On board games

If last night's post didn't say enough about the Sask Party's complete lack of any idea what it's doing in government, consider this: Bill Boyd may not have been the most prominent member of Brad Wall's cabinet to show the most ignorance of his responsibilities in just the last week. Simple Massing Priest has the details paraphrasing a sudden revelation to Finance Minister Rod Gantefoer:

Pat Atkinson: When did you find out about this 40 million?

Rod Gantefoer: I'm not sure. Let me check. [confers with officials] I'm informed at mid-year.

Pat Atkinson: After the money is spent?

Rod Gantefoer: I take the member's point. That's probably not a good thing.

Trent Wotherspoon: But who is actually on the board? Who approves spending the money?

Rod Gantefoer: I don't know who is on the board, let me ask. [confers with officials] I'm informed that the two members are the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

...
That's right. Saskatchewan Finance Minister Rod Gantefoer does not realize that he is one of two people on the Saskatchewan Municipal Finance Board. Neither does he remember what he has done as a member of that board.

If there's any good news to be found, it's that with the NDP's help in committee, the Sask Party's highest-ranking cabinet members seem to have finally discovered at least a small amount of what their jobs actually involve. And all after only two and a half years in office.

But it's hard to escape the sense that the province would be far better off cutting out the middle man so that the party with some idea what's going on is actually in charge - rather than leaving the province's finances in the hands of a Finance Minister who can't be bothered to find out for himself what his duties are.