Rally outside Herb Cox’s office against cuts, supporting Crowns

Unions expressing their opposition to privatization and provincial government cuts were out in force in North Battleford on Tuesday.

The organization Own It! Saskatchewan Belongs to Everyone, held a noon-hour rally outside the office of Battlefords MLA Herb Cox on Tuesday. Later on in the evening they also held a town hall meeting at the Don Ross Centre in which guest speakers spoke on the impact of the government cuts and privatization efforts.

The two events included representation from Canadian Union of Public Employees, Saskatchewan Government Employees Union and Canadian Office and Professional Emploees Union Local 397, among others.

All of those union representatives slammed the Wall government over Bill 40, the bill that included wording that would allow the government to sell upwards of 49 per cent of Crown corporations.   

Paul Moist, the former national president of CUPE, had come in from Manitoba to join the protest and to speak from a national perspective at the evening event.

He noted the Wall government had recently been publicly musing about reversing course on Bill 40.

“Premier Wall has said he’s rethinking Bill 40,” said Moist.

“It’s the bill that contains a new definition that if you privatize only 49 per cent of a corporation that’s not privatization. That’s not flying with the people of Saskatchewan. I suspect he made that comment because he faces a byelection this week in Saskatoon, and I think that seat is going to go down – it will not return a Saskatchewan Party representative.”

Moist said they were speaking throughout the province to talk about the value of Crowns such as SaskTel and SaskPower.

He also decried the cuts to SaskPower and SaskEnergy grants-in-lieu to the city, which he said would impact severely on the city.

“The street system and the infrastructure will simply have to wait longer to get fixed,” Moist said.

At the noon rally Kim Wilson, president of COPE Local 397, spoke of her concerns about a possible sale of SGI. Also among the speakers was Bob Stadnichuk from SGEU who voiced concern about job losses due to privatizations at the liquor stores, as well as the closure of STC.

The message was much the same at the meeting at Don Ross Centre later that evening. One woman in attendance made it known, however, thought the effort needed to go beyond the room: she observed they had “the diehards here tonight” in the audience, and their message needed to get to “John Q. Public.”

The events are part of a province-wide effort in support of the Crowns and against the cuts. Moist said he planned to be at another noon rally scheduled for Prince Albert at noon the next day and at another town hall event later that evening in Saskatoon.

SGEU was also planning a rally outside the legislature on Oct. 25, coinciding with the first day that the provincial legislature is back in session.

Prince Albert Northcote MLA Nicole Rancourt was at the noon hour rally lending the support of the Saskatchewan NDP to the cause. She particularly decried the cuts from the provincial budget earlier this year. 

“The biggest concerns is that we know this budget had some disheartening cuts,” said Rancourt.

“That’s the last place we need to be looking at is cutting services for everyday people.”

Rancourt made clear to reporters she not satisfied with Wall’s latest musings about reversing course on Bill 40.

“Mr. Wall could at any day bring us back to the legislature to withdraw bill 40. So if he’s serious about withdrawing it, let’s get back to the legislature and let’s go do it,” said Rancourt.

She added that until Wall showed “some true action, I am not going to hold my breath, and I don’t think that we should trust that that’s the direction he’s going forward unless he shows that’s he’s going that direction.”

At the Don Ross Centre later that evening, Regina MLA Trent Wotherspoon was also on hand as one of the speakers. He accused the government of a “deficit of decency” in its handling of budget cuts and the Crowns.

In speaking to the News-Optimist afterwards Wotherspoon said he had one main message for those in attendance. “We’re in this together,” he said.

“As the Saskatchewan NDP caucus, we’re standing shoulder to shoulder with communities all across this province, and shoulder to shoulder with the Battlefords against this dishonest and damaging agenda from the Sask Party.”