To the Editor: Recently John Gormely aired a show focusing on whether unions should be using their members' dues to fund TV ads about privatization by the Wall government. Unfortunately, Gormely interrupted me before I was finished expressing how valuable the ad, in question "Disappears," really is.
I think the TV ad was well done. The commercial sends out a much needed message to the residents of Saskatchewan - those who elect the government. Public Sector unions have a duty to remind the citizens of Saskatchewan about the importance of publicly provided services such as highway maintenance, a service which many believe will always be provided at a reasonable cost. The move today by right wing governments, however, is to get out of the business of providing services with public sector employees.
There is a trend across the country to privatize services such as Highways, Health, and Parks etc. Though there are private companies and contractors who can provide these services, it will cost our province dearly. Companies in the private sector have no accountability to the citizens as public services provided by the government do. The main concern for private contractors is profit which means that corners are cut and people are laid off to save money.
What we are seeing in Saskatchewan is privatization by stealth. In other words small pieces of our Ministries such as highways, parks, etc are being privatized. The same is happening with our Crowns such as SaskTel where profitable portions of the crown were sold off. We saw the Potash Corporation and SaskOil sold under the previous right wing government. Just think where Saskatchewan would be today if total ownership of those two companies were still in the hands of Saskatchewan people.
If we chip away at the foundation of a building at some point it will collapse. We have seen what has happened in British Columbia. Highways have been privatized for a number of years. The costs have steadily increased and the work is being transferred to Municipalities who are being forced to raise their taxes to pay for this additional work. As a result of these growing costs, the competition among private contractors' increases as well, allowing fiscal price tag to take precedent over the quality of work performed. People want good services, not cheap services that may put their and their family's safety at risk.
If public services are eroded they will never come back into the public domain. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a prime example of how privatization is irreversible and cannot be taken back by the government. The people of this province need to send a strong message to the government. They want their public services to remain in and be controlled by public hands. John Gormely is missing the big picture on privatization. His biased radio shows are not helping the people of Saskatchewan understand what's at stake in regards to their valuable public services.
Sid Wonitowy, Yorkton, SK.
