Power for the Few: How the Sask Party Pilfered Saskatchewan’s Crowns

A rotten revolving door.

As the circus tent collapses, what else can you do?

The Sask Party’s latest round of Crown corporation board appointments came out at the end of July, and my god, if you thought this was about merit, qualifications, balanced representation, or professional expertise… no you didn’t.

Because what we actually have is a lineup of 66 new appointees that reads less like a governance overhaul and more like the Sask Party’s Friends & Family Loyalty Program, now redeemable for control over public utilities.

This isn’t governance.

It’s feudalism.

The people tapped to “oversee” Saskatchewan’s public utilities weren’t picked because they represent the province. they’re picked because they represent the Saskatchewan Party.

They’re major donors, party strategists, ex-staffers, failed candidates, and long-serving insiders, many with jaw-dropping donation histories that would make a Trump lobbyist blush.

Let’s be clear: this is political patronage on steroids. It’s the completion of a slow, methodical institutional hijack, a complete corrosion of public trust, and a slap across the face to every single Saskatchewan residents who isn’t buddies with Jeremy Harrison.

I’m going to assume that’s all of us.

The systematic appointment of political donors, former staffers, and party loyalists to these critically important roles of stewards of Saskatchewan’s public assets, represents a corruption of democratic governance that should concern all Saskatchewan residents, if not all Canadians, regardless of political affiliation.

The concentration of political power in the hands of a small network of powerful people undermines the basic democratic principle that public institutions should serve all citizens, not political elites. It’s a web of extensive cross-appointments and interconnections among board members, which creates a closed system across multiple institutions.

These were not thoughtfully chosen individuals selected to reflect accurate representation of the province’s composition, never mind expertise.

In fact, any expertise these people may possess is completely overshadowed by the fact their appointments represent a sophisticated network of political operatives, major donors, and loyalists who have collectively contributed millions of dollars to the governing party of Saskatchewan in recent years.

When board members represent private interests or political considerations rather than ours, decision-making about the rates and services we pay for, as well as infrastructure investments, are distorted.

Subordinated to consideration for what’s best for the privileged few.

Certainly not you.

The SaskPower board reads like a who's who of Sask Party insiders and supporters.

Consider new Sask Power board member Jason Leblanc.

Yep, you read that right.