When it comes to privatization, it seems the Saskatchewan government has a tough time recalling past promises. Heading into the 2007 election, then-Saskatchewan Party leader Brad Wall stated unequivocally that "Crowns are not going to be privatized and (subsidiaries) are not going to be wound down." Of course, we all know that once in power, Mr. Wall's government sold off the Saskatchewan Communications Network (SCN), privatized the Information Services Corporation (ISC), sold off a slew of crown subsidiaries through the government's Saskatchewan First Policy and has sought to privatize any publicly-delivered service not deemed a "core function" of government. So perhaps it should not be too surprising that Friday's announcement by the government that it will privatize four rural liquor stores completely contradicts Mr. Wall's promise in October of 2012 "not to privatize existing government-owned liquor stores." This government has been remarkably adept at denying its privatization agenda, so I eagerly await the intellectual contortions necessary to justify how this latest broken promise is actually not further evidence of the government's privatization agenda.
This appeared as a Letter to the Editor in the April 8th Saskatoon Star-Phoenix
Simon Enoch
