention. Sask. Party MLA and Environment Minister Nancy Heppner worked for Stephen Harper in Ottawa as a questions period coordinator. Prior to that she worked for Carol Skelton and as Director of Communications for former Conservative Status of Women Minister Bev Oda. (Oda drew criticism from pro-equality groups for removing the word ‘equality’ from the Status of Women’s mandate and for slashing funding to women's groups.) Kelly Block, the Conservative Party of Canada candidate for Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar in the 2008 federal election, has been a member of the Saskatchewan Party since 1997. She served as the 2008 Co-Chairperson for the Sask. Party Premier’s dinner and as the coordinator of the Sask. Party Provincial Strategic Constituency Assistance Teams - Saskatchewan Election 2007. She sought the Sask. Party nomination for the Martensville constituency and served as the constituency president for both the Martensville and Rosther constituency associations. Block was also active in the 2000 provincial campaign, working on Justice Minister Don Morgan’s campaign as well as many others. Former Saskatchewan Party president Michelle Hunter ran as the Conservative Party candidate in Wascana in 2008. Hunter was first elected president of the Saskatchewan Party in February 2004 and won a second election in 2006. She also ran as the Saskatchewan Party Candidate in Regina Lakeview in the 2003 provincial election, before deciding to take on Ralph Goodale under the Harper Conservatives banner. Brad Wall’s staff also have deep-rooted connections to the federal conservatives. Brad Wall’s Deputy Chief of Staff Terri Harris is the daughter of former Harper Conservative MP Carol Skelton and Ian Hairy, ‘Special Advisor’ to Brad Wall, came straight from a stint working for the Harper government.
As you might suspect, intergovernmental meetings between the Sask. Party and the Harper government tend to be more like family reunions, rather than meetings to fight for the rights of Saskatchewan families.
What does this mean for Saskatchewan?
"[Sask. Party MLA Don] Morgan will not criticize the federal government for cutting childcare money. The provincial government says those cuts mean it cannot launch a universal, pre-kindergarten program for all four year-olds. Morgan says Ottawa's alternative of giving parents one hundred dollars a month for each child under six could help, depending on how parents spend it."
-CBC Morning News, May 10, 2006
“[Sask Party] education critic Rod Gantefoer was caught defending Harper's decision to scrap the Liberals' day-care funding program. Even if Gantefoer and his party legitimately view the Conservative alternative to pay parents directly as better, endorsing Harper's controversial election promise likely didn't help dispel the view among some that the party is anything but the provincial wing of the Conservative party.”
-The StarPhoenix, February 24, 2006
“[Sask. Party Leader Brad] Wall gave a big thumbs-up to many of the [federal Conservative’s] budget's provisions, such as the one point GST cut and other tax changes and the Conservative child care commitment of $100 a month for families for each child under six.”
-The StarPhoenix, May 3, 2006
|
|
