Leading off.

First things first: although this issue was distributed after the November 7 provincial election, for production and scheduling purposes this column was written prior to Saskatchewan's provincial election. Because of this, I can draw no conclusions in how the rest of the electorate definitively feels, but I for one have gotten more than a little tired from the prevalent, long-drawn-out election ploy regarding the prospect of privatizing Saskatchewan's Crown corporations. I'm not sure why or how Saskatchewan became the 'Land of the Crowns,' but heaven knows, our Crown corporations are practically more sacred than life itself.

So then, how's this following example for irony: Although Saskatchewan has no exclusivity in terms of Crown corporations (other jurisdictions have Crown corporations as well--indeed Canada has its share of federal Crowns). Yet if you were to ask a sampling of people (as I did) to name five federal Crowns, you would likely learn that it's no simple task. (Include me on this list.) Yet if you were to ask the same sampling to name a handful--heck, make it a dozen--of Saskatchewan Crowns ... no problem.

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The point of this exercise is merely to illustrate Crowns corporations' importance in terms of real vs. imagined. If they truly were the lifeblood of our very being, as some would have us imagine, don't you think we'd be able to rattle off a few from the federal list? Granted, there are exceptions to this rule. Some (OK, one) of my sampling came up with more than the typical one or two responses, which usually included some combination of Canada Post, Farm Credit Canada, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and/or the CBC. But my point is, based upon my sampling (all of whom I might add, were well-educated, intelligent, politically minded people), in all likelihood the general electorate could not.

Therefore now that the election is behind us, it's high time the rhetoric was put away once and for all. Rather, the fear-mongering and scare tactics must make way for reality and pragmatism. It's unlikely this government will do anything other than the status quo for the duration of its mandate, as both the Saskatchewan Party and the NDP emphasized they would support a strong Crown sector in Saskatchewan.

So now the question becomes more like, 'How do we educate people to allow them to make the realization for themselves that maybe it's time the sacred cow of Crown corporations was put to pasture?' I'm not talking about a complete evisceration of all Saskatchewan Crown corporations--anything but--I'm merely suggesting that they are looked at objectively to determine their worth. For example, even if they operate in the red, but provide value for the greater good, or else provide a necessary product or service, they are in all likelihood, of value. If they don't meet the necessary criteria though, the meat packer's calling.

By the way, if you care--and I think I know the answer to that one--a list of federal Crowns can be found online. Do a Google search for federal Crown corporations and this indispensable information is just a click or two away.

Keith Moen, Editor

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