Mandryk: Time to get serious about addressing a crisis

By Murray Mandryk

The problem with the ever-so-serious business of governance is that far too many see it as less of a priority than the fun and games of politics.

Governing is serious business, often requiring tough choices.

Politics? Well, there’s a reason why they call it “playing” politics.

As we emerge from this two-year pandemic into a war in Europe with devastating human and economic consequences, there seems little time for games. Sadly, history might yet compare this period we are now in, to the one more than 80 years ago when we were emerging from a global depression into a world war.

Thankfully, we aren’t at the crisis level yet. Hopefully, this isn’t where we are headed. Hopefully, things will be resolved long before we get there.

But as it stands right now, the political games we get to play when things are going well in society aren’t really a good option for us right now.

Right now, it’s about getting down and dealing with some serious issues.

The good news is that opening days of the spring sitting — one that took a different, more sober tone — suggests we do have a least some capacity to recognize serious issues and take a serious approach when it comes to dealing with them.

On the first day of the spring sitting, each MLA had a blue and yellow Ukrainian flag on their desk — a bold reminder that there are serious matters elsewhere in the world that are beginning to hit pretty close to home.

Saskatchewan MLAs immediately went into an emergency debate on the Russian situation that produced a rare unanimous vote of condemnation.

Maybe it was little more than a gesture from a small province no more meaningful or effective than pulling Russian vodka from liquor store shelves or offering a rather paltry $100,000 for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. But it’s thousands of such small gestures from all around the world that hold up hope for a quick and peaceful end to this crisis through a combination of economic sanctions and condemnations.

Also, it’s no small deal that Saskatchewan is committing to bringing in “thousands” of Ukrainian refugees regardless of their skill sets or economic status.

“We think it all adds up to the fact we take very, very large numbers of refugees right now,” said, said Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison.

Similarly, credit the Saskatchewan Party government and Premier Scott Moe for offering some serious thoughts on how this struggle is already affecting Saskatchewan residents.

Noting the dramatic rise in pump prices, NDP economy critic Trent Wotherspoon proposed the government lift the province’s 15-cent-a-litre gasoline tax as Alberta is now doing.

The gas tax is providing $478 million to Saskatchewan government coffers this year.

It was an odd position for the Saskatchewan NDP to take and not just because it was siding with Alberta conservatives.

This is an opposition that has criticized the Sask. Party administration for deficit budgeting and debt. It’s also complained about not enough money for health and social programs.

And the NDP hasn’t exactly been shy about supporting some form of carbon tax as a means of discouraging fossil fuel use.

To Moe’s credit, he made the point that revenue is needed to address problems.

And he further made the point that the world needs secure energy supplies from places like Saskatchewan, so we don’t have to rely on Russia.

It was a serious response to one of many serious problems.

We don’t always get that in a world where politicians see politics as to of a game.

This was the problem with the trucker convey and border blockades — people who thought they had serious issues about their “freedoms” being infringed upon.

Right now, there seems little time for such games.