Don't shoot the messenger.

One of the reasons this province spends so much time talking about its potential and so little actually achieving that promise is that we don't like to be honest with ourselves. It's our province's version of political correctness as we skirt around certain issues that are too sacred to honestly and openly discuss.

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One example is two-tiered health care. No political leader can raise or comment on this subject because, electorally, it's too dicey. Yet, if we were really honest with ourselves, we'd acknowledge that we already have a dual system. Those who don't want to endure waiting lists simply go to the U.S. for medical treatment. Each of us knows someone who has gone to the States or Alberta or wherever for an MRI but political correctness ensures we pretend it's not really happening.

A more recent example is the latest volley from the ACRE committee which raised the politically incorrect notion that some communities in this province are not going to survive.

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Dick DeRyk, the man who chaired the committee that probably displayed too much honesty for its own well-being, has been subjected to an endless barrage of criticism for his fortitude when he deserves the exact opposite--congratulations for being forthright. Instead, he's paying dearly for doing something right.

DeRyk and the other members of his committee delivered a relatively large report but only one aspect has generated significant attention--the idea that just over 30 communities currently have a long-term chance of survival. Needless to say the assertion generated tons of reaction from communities lacking the capacity to become major regional service centres. That's understandable--these people have invested in these places and their net worth is at risk. However, while understandable, it doesn't change the fact that most communities in this province are in decline. They have been for a long time and, until we accept that we have to be honest with ourselves, the number of towns, villages and hamlets that disappear from the map will only increase.

First of all, we have to ask ourselves: why are so many towns in decline? For the most part, the answer is straightforward--they don't have the economic strength to sustain themselves, largely because of rural depopulation. As farms get bigger in the pursuit of scale required to compete with emerging players like Brazil and former Eastern Bloc nations, fewer people earn their livelihood in primary production. The result is fewer people to patronize local retailers so they close, forcing their customers to travel farther and farther for services.

Basically, it's a spiral of decline. As services disappear because they are no longer viable, local residents travel to the nearest service centre which, in turn, puts even more pressure on those businesses remaining in the smaller community. To put it another way, all ACRE did was tell the truth--that many communities are in trouble because of population decline. ACRE didn't make this happen, they only reported it. Local people made it happen through their own individual choices to shop at the big box stores in Regina or Saskatoon rather than pay a bit more to patronize local retailers. Local residents made the decision when they sold their farms and moved to cities like Weyburn or North Battleford. Local people made the decision when they refused to pursue new businesses or diversification of agriculture by fighting things like jobladen hog barns. No, ACRE didn't make this happen, local people did.

Another complication is the failure of our public policy makers to address this reality. While some have considered focusing on strengthening those communities in ascension by enhancing services and infrastructure, they realized that picking winners over losers is politically dangerous so they did nothing. But the reality is ... communities in decline declined anyway but in an uncontrolled way. In short, our society can't afford to build a water treatment plant in every town or village but the entitlement mentality suggests we should do this, even if a town or village will not last as long as the water plant.

ACRE challenged this thinking. They said focus on communities in ascension so we can assure decent service levels in those centres rather than providing poorer levels of services everywhere.

All ACRE did was put the issue on the table. In short, they did us a favour because now we have to talk about it honestly.

Paul Martin is heard daily on 980 CJME and 650 CKOM as well as on the radio stations of the Golden West Broadcasting network in Saskatchewan.