May 8, Date 2012

Saskatchewan NDP would hand over resource sector to the federal government
When asked by a reporter about federal NDP leader Thomas Mulcair's comments suggesting a strong resource sector is bad for the country because it kills manufacturing jobs in eastern Canada, Saskatchewan NDP Energy and Resources Critic Cathy Sproule passed the buck. "If there are issues around economics, that's something the federal government would have to deal with," said Sproule. Saskatchewan Party MLA Kevin Doherty says Sproule's comments provided some clarity. "I now understand why the NDP never had a plan to grow Saskatchewan's economy - they think it's a federal responsibility," said Doherty. "They would put the future of our province in the hands of people like federal NDP leader Thomas Mulcair, who thinks our strong resource sector is a disease that can only be cured by slowing down our potash, mining and oil sectors, killing thousands of jobs. Heaven forbid Mulcair should ever become Prime Minister." Premier Brad Wall's concerns with Mulcair's position were echoed across the country yesterday - various columnists called the federal NDP leader's comments a "bad economic prescription," a "recipe for economic mayhem," "ill-advised," "potentially disastrous," "pandering to Quebec," "ridiculous," "divisive," "bizarre," "ignorant," and "economic suicide." "We don't need this type of economic prescription for Saskatchewan and Canada from the federal NDP leader - and we don't need that sort of abdication of responsibility from the provincial NDP," said Doherty. A strong resource sector is good for all of Canada. Its time Thomas Mulcair recognized that and stopped pitting one region of the country against another. For more information, please contact: Steve Rennick (306) 787-4300 30 -