The Sask. Party’s climate change-denying throne speech gets a reality check

Editorial by Stephen Whitworth

There was some real stupid stuff in the Saskatchewan government’s May 27 throne speech  (name-dropping Ronald Reagan, whudda fuh?). But for me, one section stood out.

“My government believes in a strong Saskatchewan within a strong and united Canada,” read part of a section under the idiot-pleasing title, “Standing Up For Saskatchewan”.

It continues:

“But it is troubling that today, there are some in this country who, given the opportunity, would shut down major parts of Saskatchewan’s economy and put thousands of hard-working Saskatchewan people out of work, all in the name of some misguided dogma that has no basis in reality.”

Wait, what? Misguided dogma? Is the Sask. Party government talking about climate change here?

“There are those who are not comfortable with and even oppose much of what we produce in Saskatchewan and how we produce it — oil and gas, coal and uranium, livestock and grains.* They would prefer that those sectors did not exist and that the thousands of jobs in those sectors did not exist.”

Ugh…

“They look at those jobs like they are somehow harming the country and the world. To those people, my government has a message. You are wrong. You could not be more wrong.”

I’m gonna have to cut you off there Mr. Throne Speech, you’re drunk. Let’s break this stupidity down.

1. “SHUT DOWN MAJOR PARTS OF SASKATCHEWAN’S ECONOMY”

Very few if any environmentalists demand the immediate end of the oil economy. Environmentalists aren’t stupid people living in a fantasyland of rainbows and lilac-scented unicorn farts. They realize turning the pipelines off tomorrow isn’t possible (everyone also realizes that plastics, which come from oil, are useful and fun. Lego!).

At the same time, climate change is real and scary as hell, and Canada’s energy economy needs to change — possibly a lot faster than we’d all like.

Finally, let’s remember that it’s not the fault of the environmentalists (that this government and other conservatives love to demonize) that politicians and oil boosters spent the last 30 years doing exactly “fuck” and “all” to address the real social and economic challenges of global warming.

So maybe dial down the environmentalist bashing? Thanks!

2. “DOGMA”

What “dogma”, that global warming is real? Global warming IS real. I know some people have doubts. So what? Scientists don’t.

As John Oliver famously said about climate change skeptics on Last Week Tonight:

“Who gives a shit? You don’t need people’s opinions on a fact. You might as well have a poll asking ‘which number is bigger: 15 or five?’ Or ‘do owls exist?’ Or ‘are there hats?’

Case closed.

Climate change is real, not “dogma”. Perhaps Sask. Party types will claim they were talking about the Leap Manifesto, not climate science. Bollocks. It’s a throne speech. Every word in it is in there on purpose, and when it uses loaded words like “dogma” the Sask government deliberately pandering to, and creating, fear, anger and ignorance for political gain. Not cool.

3. “YOU ARE WRONG”

Ha ha, actually no. Reality is more nuanced than a brain-dead crap paragraph about make-believe environmentalist boogeymen suggests. But I guess when your near-decade-old provincial government is facing a tanking resource economy and rising unemployment — not to mention acting like you’ve got something to hide concerning a weird-looking series of land sales — you’ll take any boogeyman you can find.

“Misguided dogma.” Snort.

*Who the hell opposes farming?