If recent polling is to be believed, Alberta's ultra-conservative Wildrose Party looks poised to capture an electoral majority in the upcoming provincial election only a few years after its creation. While we could just chalk this up to Alberta's peculiar penchant for right-wing populism within it's unique political culture and shrug our shoulders, we would make a grave mistake if we were to believe that Alberta's choice in the next election only affects Albertans.

Advocates of low potash royalties are claiming that New Democrats fared poorly in Saskatchewan's recent election because they proposed higher potash royalties. Of course, potash companies and their boosters would like the NDP to give up this cause. Doing so would be a political mistake for the party and a disservice to the people of Saskatchewan.

Most polling indicates that most Saskatchewan residents support collecting more from potash companies. So, why didn't the NDP get more traction on the issue? In politics, timing can be everything.

To state the obvious, Saskatchewan's provincial election result was not good for progressives. I was especially surprised by the NDP's loss of constituencies like Regina Douglas Park (where I grew up), Moose Jaw Wakamow and Prince Albert Northcote.

It could have been worse. Political commentators were musing about the NDP falling below 30 per cent of the popular vote and to fewer than half a dozen MLAs. In fact, it garnered 32 per cent and elected nine.

In opposition to the Conservatives' transformational C-10 omnibus crime bill, Quebec, Ontario and Newfoundland are refusing to take on the costs associated with the bill. British Columbia and Manitoba are similarly concerned about the costs of the federal legislation, asking for a full-accounting of the bill's provisions and cost-sharing agreements with the federal government.

Regarding the NDP platform's reliance on additional potash revenue, columnist Murray Mandryk asks, "What if potash tanks as it did in 2009?"

Of course, budgets are necessarily based on assumptions about future commodity prices. Saskatchewan Finance estimates that each dollar of change in the price of oil alters provincial revenues by $20 million (page 35). So, if a barrel of oil is $10 cheaper than projected, the future surpluses needed to fund the Sask Party platform would evaporate.

Saskatchewan's two major parties have unveiled their election platforms.

The NDP's fiscal plan is to collect higher potash royalties and reinvest the proceeds in public priorities like health care, education and housing. Columnist Murray Mandryk notes the spectre of Erin Weir.

The NDP has expressed a willingness to discuss sharing resource revenues with First Nations. The Sask Party criticizes the NDP for not costing this possibility.