This month's Weaver is packed with wonderful information and messages from your Leader and SGP Executive. Stay up to date. Be informed. Watch our website for updates as we post information on our election readiness for the 2024 Provincial Election, candidate announcements, Platform information, and volunteer opportunities.
Dear Saskatchewan Greens,
I’m finally done harvest at the family orchard. That was a long one this year!
The winds of change are blowing in this province! I’m travelling the width and length of Saskatchewan again, helping Greens organize for the upcoming election. Everywhere I go, I hear the same thing: “We are ready for something new!” We in the SGP are the refreshing breeze that this province needs to restore voters’ belief in the integrity of our political system.
We are the only political party in this province brave enough to stand against the SMR’s (nuclear power) that all the other parties are touting as the solution. We see the announcements for untested, experimental nuclear reactors in Saskatchewan as a thinly veiled delaying tactic designed to avoid implementing real climate change solutions.
A Shout Out to Our Hard-Working Volunteers
I would like to take a moment to celebrate all the hard-working environmentalists and social justice volunteers in Saskatchewan! Every election and by-election in our province, I find myself reaching out to people I know who possess the qualities of a great candidate. The most frequent reason I hear as to why these individuals cannot become candidates is that they are too busy organizing events to feed the unhoused, creating events to heighten environmental awareness, or other selfless acts to create a better society in our province. All of us are trying to solve issues that could be solved by better governance of Saskatchewan. I really wanted to speak to how incredible the activists and volunteers are here. I love our province and I’m really proud of the grassroots helpers that are found in every corner of it.
-Naomi Hunter
Candidate Announcements
Please check in at our website https://www.saskgreen.ca/2024_candidate_profiles during the month, to see new candidate announcements as they go up before you see them in the Weaver. This link takes you to all those announced so far, please reach out and connect to these candidates, and offer help as you can.
This past month I have been helping our current candidates open their mandatory bank accounts. Barry Dickie, our party president, has gone way above and beyond and is stepping into this role for many of our candidates. We have a hero. If any members are willing to take on even one candidate as a Financial Agent, that would help a lot. This is an Elections SK rule and once this is done that information (plus some other forms) can be submitted and these candidates can be listed on the Elections SK website. Once that is completed (hopefully sometime this week), then the focus will go back to filling the remaining candidacy vacancies.
If you know someone you feel would make a great candidate, please connect us. My number is 1-306-561-8880.
Click on the photos to read the full bios.
Be Part of Doing Politics Differently
Ever wondered why we beg for donations like a thirsty cactus? Like leaky buckets in a drought, we struggle with sporadic funds. Monthly donations provide a steady stream, allowing us to plan and expand effectively. Become a monthly donor and be a rainmaker. Your future self—and many others—will thank you!
The big bonus is donations of $25 or more are eligible for a tax credit up to 75% of your donation.
To donate by credit card, visit Donate - Saskatchewan Green Party or email [email protected] for your other options.
Visit the Clean Green Saskatchewan homepage to download a PDF or connect with [email protected] to purchase for $33.30.
Petitions - Take Action and Please Sign
You can make a difference.
Together we can create real change in this province. As people across the province mobilize and add their voices to petitions for change, we build strength and resilience together. Add your voice today.
SK must act now to remove asbestos in our drinking water
https://www.saskgreen.ca/asbestos_in_our_drinking_water
SK needs a Wetlands Policy
https://www.saskgreen.ca/sk_needs_a_wetlands_policy
SK needs renewable energy - not nuclear waste.
https://www.saskgreen.ca/sk_needs_renewable_energy_not_nuclear_waste
SK demands a new approach to healthcare
https://www.saskgreen.ca/sk_demands_a_new_approach_to_healthcare
End Homelessness in Saskatchewan
https://www.saskgreen.ca/end_homelessness_in_saskatchewan
Ending Poverty in Saskatchewan
https://www.saskgreen.ca/ending_poverty_in_saskatchewan
Call for Volunteers
Join your local volunteer team
Your support is vital to help elect Saskatchewan Green MLAs and continue to build Green momentum in all ridings across our Province.
Fostering communities of dedicated change-makers, who enjoy working collaboratively in line with the Values of the Saskatchewan Green Party is essential to our mission. We need people like you, who demonstrate service, leadership, and a commitment to a more sustainable, healthy, and caring Saskatchewan.
Does this sound like you?
Please join us in this exciting opportunity to work with The Saskatchewan Green Party as we work towards building a stronger voice in government, and stronger advocacy for Green Values. Thank you for your support in helping grow the SK Green movement!
Polarization, Populism and Us
By Alan Bishoff, an SGP member and longtime Green Party supporter.
It is commonly accepted that we currently live in a “polarized” and polarizing world. It is polarized in living conditions as the rich -- individuals and countries -- get richer and the poor get poorer. It is polarized between people’s understandings of how society works and how it could be changed to work better. The polarization means that the two sides are less able to find common ground and common goals in communication, and in fact have less in common in our life conditions. There are probably only two ways this polarization can end – it can end in conflict as each side escalates attempts to have the power to mould the future to their own advantage, or it can end in compromise based on a belief that the fruits of peace, however, distributed, will be better than the carnage of conflict. From my modest position in life, I believe my future will be better if we can build a path to compromise and peace. The first step of that compromise is understanding that the people “on the other side” are not evil, stupid, or irrational. Some of them might even be nice, intelligent people. We need to find out why they believe what they believe and do the things they do.
First, seek to understand, then seek to be understood.
Many would believe that the polarization started with the rise of Trump in American politics. Trump practices an approach to politics that used to be called “populism”. Populism has existed by name for a hundred years and probably in practice for thousands. The main characteristic of populism is to claim to talk to and for the “common people”. The message content will usually be more emotional than factual and will be very short on hard facts. With populism “the people” are always good and are not to blame for any negative factors in life. With populism the problem is with someone else, often the elite (the wealthy, political leaders, corporate managers, intellectuals) in society and often people of other races, cultures or nationalities (Jews, blacks, Muslims, immigrants, Indigenous, and/or Mexicans).
Blaming others for difficulties we face is common at all levels of our human interactions, whether children in a family, or nations in the world. Populism only becomes a significant force in our political processes when there is widespread unease among people with no clearly identifiable cause. This cultural insecurity leaves many people looking for a solution to their stress and fears. Populist-type politicians will step up to offer an answer and a hope. The real cause of the rise of populism will be the cause of cultural insecurity. One of the means of determining the cause of the cultural insecurity is finding the common characteristics of the people who support the populist movements.
The first recent example of a populist movement that I paid much attention to was the Brexit vote in Britain. The “yes” – let’s exit – campaign was a largely emotional campaign against many of the changes in Britain in recent decades. Britain had (over more than a few decades) slid from the leadership of the world to a 2nd level player in world politics. Britain had changed from being a “white Anglo-Saxon” nation to a multicultural nation largely through immigration. Successive British governments had sought to reduce the role of government; they left people with less security as they had to fend for themselves. Economic globalization (significant increase in world trade and removal of many tariffs) had eroded much of the British economy with goods coming in from lower-wage (more productive) economies. Globalization and modern communication technology had reduced some of the British uniqueness and sense of national pride. The ECU was a player in some of this and was blamed for more. While many of these cultural/economic/social changes occurred in most countries in the world, the rate of change was probably more dramatic in Britain. Older, less educated (less tech-savvy), lower income people were more likely to support the yes vote as they sought the security of the life they used to know. The most significant issue for many pro-exit voters was immigration and race. The populist appeal to emotion won the vote. Did it solve any of the problems? Economic stats are clear that more was lost than gained.
Few would challenge the idea that cultural/social change has been occurring at an increasing rate around the world in recent years. Our parents' lives were very different from ours and our children’s lives will be even more different from ours. Any sense of security that comes from continuity has been lost. Religion, with its offer of eternal security, has been forsaken by many people – and clung to even tighter by the rest. Liberalization of laws and practices in family and sexual relations, and changes in roles have created more uncertainties in life. The volatility of the economy has reduced job and income security. In Canada, the decrease in home ownership and the increased cost of housing has reduced many people’s sense of security. Issues like global warming that are hard to see, difficult to understand – and which make us feel powerless to deal with – add to our sense of insecurity. All of these “sense of security” issues make people more vulnerable to the false promises offered by populism. We should not be surprised that some of our friends, neighbours and family members have found some solace in the populist offer of an end to the stress and confusion in their lives. The people who actually research things like populist politics believe that “Cultural insecurity is the main root cause of populism”.
So we live in a province where a populist- type premier can get elected by nothing more than blaming all of the world’s problems on the Prime Minister. He could have attempted to deal with the real issues in our health care system, housing, drug addiction or education. Instead he took concrete steps to make conditions worse by deliberately undermining public health in favour of private health care providers, abandoning drug users, and withholding supports that could save lives. The real issue for people who want to live in a better world is not what the premier does and says, but rather that many honest, working class, “common” people -- our friends, neighbours and family members – believe and support the populist politicians when their real self-interest lies in supporting progressive change. If we are going to build a more egalitarian, inclusive, caring and sustainable society we need to understand why people support populist politicians. After we understand, then maybe we can help support them to change to a political world view that has their real long term self-interest at the centre. It begins with seeking to understand.
As the Latest Regina Homeless Camp Is Shut Down, the Situation Remains Urgent
By Regina Leader-Post reporter Brandon Harder.
After police dismantled a homeless camp on Regina’s Angus Street, residents relocated, raising concerns about their safety. Volunteer Alysia Johnson highlighted that removing camps doesn't solve homelessness, as individuals often seek more dangerous hiding places. Johnson emphasized the urgency of addressing homelessness, criticizing the lack of shelter solutions despite Regina’s failed attempt to secure a permanent low-barrier shelter site. As homelessness rises, she stresses that ignoring the issue worsens the situation for those affected. Read more…
Holding the Crown to Account: Restoule v. Ontario
By Kate Gunn partner at First Peoples Law LLP.
Last week, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a landmark decision in the Restoule treaty annuities case. In a unanimous decision, the Court held that the Crown must compensate the Anishinaabe beneficiaries to the Robinson Treaties for the Crown’s longstanding failure to uphold its sacred promise to share the wealth derived from lands within the treaty territories. Read more...
Premier Scott Moe Makes Health Care Promises with No Follow Through
Sadly, another doctor is leaving our province due to Premier Moe and the SaskParty’s failure to prioritize our healthcare system and its unwillingness to listen to experts in the field. Moe promises better healthcare during election time but then he never follows through. #skpoli #healthcare. Read more…
Nuclear Power on The Prairies Is a Green Smokescreen
By Professor M. V. Ramana and Graduate Student Quinn Goranson
Alberta and Saskatchewan's funding of small modular reactors (SMRs) is seen as a delaying tactic that hinders the transition away from fossil fuels. Despite SMRs' unproven track record and long construction timelines, these provinces invest in nuclear technology while remaining heavily reliant on fossil fuels, slowing meaningful climate action and decarbonization. Read more…
Nuclear Adopts “Emergency Framing” Around Climate, But Still Can't Deliver
By energy and climate writer and researcher Susan O’Donnell
Despite nuclear energy's challenges, governments globally continue supporting it as part of clean growth initiatives. In Canada, this includes aligning federal, provincial, and industry resources to keep nuclear a strategic asset. Physicist M.V. Ramana critiques nuclear energy's risks and inefficiencies, arguing that the push for nuclear energy delays meaningful climate action and benefits industries maintaining the status quo. Read more…
Nuclear Proliferation Remains Perilous
By Evelyn Tisch
Martin Luther King Jr.'s warning about unity is urgent today, as global nuclear spending continues to rise while issues like hunger, climate crises, and social needs are neglected. Calls for peace and ceasefires must be heeded. Read more…
Sask. 'Moving Forward' with $1.15B Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Project Despite Incomplete Feasibility Study
By CBC reporter Geoff Leo
The SaskParty government of Saskatchewan says it is "moving forward with constructing" a $1.15-billion irrigation project, despite having never completed or publicly released a feasibility study. The study would have examined whether it is a good use of public money. Water, a life-giving precious resource, is being squandered. Read more…
In Saskatchewan, North America's Largest Inland River Delta Is Under Threat
By CBC reporter Alexandre Silberman.
Barry Carriere, a 57-year-old trapper from Cumberland House Cree Nation, has witnessed the degradation of the Saskatchewan River Delta, North America's largest freshwater delta, due to shrinking waterways and invasive weeds. Concerns are mounting as a $4 billion irrigation project threatens to exacerbate the delta's decline. While supporters tout the project’s economic benefits, environmentalists and First Nations fear it will further harm the delta’s fragile ecosystem. Carriere calls for urgent action to save it. Read more…
Jasper Fire the Latest Wakeup Call Politicians Will Sleep Through
By Regina Leader-Post columnist Murray Mandryk
Politicians' responses to the Jasper wildfire, similar to U.S. reactions to school shootings, fail to address root causes. While U.S. gun violence stems from ineffective laws, climate-related disasters like wildfires result from global warming. Yet, politicians hesitate to acknowledge climate change's role, offering only "thoughts and prayers" instead of meaningful action. Read more…
Coming to Grips with Climate Change
By Steve Lawrence, an SGP member and former candidate.
Climate change is here to stay for the foreseeable future and the only question is how are we to limit its impacts. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions directly impact not only our climate but also our health. Read more…
Sask Party Resists Every Policy Meant to Fight Climate Crisis
By Peter Prebble, a board member of the Saskatchewan Environmental Society.
Despite the global climate crisis, marked by record-breaking temperatures and severe environmental impacts, Saskatchewan's government resists federal policies aimed at reducing emissions. Premier Moe's stance endangers the future of the province, as climate change fuels deadly wildfires, rising heat deaths, and ecological destruction, demanding urgent emission reductions. Read more…
Oil and Gas Classes Offer Lessons in Propaganda
By Star-Phoenix columnist Phil Tank.
Saskatchewan's government is prioritizing oil and gas education with new high school courses developed by Teine Energy, despite the sector employing less than one percent of the workforce. Critics question this focus amid unresolved education issues like class size and complexity, emphasizing misplaced priorities. Read more…
Yay, Pollinators!
By Gillian Harding-Russell.
Creating a continuous path of wildflowers and native grasses in urban and rural areas could support pollinators at risk. Early mowing deprives birds, butterflies, and insects of habitat, so more thoughtful management is essential for their survival. Read more…
We hope you feel inspired to share your thoughts and knowledge with our readers. We are ready to dig deep with you and share your contributions with our Green members and supporters. We will work with you as much as you’d like through discussion or with editing help on any submission. We treasure the efforts of any and all who share our respect for the Green Values and offer us their thoughts on relevant topics. We will let you know when your submission has been accepted.
The Weaver Team
The Weaver articles express the viewpoints of the authors. They may not always align with the policies of the Saskatchewan Green Party.
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