Ask the provincial government to clearly state their position on the Kyoto Protocol and you'll probably be confused by their reply. A quick call to Saskatchewan Environment yielded this statement from a provincial bureaucrat:

"Our government is waiting for details on the implementation of the plan before we issue a formal response. We have asked the federal government for full consultation with the provinces before the plan is ratified."

When pressed on the issue, Premier Calvert often expresses his dissatisfaction with the lack of details on implementation, but falls short of asking the Prime Minister to scrap the plan.

Are we missing something here Do you stick a fork in your eye in order to know it doesn't feel good Does it really matter whether it is a salad fork or a barbecue prong

The bottom line is this: If Jean Chretien ratifies the Kyoto Protocol and Saskatchewan is forced to reduce CO2 emissions to below 1990 levels, it will take money from the pockets of each and every one of us. It's going to mean fewer jobs in our province, higher energy prices, and increased costs for practically every item that requires energy to make.

You bet it's going to hurt.

Lorne Calvert's wishy-washy response to Chretien's Kyoto promise is even more astounding when you consider that Saskatchewan, with the exception of Alberta, has the most to lose in the deal. Documents prepared by his own staff illustrate this point.

A government report obtained by the CTF through Freedom of Information estimates that, in 1999, Saskatchewan's CO2 emissions as a proportion of the provincial economy are nearly three times as large as the Canadian average. The ratio of CO2 to $1000 of GDP is actually higher than Alberta's.

Even scarier is the ominous scenario outlined in the report that says if the policy "requires net government expenditures, expenditures [will be] financed by an increase in personal income taxes."

Kyoto threatens to wipe out the positive steps this government has taken toward income tax reduction in recent years. Meanwhile, we continue to toil under repressive property taxes, a punitive income tax system, and our businesses face the highest corporate tax rates in the country.

The Saskatchewan Party is calling for the Legislature to be re-called this fall, no doubt to register their opposition to the Protocol on the record.

While Ralph Klein leads the fight against Kyoto and takes heat for it, our government spouts platitudes about their commitment to a clean environment and urges Ottawa to outline its implementation plan. Perhaps, if our economy was in overdrive and people weren't leaving the province in droves, we could afford this government's inaction.

As it is, the people of Saskatchewan know the price is too high.