I just heard that Allan Blakeney passed away this morning. He was a great premier of Saskatchewan, always hard-working and involved. He showed that a progressive New Democrat Party can govern responsibly by balancing the budget eleven years in a row.
Oh no. I didn't know he was sick.
Mr. Blakeney was a giant in Sakatchewan politics. I voted for him in my first election, worked for his candidates, and heard him speak many times.
One of the greats. He will be sadly missed.
I'm sorry to hear that.
I'm sorry to hear it too.
I will never forget how his government lost the election:
http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/canadian_union_of_public_employees_hospita...
I'm sorry to hear it too.
I will never forget how his government lost the election:
http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/canadian_union_of_public_employees_hospita...
My mom was on those picket lines.
Yes indeed Malcolm. He was a great man. I never met him in person but spoke to him a few times on the phone and of course my family was fond of him.
Your tribute was very well done.
Tx
Thanks M. Needed that.
Oh dear, I's cryin...
Wonderful insight, thank you Malcolm.
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[url=http://www.rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/murray-dobbin/2011/04/alan-blakeney-... Dobbin's rabble article.[/url]
I'm waiting for my comment to be approved.
Alan Blakeney was a brilliant man. In person he was respectful in argument but forceful in the presentation of his viewpoint. I was privileged to have taken his seminar course in Federalism at U of S and have heard much of this in person. This is a great presentation so please listen to the man himself and rejoice in his life's work. He made a difference in Canada like few others.
Ok - I waited 2 days for Murray Dobbin to allow my comment to be posted on his rabble article. Since it hasn't happened yet, I'm posting it here:
But he was a nation builder, a man who more than any modern political leader really understood the positive role government could play. He worried about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms because, as he told me in an interview for an Ideas series, it is not just governments that violate citizens' rights -- corporations do, too.
Even positive figures in Canadian history deserve a balanced account of their accomplishments.
Re nation-building:
He could have said, "All provinces must be onside - Québec included - or else let's keep discussing." Instead [url=http://books.google.com/books?id=naSqgiPyuUgC&pg=PA177&lpg=PA177&dq=blak... wrote[/url]:
It is easy now to suggest that 'Quebec' was left out. Certainly the government of Quebec was left out. But it was far from clear whether Mr. Trudeau or Mr. Lévesque spoke for the people of Quebec.
I wonder who was speaking for the people of Saskatchewan...
Re violating citizens' rights:
It is perhaps ironic that the man who was so passionate about the Charter lost his last election after having crushed a strike of hospital workers:
[url=http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/canadian_union_of_public_employees_hospita... Union of Public Employees Hospital Strike[/url]
Yes, Unionist. Feet of clay. We heard you the first time.
All that matters is the lessons we learn.
All that matters is the lessons we learn.
Unfortunately his protege Roy was not as progressive as Alan.
Unionist you would have loved hearing his account of the constitution talks. His version of the events that allegedly took place in his suite differed considerably from the accepted PQ "mythology" as he liked to call it.
See NS, the PQ mythology is not my concern, nor Blakeney's version. The fact is that long after 1982, we have had NDP governments (primarily in Saskatchewan and Ontario) which blithely attack and crush workers' struggles - the same workers who credulously put them in power in the first place - and a "constitution" which has never received the consent of the nation of Quebec. Those are the lessons that have not been learned. And to assess Blakeney's legacy without underlining those two issues is mere insipid nostalgia. Having said that, my overall assessment of the man remains as I put it above - a very positive one. But the cult of the personality makes me reach for my Gravol.
I think he had a large role in the constitution debate and I see the Charter as one of the best things for Canada. That is why I posted a link to his dry but insightful presentation on where the charter ideas arose from going back to the english struggles.
I agree eulogies tend to be insipid nostalgia but I thought that was the point. Critical analysis can wait for the books.
AEB was always realistic about his own legacy - and would probably be slightly embarrassed by the amount of credit he's getting in the establishment of Medicare in Saskatchewan. Allan and Tommy both felt that Woodrow Lloyd deserved far more credit than either of them. Which is true.
Allan and Tommy both felt that Woodrow Lloyd deserved far more credit than either of them. Which is true.
Indeed. Lloyd deserved much more than history gave credit for.
