Question Period Review - March 8
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
