A buddy of mine was elected to the Cariboo Regional District board back in the 1990s. He was elected on a “get the pigs’ (directors’) noses out of the trough and cut the waste ticket.” (My campaign slogan, not his.)
From the day he was elected, he rubbed directors’ noses in the largesse of the large expenditures of the large board. For example, on board day it was standard procedure for all 15 board members and senior staff to trundle off to the local (expensive) steak house for lunch … all on the taxpayers’ dime.
He would trundle along, but bring a brown-bag lunch from home. He didn’t think expensive lunches were necessary for board members who were already receiving a meeting stipend and for some, travel allowance, to attend the meetings. Point made.
It didn’t happen right away, but over time a decision was made by the board to order sandwich lunches on board days, to be brought into the office. The cost saving, probably not much, but the attitude change … priceless.
I remember asking my director friend how he got the board to move to his way of thinking on this, and other issues.
His answer was simple: “Once I got on the board, I realized all they (board members) were looking for was someone to lead them.”
I get the feeling Prime Minister Mark Carney has done the same with the premiers and territorial leaders. The love-fest after the premiers and Carney met in Saskatoon this week was almost scary. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said it was the best premiers’ meeting in 10 years. Even Alberta Premier Danielle Smith forwent her usual teenage temper tantrum threat of running away from home and joining the circus (Trump?) if she doesn’t get her way and said there is a path forward.
The premiers were eager, enthusiastic, and egads, even ecstatic (writing tip … always avoid alliteration) about the meeting. And, they were ready to go to work.
Thanks to Trump, there is a renewed urgency for us to disentangle ourselves, at least somewhat, from the American economy. The premiers know that and Carney knows that. As in all discussions or negotiations, finding common ground not only beneficial, but crucial to success.
We’ve found our common ground.
It was also a stroke of genius for Carney to put the onus on the provinces to come up with ‘nation-building’ projects that will remove us from the American teat that fed us so well for so long. It’s a classic ‘bottom-up’ strategy rather than ‘top-down.’ Provinces, particularly Alberta and Saskatchewan, have long hated Ottawa telling them what to do. Now the provinces, in conjunction with Ottawa, will have a definite say in prioritizing our way out of the economic morass imposed by our former best friends.
That is where the rubber will hit the road. Not everyone will get everything they want. That could cause some fractures. Doug Ford is already calling, and rightly so, for a strong response to the U.S. increasing tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50 per cent. Danielle Smith will undoubtedly blow a gasket if she doesn’t get a pipeline. The list goes on.
But for now, let’s enjoy the fact we are working together as one country.
If our 13 premiers and prime ministers take anything out of their meeting in Saskatoon it should be that the rest of the country (i.e. the people who put them in office) believe this is how our country should operate.
Born and raised in Fernie, Bill Phillips is an award-winning journalist and columnist. He was the winner of the 2009 Best Editorial award at the British Columbia/Yukon Community Newspaper Association’s Ma Murray awards, in 2007 he won the association’s Best Columnist award. In 2004, he placed third in the Canadian Community Newspaper best columnist category and, in 2003, placed second. Read more Writer’s Block here.
PHOTO / THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP
