Sask Liberals & Leader Ryan Bater Give HUGE Win To Brad Wall's Saskatchewan Party

I keep saying that most Liberals should be Conservatives ... some Liberals should be New Democrats.

In a great post, Blunt Objects demonstrates how Liberal voters moved to the Right in today's Saskatchewan election. With only 9 Lib candidates running for 58 seats, supporters of the Sask Liberal Party moved their votes to the defacto 'Conservative Party' here and gave a big victory to Brad Wall.

Thanks Liberals! :(

Sask Liberals & Leader Ryan Bater
What can I say? You fucked up.

Here's the results of tonight's vote in the 9 ridings the Liberals ran in, organized by vote totals:

(Click on image to enlagre .....)

That's right - 80% of voters were lost in those nine ridings since the 2007 election. Overall, 94% of Liberal voters in 2007 did not vote Liberal in 2011.

That's ridiculous, especially considering that Bater lost voters compared to 2007, when he got 13.36%. So much for the Lizzy May strategy.

Heads should start rolling. Now.

(PS: "Nathan Jeffries" should read "Saskatoon Meewasin", sorry about the mix-up.)
Posted by Volkov at 11:06 PM

Blunt Objects Blog

Senior Saskatchewan Party Staffer Caught Stealing NDP Literature On Doorstep!

For immediate release: Nov. 7, 2011

“I think she’s seen me” supress the vote: Sask Party senior staffer

REGINA – Today, a team of senior Sask Party staffers were seen removing NDP door-knockers in a seniors’ apartment complex at 1150 Broadway Avenue.

NDP campaigners spotted Terri Harris (deputy chief of staff to Premier Brad Wall), Rebecca Rogochewsky (media relations officer for Kathy Young, executive director of communications) and Steve Rennick (Sask Party caucus communications director) with a team totalling about seven people doing their part for the Sask Party.

The Sask Party operatives were removing NDP literature which helped the senior renters know where and where to vote, and offering rides to voters in the bad weather.

“I think she’s seen me,” said Rogochewsky upon being spotted by NDP team members, who had already noticed that literature seemed to be disappearing from doorknobs minutes after it was placed there.

“This is a disturbing method of vote suppression,” said NDP campaign manager Dale Schmeichel. “The seniors who reside in that complex would benefit from the NDP’s plan to make life more affordable. The Sask Party knows that – and this is a deliberate attack on those seniors’ rights.”

- ### -

NDP provincial campaign manager Dale Schmeichel will be available for comment at 1 p.m. in Regina today at 1122 Saskatchewan Drive (Tommy Douglas House).

For more information, contact Erin Morrison: 527-2084 or Kyall Glennie: 778-847-8324

New Democrats - Saskatchewan Party: Platform Comparison

(Click on image to enlarge ... )

WHAT BOOM?!

Brad Wall's BOOM is mostly hype .... unless you are the CEO of a major potash corporatation!

Brad Wall Says That Whatever Stephen Harper Asks Him To Pay For The Omnibus Crime Bill - He Will Obey

"PRINCE ALBERT — Returning to the city where he made a recent campaign promise to crack down on violent offenders, Saskatchewan Party Leader Brad Wall expressed support for Ottawa’s tough on crime bill despite the potential for added costs at the provincial level."
Regina Leader-Post: Brad Wall backs Federal Crime Bill despite potential osts

"No evidence has been offered to support assertions that Saskatchewan levies the world's highest (Potash) royalties and taxes" -Saskatoon Star Phoenix

"(PotashCorp CEO Bill) Doyle wrote, "Saskatchewan is still the highest tax jurisdiction in the potash world." The Saskatchewan Party also made this statement in its platform document and in the provincial leaders' debate.

Unfortunately, repetition is not a form of evidence. [...]

No evidence has been offered to support assertions that Saskatchewan levies the world's highest royalties and taxes. On the contrary, the province is well positioned to negotiate a better return from the extraction of its potash."
Saskatoon Star Phoenix

How Much Will Harper's 'Omnibus Crime Bill' Cost Saskatchewan? Brad Wall's NOT Saying! UPDATED

`So far, the most expensive election promise of the Saskatchewan Election campaign is the ongoing Billions in windfall profits that Brad Wall is allowing PotashCorp to rip off from the taxpayers of Saskatchewan.

Another HUGE expenditure is looming for the province and that's the amount that we will have to pay to implement Stephen Harper's Omnibus Crime Bill.

Today, both Quebec and Ontario (AND NOW ADD BRITISH COLUMBIA) told the Harper government that they will not carry these costs.

Saskatchewan's Brad Wall has been completely silent on this looming expenditure - he is usually too busy kissing Federal Tory butt to even ask what the costs will be. (Sorry Brad ... I call them as I see them. Your silence is deafening!)

Shame on Brad Wall for not representing the interests of Saskatchewan citizens on the federal stage!

-Quebec AND Ontario (AND NOW ADD BRITISH COLUMBIA) Refuse To Carry The Costs Of Harper's Crime Bill

Why Is Brad Wall Wearing NDP Orange?

Halfway through last week, the Saskatchewan Party pulled all of their overly aggressive 'attack' ads on Dwain Lingenfelter. Clearly, their polling showed that these scathing ads were not being well received by the public. To replace them, the Sask Party is now advancing a softer, friendly Brad Wall ..... wearing NDP orange!??

The brain trust who run the Saskatchewan Party campaign are leaving no bases uncovered!

Photo of 'NDP Brad' courtesy the Saskatchewan Party .....

How The Saskatchewan Party Shills For PotashCorp

Sask Party Shills for PotashCorp

by Erin Weir
October 28th, 2011

"Yesterday’s strong earnings report from the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan confirms what this blog and the NDP have been contending: even modestly increasing Saskatchewan’s extremely low royalties on hugely profitable potash mines could fund substantially better provincial public services.


The Saskatchewan Party still refuses to review potash royalties. In a well-timed column, Greg Fingas developed the theme that this gift to potash companies is the provincial election’s most expensive promise.


The Sask Party issued a carefully-worded press release implying that PotashCorp invested $590 million in Saskatchewan and paid nearly $332 million to the provincial government in the third quarter of 2011. Both suggestions are misleading.


While some commentators wrote that PotashCorp reinvested $590 million in Saskatchewan, the Sask Party itself stopped short of making that claim since this figure is a worldwide total. The company reports only that “the majority of the $590 million in capital expenditures” were in potash rather than nitrogen or phosphate.


The Sask Party compares this figure to $700 million of potash gross margin, at least 90% of which is from Saskatchewan as opposed to New Brunswick. If two-thirds of PotashCorp’s investment was in Saskatchewan potash mines, it reinvested something like 63% of its gross margin (i.e. $590*0.67/($700*0.9)), a far cry from the 84% put forward by the Sask Party. In contrast, 100% of every dollar in additional royalties would be reinvested in the province.


The Sask Party went on to claim, “PotashCorp paid another $332 million in potash royalties and income taxes in the third quarter – the vast majority of which would have been paid in Saskatchewan.” This figure is the sum of “provincial mining and other taxes” ($53 million) and “income taxes” ($279 million). The $53 million is Saskatchewan’s potash production tax and resource surcharge.


The $279 million is worldwide corporate income tax, more of which goes to the Canadian federal government than to provincial governments. (Note that the Sask Party wrote “paid in Saskatchewan” not “paid to Saskatchewan.”)


PotashCorp has confirmed that it paid only $82 million of corporate tax to the Saskatchewan government throughout 2010, less than it paid to Trinidad. Saskatchewan people should get a better return."
Progressive Economics Forum

Brad Wall SCRAMBLES To Change Channel From Windfall Potash Profits To ..... No School Until After Labour Day!?

PotashCorp embarrassed Sask Party Leader Brad Wall yesterday by releasing Third Quarter figures which prove that the province is being robbed blind.

The last phase of the provincial election seems to be focusing on the Billions of dollars being gouged out of Saskatchewan by the potash industry. New Democrats want to squeak out an extra 'nickel on the dollar' of these profits while Brad Wall wants to keep enriching the rich.

So back to yesterday. With the Q3 report on record industry profits, Wall desperately needed to change the channel and get the pundits, MSM and hopefully, the public, onto another topic.

Right out of the blue, without any other context, he announced that no school in Saskatchewan will be able to reconvene classes until after the Labour Day weekend in order to help out the tourism industry.

As you would expect, the MSM took the bait and we have a new issue in the campaign today.

How PotashCorp Hauls BILLIONS Of Our Dollars Out Of Saskatchewan Every Year

PotashCorp earns US$826 million in Q3

27/10/2011
The Canadian Press
SASKATOON - Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. (TSX:POT) more than doubled its profits in the latest quarter on higher production and record sales.

The world's largest fertilizer producer reported early Thursday its net income jumped to US$826 million, or 94 cents per share in the three months ended Sept. 30.

That was more than double the 38 cents per share, or $343 million in profits the company earned in the same quarter last year.

Sales in the quarter jumped to US$2.3 billion from $1.58 billion last year as the company cashed in on growing demand for fertilizer in China, India and other parts of the world.

PotashCorp, which reports in U.S. dollars, said record third-quarter sales and significantly higher prices raised potash gross margin to $700 million - the second-highest third-quarter total in company history.

This raised gross margin for the year to $2.2 billion, well ahead of the $1.3 billion earned in the first three quarters of 2010.

Production in the quarter hit a record 1.9 million tonnes, up from 1.3 million tonnes a year earlier.

The company says offshore potash demand remained robust during the third quarter and on pace to achieve record levels in 2011.

PotashCorp president and CEO Bill Doyle said the "undeniable need for potash, phosphate and nitrogen" ensured products moved through the system to reach farmers around the world.

"Our third-quarter performance reflected the unrelenting pressure on global food production - and the strength of our growing fertilizer enterprise."

After the rejection of BHP Billiton's hostile $40 billion bid for PotashCorp last year, the Saskatoon company has moved ahead with expansion plans and developments to boost supply.

And despite recent weakness in the global economy, the prospects remain bright for the industry.

"Despite economic uncertainty around the world, a growing population has and will continue to need more food and, ultimately, more fertilizer," added Doyle.

"By recognizing this powerful long-term trend and making the commitment to be prepared for growing demand, especially for potash, we anticipate new opportunities in the years ahead. Our expanding operational capability will be increasingly valuable - in helping grow global food production and in serving the interests of all stakeholders in our company."

Sympatico.ca.Finance