The 2003 Saskatchewan election makes a poignant statement about our province. What has held us back as a province for the last 40 years is fear of change and a penchant for giving our government's free reign to become all things to all people. Election 2003 is a fear campaign playing on our society's deeply rooted anxieties about our future in a global economy.

A few weeks ago the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) issued a challenge to the three main parties to sign a pledge that would commit them to enacting taxpayer protection legislation. This legislation would ensure balanced budgets, require a debt elimination plan, impose penalties on cabinet ministers if they exceed spending targets, and require voter consent for future tax increases.

The Saskatchewan Party was the only party to accept the CTF challenge.

Mr. Hermanson's commitment to taxpayers is downright courageous. It stands in stark contrast to the government deception and manipulation endured by Saskatchewan taxpayers for decades. It's a breath of fresh air during a suffocating campaign of fear and deception.

If successfully enacted, this legislation would mark a historic change in the way Saskatchewan is governed. For the first time in our history, taxpayers would have a commitment from their government that it will live within its means, that it will address the provinces growing debt, that cabinet ministers will put their salaries on the line, and taxpayers will be consulted before any future tax increases.

This pledge simply forces politicians and bureaucrats to choose priorities -- just like every Saskatchewan family must choose its priorities within a finite budget.

Hermanson's pledge signing was met with some criticism from status quo media types. - which shows how out of touch they are with the day-to-day reality of Saskatchewan residents. Thousands of Saskatchewan CTF supporters don't have the luxury of indefinitely borrowing money as our current government does. They don't have the option of going over budget in virtually every single expenditure area as the government does year in, year out.

The main sticking point of the pledge for some Saskatchewan pundits is the requirement for a referendum for tax increases. They claim that the governments' hands would be tied in times of economic downturn, and cite Alabama examples of emptying jails and firing teachers. Again, fear of change raises its ugly head in Saskatchewan.

The more likely candidate for causing economic chaos in Saskatchewan is another four years of backward economic policies and skyrocketing public debt. It isn't noted in their editorial that government spending has increased by 30 per cent since 1997, a year in which we had a larger population. Government largesse is the real threat to the Saskatchewan economy.

Taxpayers can't automatically get a raise whenever they feel like it, so why should government have an unlimited power to raise taxes without permission from those who pay the bills

Mr. Hermanson's signing of the taxpayer protection pledge is a refreshing change in Saskatchewan politics, and marks a shift toward real accountability. It's time to leave the fear mongering behind and embrace change for the benefit of future generations.