聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Last week鈥檚 federal election may finally bring an end to Canadians looking down their noses at the massive flaws of American鈥檚 electoral system.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In fairness, there are big problems with a disengaged United States electorate.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 What this year鈥檚 American presidential race clearly demonstrated is many U.S. voters live in an echo chamber where nonsense is repeated by partisan media commentators and on social media until it鈥檚 accepted as fact.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 No doubt, this is the very thing that鈥檚 nurtured the irrationality in U.S. politics to the point where common sense has followed honesty and truth out the window.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But while one might easily point out the problem in America caused by partisan blinders, consider what鈥檚 going on in our very own backyard as it relates to Regina鈥檚 Global Transportation Hub (GTH) land deal.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The very day of the U.S. election, Saskatchewan Party government MLAs were voting to refuse to bring before the legislature the people behind the decisions that led us to pay $103,000 an acre for 204 acres valued at $10,000 to $15,000 an acre a year earlier.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Yes, you read that correctly.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Those whom you elected 鈥� many of them rural MLAs 鈥� made it their job at the legislature to ensure that you have less information and government accountability than you would have otherwise had.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Like Donald Trump, many of these elected Saskatchewan people like to claim they are not politicians鈥� or at least, not career politicians.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But regardless of political stripe, it鈥檚 rather amazing how quickly non-politicians adapt to acting in the political interests of themselves and their party.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The NDP opposition wanted to bring before the legislative committee three former chief executive officers of the GTH and deputy ministers who were all involved in the land deal.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Instead, Sask Party government public accounts committee members Glen Hart, Larry Doke, Warren Michelson, Jennifer Campeau, Herb Cox and Randy Weekes used their majority to ensure the only ones coming before the committee would be the new GTH CEO Doug Moen (hired long after the mess) and the current Highways Ministry (who had no role in the land purchase).
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 This is more than wrong. It was a blatant attempt by the Sask Party to use its majority to conceal any potential embarrassing information.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Admittedly, digging up embarrassing information was what the NDP was clearly hoping to accomplish by demanding these individuals be brought forward and forced to testify before the legislative committee.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Some might argue that Sask Party and NDP committee members were both playing games. To some degree, this is true.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But the huge difference here is the opposition was trying to get the bottom of this mess and the government members were clearly trying to stop anyone from getting there.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 And lest there be any doubt that this remains a mess, consider what provincial auditor Judy Ferguson stated in her June report.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ferguson said the land was bought "at a significantly higher price and not in a fiscally responsible manner" because of a "unique board governance (that included) the active involvement of the GTH chair (who happened to be former economy minister Bill Boyd).鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 From there, we have since learned that Boyd took to cabinet a proposal to sell the land that had to be rejected because the owner of the land was not known.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Finally, SaskPower in December 2013 (a time when Boyd was minister) spent $25 million to buy other GTH land, which was a huge convenience because the GTH didn鈥檛 otherwise have the money to buy the 204 acres. Boyd assigned his chief political aide to negotiate the $103,000-an-acre deal in negotiations the GTH didn鈥檛 even know about.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It sure sounds like there still are questions to be asked.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But like in the U.S. some voters may choose to see only what they want to see.
