New column day

Here, on this week's Canada Pension Plan announcement - and the Wall government's surprising decision to merely delay rather than outright obstruct a national boost to retirement security.

For further reading...
- Kevin Milligan, Sheila Block, Adam Mayers and the Canadian Press each offer useful looks at what the CPP expansion means. And Milligan has also pointed out this chart from the OECD on the small amount of social security contributions currently made by Canadians:

- Meanwhile, Jennifer Paterson compares Canada's pension system to other countries in terms of the benefits currently offered. And anybody looking for source information can find it from Service Canada.
- In light of the distance Canada has to go in order to catch up to other developed countries, Jeremy Nuttall reports on Hassan Yussuff's push to further strengthen the CPP.
- Finally, CBC reports on the Saskatchewan Party's grudging acceptance of the deal - along with its spin that delaying implementation is somehow a worthwhile achievement. And David Giles highlights the view of the CFIB and other corporate spokesflacks that any income security for workers is too much.

Regina Northeast - Dwayne Yasinowski Nominated for NDP

CJME has already covered the basics of last night's Regina Northeast nomination meeting which saw Dwayne Yasinowski win a nail-biter over Bill Wells on the second ballot. And I'll be glad to see Dwayne carrying the NDP's banner.

But it's worth noting that the nomination race was as lively and intense as it was close. Each of the candidates was able to create plenty of energy in a packed hall (including 200 Regina Northeast members plus 78 guests), as David Froh's lower numbers were balanced out by the youth and enthusiasm of his supporters. And with Froh endorsing Yasinowski while Wells made a concerted effort to keep the nomination campaign positive, there's every reason to think that all sides can come together now that the riding's members have had a chance to choose their nominee.

Of course, the flip side is that the NDP will need a strong grassroots effort to counter the money the Sask Party is throwing behind its hand-picked candidate. But if last night is any indication, there should be enough member interest to get the job done.

Deep thought

Sure, the $50,000 price tag for Sask Party candidate Kevin Doherty's moving expenses might seem outrageous on its face. But in fairness to Doherty, it's a delicate operation to move a moat.

The guest list

Let's take a leisurely stroll through Thursday's Hansard and see which guests' names turn up now that nobody is trying to shut important voices out of the Legislature. Say, what's this?

Hon. Mr. Boyd: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during the Standing Committee on Crown and Central Agencies hearings on SaskPower future generation plans in late 2009 and early 2010, we heard that our electrical utility would be pursuing emissions-free hydroelectric generation as part of its medium- and long-term plans.

Well, Mr. Speaker, it’s my pleasure to welcome some very special guests to the Legislature here this morning that are seated in your gallery. They are here today for an announcement that we are very pleased to be hosting in the Legislative Building at 11:30 this morning regarding a significant agreement on hydroelectric power between three First Nations in this province and additional folks as well.

Joining us today are...Guy Bruce from SaskPower; Kevin Doherty from SaskPower; Wayne Rude from SaskPower; and Ray Desjarlais from SaskPower.

Let's see. Kevin Doherty from SaskPower...Kevin Doherty from SaskPower...why does that name ring a bell?

Ah yes, that Kevin Doherty from SaskPower. Who's apparently being invited to participate in public announcements on behalf of a public utility even as his name and face are being blasted from the rooftops as part of the Sask Party's 2011 campaign.

Now in fairness, the fact that Doherty was introduced based on his role at SaskPower rather than his capacity as a candidate suggests that the Sask Party hasn't gone quite as far as its federal cousins in directly using public announcements to promote unelected non-representatives who have nothing to do with the subject matter of an event.

But it's still rather dubious that Doherty is being chosen for media presentation at a government-sponsored event while he's actively involved in a political campaign on behalf of the governing party. And it'll certainly be worth keeping an eye on just how often Doherty's current job is used to raise his profile for electoral purposes.

On questionable recruitment

Kent is right to note that with the Sask Party obviously taking aim at Regina Northeast, the Saskatchewan NDP will need to figure out in fairly short order whether its 2011 candidate will be incumbent Ron Harper or a new face. But it's worth noting that there are some serious questions being raised about the challenger already appearing on Sask Party billboards. Here's Len Taylor from Thursday's question period:

The Premier brought in one Kevin Doherty back to the province to run as a candidate in Regina Northeast. To entice Mr. Doherty to run for the Sask Party, the Premier gave him a job as vice-president of corporate relations at SaskPower. Kevin Doherty is now being paid by the Saskatchewan people through their power rates, Mr. Speaker, to actively campaign for the Saskatchewan Party.
...
So to the minister: did the efficiency secretariat think it was a good idea for the Premier to use a vice-president position at SaskPower to recruit a Sask Party candidate, or is this yet another example of the Premier breaking trust with Saskatchewan people?