Saskatoon Leader's Dinner

 
The following is a transcript from Liberal Leader Ryan Bater at the 2009 Saskatoon Leader’s Dinner (minus the interjections and witticisms...those are only available live).
 

The past two years a period of rapid change for our Party. After the last election we found ourselves without representation in the Legislature and there was serious reflection on the appropriate path forward.
 
This led to a series of renewal workshops put together by a group of past candidates and other interested party members. We had some very open and frank discussions about the identity of our party, what liberalism means to us, and what it is that we should offer the people of Saskatchewan as a voter choice. 
 
These discussions were very refreshing, and eventually led into a Leadership contest within our party. After the contest (the results of which should be clear to you all or else we need to do a better job of communicating our message and Leader’s Dinners), there were months of discussions with party members about what it is to be a Liberal in Saskatchewan.
 
The Convention and the Declaration
 
These discussions and the momentum they created culminated into the creation of the Declaration of the Principles of Prairie Liberalism- a document that was presented, debated, and approved by our membership at our Leadership Convention last February. 
 
This was a significant turning point for us. It was a chance for a new beginning. You see, I got into politics because I noticed that people have become detached from their own government. They no longer see themselves in those chosen to represent them, and politics has become dominated by political elites. 
 

Political parties have become meaningless to people...they think that we are all the same- if you look at the Legislature they’d be right. Politics is only about brand names, personalities, and slogans. 
 

Parties are watering down their philosophies to appeal to the greatest amount of people, as they abdicate all principle in the interests of power, as they try to be all things to all people they really become nothing to anybody. 
 
This is boring. And it offers no vision for our province. We haven’t been electing parties of vision- we’ve been electing temporary managers- and bad ones at that. 
 
 
 
 
We have a rare opportunity- the kind of opportunity that only comes once in a generation for a political party. We have the opportunity of a ‘clean slate’ where we can rebuild this party on principles. Politics used to mean something, and it’s going to mean something again through us. We can start to assert ourselves for who we are and not worry about what the other parties or anybody else says we are. We can show true leadership.
 
So we took a bold new step in that direction with the passing of our Declaration of the Principles of Prairie Liberalism.

We actually declared our principles for all to hear. From this day on, every policy, every platform, every statement will be guided by these principles. We are the Party that champions Personal Liberty, Free Enterprise, and Responsible Government in Saskatchewan. 
 
We have no interest in being a bunch of poll chasers who just tell people what they think they want to hear. I think people deserve better than that.
 
We know who we are. We are comfortable in our own skin. “Personal Liberty” and “Free Enterprise” is not an ugly terms. They’re not right wing terms. They’re not Conservative terms. They are liberal terms. And we’re taking them back. 
 
The “Round Our Way” 2009 Summer Tour
 
After the Convention I had done some light travelling as the new Liberal Leader. I was down in Coronach at a trade show when I had met a woman who remarked how nice it was to have me down there. She said, “We don’t usually see politicians ‘round our way outside of an election.”
 
That struck a chord with me. It really hit me hard now people see the role of the Legislator- the MLA- as meaningless. The prestige of the office and the prestige of the Legislature is waning, and our entire political system is in trouble if that continues. 
 
I thought that there had to be a better way.
 
That’s when the idea for the tour came up- a chance to get back to basics and show the people of Saskatchewan a new kind of politics. It was a chance to meet people on their turf and find out what’s important to them and what issues are important in their communities.
 
The tour itself reflected its philosophy: a return to basics. There was nothing flashy or lavish about our tour. We traveled, slept, ate, and worked out of a motorhome for six weeks. It was stripped right down. We were “Liberal Party Unplugged.”
 
The reaction was gratifying. People told us that they found our approach refreshing and genuine. They appreciated our modesty and an agenda that included nothing more than to listen and to talk about our own philosophy. 
 
Most important, we learned that there is a strong desire for a new voice in Saskatchewan politics.
 
Need for a new voice in Saskatchewan
 
We now have a political system dominated by two parties that are hard to tell apart. That’s the funny thing about the Sask Party and the NDP… they both enjoy centralized power entrenched in big government, and they both enjoy using power in controlling ways so they end up behaving much the same. 
 
Simply put, they are both statists.
 
They both operate this province by bloating the size of the government at a time when we should have been getting our fiscal house in order. The last budget increased public spending in this province by 22 percent from since they took office, and have thrown nothing at the debt. 
 
They have an obscene obsession with self gratifying megaprojects like nuclear power plants and dome stadiums and have done nothing to promote individual freedom and entrepreneurship.
 
They claim to believe in private enterprise as the engine of the economy, but they are unwilling to take the government out of unnecessary markets. This is most evident in the liquor store debate- a debate they stubbornly support the status quo on, while we are left as the only party to champion the freedom of enterprise for Saskatchewan people.
 
One thing is clear. When it comes to securing the freedom of enterprise and nurturing Saskatchewan’s entrepreneurial spirit, these people are a bunch of posers. I think years ago they realized that in order to beat the NDP they had to become them.
 
The debate over these past two years in the Legislature has been a continuation of the same old routine. They have a divide and conquer mentality. They enjoy the same old debates…union vs. government…rural vs. urban…aboriginal vs. non aboriginal…haves and have nots.
 
This is effectively polarizing and dividing this province. While this polarization may be good for these parties, it is BAD for Saskatchewan…and that is why we’ve got to stop them. 
 
The debate is going to get even worse. The Opposition Leader declared two weeks ago that the public debate is going to be about the 1980s and that it will get personal. This is a debate that I will not be part of. Not only because I think it’s absolutely ridiculous, but because I would have nothing to offer. I was a child in the 80s and I could care less about their records during that time. I am more interested in the future. 
 
There needs to be a generational shift in Saskatchewan politics. We need fresh eyes and fresh minds. This is not happening in the Sask Party. This is definitely not happening in the NDP. It’s happening here in the Liberal Party. We have a youthful, energetic Executive…just look around this room tonight and you can see all of the young faces.
 
Future Focus
 
So what the future holds for us? Serious policy development.
 
This will not be easy. Nothing about what we are doing is easy.
 
I will level with all of you. Many people say to me, “Ryan, you have a hard job. The Sask Party is just too popular. There is no room for you. There are no issues for you.”
 
Nonsense. There are LOTS of issues. We have no lack of issues in Saskatchewan. What we have a lack of is leadership and courage.
 
And that, my friends, is exactly what we are going to provide. We need to focus on those issues that the other parties can’t or won’t because they don’t have the courage.
 
Anybody can steer the ship with the waters are calm. The other parties are very happy with the current dynamic. They are very comfortable with the current debate. Our job, however, is to make sure their lives are very uncomfortable.
 
 
Sustainability in Aboriginal Communities
 
In our lifetime the proportion of aboriginal people in Saskatchewan will see a dramatic increase, especially amongst younger age groups. In 20 years from now, the 20-29 year age group will be nearly one- third aboriginal.
 
We hear continually of a torrent of studies and news stories regularly that catalogue the multitude of social issues facing aboriginal individuals including unemployment, insufficient education, crime, drugs, health issues, and the sex trade. 
 
In fact, this issue is largely being ignored by today’s policy makers, mostly because this is a long term problem and Saskatchewan has a history of short sighted decision making revolving around election cycles. The issue is also ignored because it requires a gut- wrenching look at the causes of these social issues and it is usually much easier to simply throw a little money at the symptoms.
 
We as a province ignore these issues at our peril. The First Peoples must become full partners and participants in our economy and our society, and the most effective way to ensure that is through education.
 
If anything is to change, this paternalistic and elitist approach must end. It is critical that we adopt a new approach in partnering with First Nations and Métis people, which is precisely why the Saskatchewan Liberal Party made a commitment to First Peoples on June 30th of this year. The commitment is only a first step in strengthening the partnership with First Peoples and creating a non- confrontational means of negotiation. 
 
Every day there are children living in poverty in this province…children who do not understand personal liberty, because the greatest threat to personal freedom is poverty. Liberals believe that people need to have choices and the ability to elevate themselves beyond their current condition. But for many, the cycle of poverty gives them only one choice: more of the same.
You won’t see this in a Liberal Saskatchewan. In a Liberal Saskatchewan every child gets a chance. Every child- no matter their background, where they were born, or where they live gets a chance. They get a chance to make their own dreams come true and the only thing that should be standing in their way is their own work ethic and perseverance. 
 
The Green Economy
 
The effect of human activity on the environment is having a catastrophic effect. We hear daily about climate change and pollution, and how our actions have lead to the greatest ecological crisis of all time. 
 
We need to show better leadership in Saskatchewan. Unfortunately the time for leadership has passed. We don’t need to ‘get ahead of the curve’- we are already far behind. Countries like Germany have shown the leadership the world needs by developing free enterprise approaches to energy development. They now produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources and this is going to increase. Meanwhile, producers of that energy are making some serious money.
 
In Saskatchewan, however, we continue to rely on statist power generation focused on polluting mega stations, and deny individuals in Saskatchewan the chance to participate in the green economy.

We claim to have a connection to the land in Saskatchewan, but our pollution record is embarrassing. To make matters worse, we are missing out on tremendous economic opportunity. 
 
This is the future. We had better get moving. I believe we can develop a model that will embrace our principles of free enterprise and personal liberty. I believe that is the ONLY was to address the Environment in Saskatchewan.
 
We don’t need to look at the next 2, 3, or 4 years, we need to look at the next 20- because most of us still plan to be here 20 years from now. This is the greatest threat to our province and to our planet, and we won’t be able to look our grandchildren in the eye if we drop the ball on this.
 
Conclusion
 
I am very excited about our contributions to Saskatchewan’s future.  One thing is clear: in order to contribute we need to have a presence in the Legislature. In the next election, we need to win a seat. 
 
Is it possible? Absolutely. But it will not be easy. It’s a very hard fight out there, but I’ve never backed down from a fight in my entire life and I’m not about to start now. 
 
Over the next two years, as we develop policy and continue to spread our message, we also putting a team together. Our team will start small, but the greatest changes on the planet all started with small groups of the dedicated few.
 
We’re gonna build our team and together we’ll spread our message everywhere. We’re gonna make the Round Our Way Tour look like a weekend holiday. We’re gonna visit every town, every village, every city, every farmhouse, and every cabin in every corner of this province. We’re gonna knock on every door, we’re gonna shake every hand, and we’re gonna paint this province red.