"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!"
-Homer J. Simpson
As reported ably by the Jurist and Buckdog, Sask NDP leadership candidate Yens Pedersen has announced he is seeking the nomination in Regina South.
Yens Pedersen has announced his plans for 2011, and has decided to seek a rematch against Bill Hutchinson in Regina South after suffering a narrow loss in 2007.
Yens Pedersen is a Regina lawyer who sought the leadership of the Saskatchewan New Democrats last year. He brought a breath of fresh air into the race and has certainly made his mark in the ranks of the provincial party. Yens today announced that he is seeking the NDP nomination for the constituency of Regina South currently held by Bill Hutchinson of the Saskatchewan Party.
This is going to be a nomination and then a swing seat to watch.
Opening Shananigans
Sandra Morin goes after the SP Martinsville fundraising poster. She took the right tone. Well done.
Topic 1 - Rural Doctor Shortage
Lingenfelter and Wall spar over the SARM issues on rural doctors. Lingenfelter is over-the-top when he doesn't need to be. Wall uses the quote by Lingenfelter in the media that the NDP was unpopular in rural Saskatchewan. Wall wins the exchange in the house but I don't think he will convince average voters with that performance. McMorris is answering some of the questions and the NDP members are acting like idiots in the House. Decorum matters people and the SP started winning this fight in the last session.
Topic 2 - Health Care Workers
The earlier topic blurs into Home Care workers and Lingenfelter makes an excellent point that when it hard to attract workers in these fields, then maybe we shouldn't do things like ask them to work brutal split shifts. McMorris has nothing and just attacks Link for being from Alberta. That was the lamest I have seen McMorris in quite some time.
Topic 3 - Health Cuts
Junor asks if the next cut (after chiropractic services) are ambulance services or the drug plan. McMorris give the NDP a perfect applause line, saying that if the Sask Party forms government the whole world will cave. He then goes on to talk about fearmongering. What is with McMorris this week? He is normally much better but this was a career-bad performance.
Final verdict - NDP Win
So, I may not get a chance to do this every day (in fact I think you can assume I will miss more days than I hit) but any time I get a chance to watch the Saskatchewan QP I will post my review of both the questions and the answers.
Opening Shananigans
Smarmy Jeremy Harrison introduces Ezra Levant in the gallery as the person who sold him his first political membership. I throw up a little in my mouth.
Andy Iwanchuck presents a petition signed by half the province on health care. Well done.
Darcy Furber, showing how in touch he is with the youth of today, talks about some guy named Grant Devine. *sigh* I remain unimpressed with the Devine comparisons.
Topic 1 - Potash Royalties
Lingenfelter goes after Wall on the potash royalties. Wall blames it on the NDP, because you know, it was clearly our fault that he can't count. He says it was the NDP change in royalties that caused this payment to the Potash companies. That is just lame, we NEVER had to pay back money to the potash companies under the NDP.
Link is doing better then he is done in the past, but he is still not great at QP. Wall started weaker then usual but seemed to rally near the end. Normally Wall wins these types of exchanges, but on this one I am giving it to Link by a hair.
Topic 2 - Health Care Contracts
Junor brings up the contract talks with the Health Care workers. McMorris used the same answer we always used "We don't get involved in negotiations on the floor of the legislature". She gets in a jab about "big boy pants" that is pretty lame. Mcmorris goes to the broken-record excuse of "NDP 16 years" which is even lamer.
Oh god. Junor says that SAHO is just the puppet of the government. Leaving her wide open for McMorris to charge that that is way it operated under the NDP. Surprisingly, McMorris lets Norris answer which is just stupid because he does his typical blathering. Man he is an idiot.
McMorris didn't so much win this as Junor lost the exchange. She looked good compared to Norris but an average tree stump achieves that on a daily basis.
Topic 3 - Domestic Abuse Outreach Program
Atkinson asks a simple question about why the Domestic Abuse Outreach Program was canceled. She claims the agencies were blind-sided and not told that this decision was being made.
Justice Minister Morgan answers, poorly as usual. He never seems to actually understand the questions being asked of him. He claims all the services are still be provided. We will have to see what the media has to say about that. He rallies near the end, but Atkinson has a letter that seems pretty damning.
Atkinson won this one in the House and we will see what the media gets out of both sides.
Depending on the outcome of that third topic, the NDP won today. However, if the services are still being provided, as Morgan claimed in the house, then this won't be a fatal blow. What is troublesome is that if the NDP had to rely on the first two topics, they would have lost the day - although only barely due to weak performances from Wall and Norris.
Final verdict - Split Decision
