John Conway writes “It’s Just Too Late” (Prairie Dog, Feb 26) and suggests that the NDP sold its soul back in the 1950s. He says he can’t get excited about the leadership race and his heart isn’t in it.
The party is at a crossroads. The NDP has to decide if forming government is a means to an end, or the end itself. We have to decide if we want to refocus our goals and produce a plan to achieve them, or whether we are satisfied with the status quo, providing whatever program happens to catch the media’s short attention span. This will not be the last fundamental choice of direction the NDP faces, but history suggests it may be quite some time until the next one comes along.
In 1933 the party identified supplying human needs, peace, and freedom as its goals in the Regina Manifesto. Private ownership was a fundamental underlying assumption, and central planning and public ownership were identified as major tools. The goals and tools outlined in the Regina Manifesto are as relevant today as they ever were, but we should not fall into the trap of assuming there has been little progress. So while public ownership and central planning remain as options, let’s not forget that they are only means to an end, and not the end. And recognize that they may not be the only means by which to accomplish our goals.
Saskatchewan’s population is now wealthier than 75% of the rest of the world’s citizens and we do supply human needs (albeit imperfectly), and live in peace and freedom. Thus we must ask ourselves: should the NDP’s goal be to continue to enrich our population or do we need to refocus? I suggest that the new goals of the NDP should be
- to build a province where all children believe that they have the opportunity to succeed and be happy, and
- to share our wealth and our wisdom with those less fortunate beyond our borders.
All children must believe in their own abilities and opportunities, because with that belief our children have the ability to overcome many obstacles on their own and by working together. With that belief, they have the motivation to overcome obstacles. Without that belief, we can provide opportunities on a silver platter, but they will be squandered.
So if we want to build a better next generation, how do we go about doing it? Firstly, we have to commit to supporting and encouraging the formation of positive attitudes in our children. The education system is the obvious choice, but it must start much earlier than kindergarten. Parents and adults need education too so that they become better role models and teachers themselves.
Secondly, we have to commit to reducing disincentives to such personal empowerment: poverty, poor health, discrimination, crime. We have built a strong health system, social safety nets and a justice system. But many of these disincentives to personal empowerment have a strong correlation to social inequality and the solutions are not easy. These challenges will always be with us. Not because they always have and we are powerless to change, but because humans seem to have a penchant for knowingly undertaking self-destructive behaviour. (For instance, we all know that smoking is bad for us, but a significant percentage of young people take up smoking every year.) Does that mean we ought not to strive to eliminate poverty, poor health, discrimination and crime? Definitely not. Giving up allows these problems to grow and the evidence clearly demonstrates we can make significant inroads by tackling social inequalities.
Thirdly, in addition to a government that wants to act, we need a government that can act. This means maintaining a strong economy. For Saskatchewan, that requires that a comprehensive energy strategy for the 21st century. Economies won’t run without energy, so we need a strategy to ensure that our economy can adapt to the energy transformation that is taking place globally. Despite the fact that Saskatchewan’s economy has diversified, our local rural economies still drive a lot of economic activity and the government must make a commitment to helping build local rural economies.
With that strong economy, the government still has to ensure there are sufficient revenues coming in. There are many options: taxes, royalties, public ownership. What Conway fails to appreciate is that the source of the funds is not as important as ensuring that the source remains and is stable. Public ownership is a valuable tool and ought not to be discarded, but taxes and royalties work as well. What is more important than the form is finding a way to connect the revenue source with the delivery of the service so that the public supports the method. Otherwise, we are doomed to the next conservative or liberal government privatizing the public assets, or cutting the taxes or royalties. If we are to deliver a long lasting, permanent benefit to our existing and future citizens we must connect the revenue source with the public benefit, and the public themselves have to believe there is a public benefit.
So the real question is not whether the NDP can be ‘prettified’ (Conway’s word) – the real question is whether the people who want social and economic justice will actually get off their moral high ground and dirty their hands in the political process. I concede it is easier to throw up your hands in despair and walk away. It is much harder to work with people, to find common ground and to reach compromises. That requires being reasonable. Conway might call that being moderate, but I take it as a compliment.
The NDP is the only party in Saskatchewan at this time with the desire and ability to accomplish the goals I have identified. So this spring, rather than just complaining from the sidelines I’ll be more than voting – I’m in the race. And my heart and hope are in it.
Tags: children, energy, poverty, Regina Manifesto, royalties
