Clean hands

Another useful point of comparison between the Libs and the NDP, as the Saskatchewan NDP government goes out of its way to avoid using public money to influence voters during the election campaign:

The flags could soon be coming down at Premier Lorne Calvert's "raise a flag for fairness" campaign.

The provincial government launched the broadcast, print and internet campaign earlier this month to pressure Ottawa to give Saskatchewan a better deal on equalization payments...

Calvert said if the no-confidence vote passes, the public campaign for a "Saskatchewan energy accord" will be shut down.

"I want no perception that we're using public dollars to engage in what might be construed to be some kind of a political effort in the election campaign," he said.

Well done on Calvert's part: while the Raise a Flag campaign may have been all the more likely to produce results when election promises were being handed out, Calvert has helped to highlight the fact that one party actually makes a genuine effort to run an immaculate campaign. At the very least, voters will hopefully recognize that fact when they go to the polls...and it'll only be a bonus if the Raise a Flag message has sunk in enough keep the equalization issue alive even without continued advertising.