Hitting A Wall

True economic conservatives have been all tied up in knots over the decision to deny BHP’s bid for Potash Corp. Free markets are a staple of conservative policy and it was believed that the federal government would refuse to stand in the way of the purchase. The fact it didn’t happen has prompted a cold chill to run through, not just conservative circles, but the broader investor network in Canada. Conservative MPs from Saskatchewan left it to opposition MPs to champion the province.Personally, I agree with the Prime Minister’s ultimate decision. I’m on the side of protecting certain Canadian interests that constitute a unique advantage for Canada. His apparent about-face at the last minute certainly complicated the issue, but in the end the PM made the right call and our unique control over Potash is secured for the present.Many of the pundits declared that the Conservative government chose politics over principle, and they’re right. This was exactly the kind of takeover deal that Stephen Harper trumpeted, not only in his time as Opposition Leader, but also as Prime Minister, but realizing he might be facing political oblivion in Saskatchewan, he denied his own primal inkling in order to secure his base in the much-agitated province.Key to it all was Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall. He was the big winner in the whole development. When it was over, he concluded:

Let me just say that, unequivocally, Canada works. Canada works for the regions. In this case it has worked, to a great extent, for the people and the province of Saskatchewan."

Quite a statesman-like comment coming from someone who had just finished fighting for the life of his province. Truth be told, he built a populist and an elite movement that together put the Prime Minister fully in a corner. Polls unsurprisingly revealed that the vast majority of citizens backed his defense of the Potash industry. And then there were premiers, present and former, who were enlisted to come to Wall’s defense and whom he adroitly formed into an effective “Saskatchewan First” team.Wall and Harper share a lot in common concerning free market principles, but in the end they are both savvy enough politically to know that sometimes you just have to go against your principles to stay longer in the power game. In recent years, this has been one of the few times when citizen pressure actually had the desired effect and the political elites bowed to their influence. This is increasingly what politics has become in recent years: retail political realities becoming the driving force for every political decision. The issues themselves are of secondary importance. When regional government MPs remain silent against the outrage of their constituents and a Prime Minister reverses himself at the very last minute because he might lose seats in the crunch following, one realizes how close the good people of Saskatchewan came to being cast off. Thanks to Brad Wall that didn’t happen.