I just hit send on Chapter 3 of the book I’ve been publishing over on a different Substack:
In it I’m covering, chronologically, the events as they unfolded in the final days of Grant Devine’s reign, then throughout the tumultuous decade of the 1990s in the Saskatchewan Legislature and Court of Queen’s Bench.
This stuff matters, alot. Dr Phil told me the best predictor of future behaviour is the past - what’s happening in Saskatchewan today is a carbon copy of what happened in the final death throes of Grant Devine’s government.
Today we’re seeing the exact same schemes, same pillaging and gross mismanagement of public funds and frankly, the exact same people executing all of it.
It’s staggering and kind of sickening how this one group of grifters managed to get back into the Saskatchewan public’s good graces, just so it could rob them blind again.
There’s another saying coming to mind here, uttered by a different American public figure, also a genius:
“There's an old saying… fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.”
―George W. Bush
Anyway, I think I’ve confused a few people too, what with the multiple Substacks. To be clear, both are subscription products. However this is an unconventional way to get people to read a book, so my original thought was I’d remove the paywall from Chapter 3 to give out another sample.
Then I decided that I’d just remove the paywall from the entire book for the rest of the year. Call it a really lame, half-finished Christmas present from me to you.
Seriously though, you know how much I appreciate you all.
Saskatchewan’s past is key to its future. Our modern governance history - that of the late 20th and early 21st century - has been twisted and contorted into an unrecognizable and wholly incorrect political narrative, the heart of which is entirely different depending on who's telling it.
The same applies to me, but my hope is that my reliance on the public record, Legislative documents and old school news reporting is conveyed as trustworthy in the work.
The idea that Grant Devine, who 100% willfully, spitefully and deliberately ran the province into the ground when he realized he’d lost control of it, has been welcomed back into leadership circles by the Sask Party, including as a governor of the University of Saskatchewan, is truly beyond belief - yet here we are.
I’m not here to demonize anyone, but what happened behind the scenes in Devine’s government is really, really wrong, yet for some reason Saskatchewan people have been led to believe it was overblown. Not only that, but a number of the individuals who orchestrated the deceit - who created an environment that allowed a corrupt, fraudulent scheme to flourish in plain sight - are still working for Scott Moe today.
Fool me once.
So there you go - I’ve published an introduction and a prologue as well as three chapters, bringing us up to the middle of 1991.
If you’d rather read it all at one spot, I’ve been updating this link as I publish:
It too should now be free to read.
You’ll hear from me again before the New Year, but til then I do hope you’re able to enjoy the incoming time with family and friends. It’s been a few years since I’ve been around Saskatchewan at this time and admittedly, it’s kind of nice (sort of, let’s not get crazy, I’m still never going to live here again lol).
Enjoy the read of my Nineties book if you haven’t started it yet. At the least, marvel at the amazing movies we had to choose from - what an amazing time in cinema, seriously. No wonder Blockbuster exploded.
Speak soon,
Thank you so much for your ongoing readership and support. I could not do this without you and I am grateful for every one of you.
Media and newsrooms in Saskatchewan cannot and are not getting you the information you need to live in a healthy, democratic province anymore. I’m doing my best to continue to bring as much of it to you as fast as I can. If you’d like to support my work beyond your subscription, for costs like the multiple subscriptions and accounts I need to access and purchase information provided in posts like this one, etransfers are gratefully accepted at tammyrobert0123@gmail.com. Every dollar helps keep me and this work going.