By Mario deSantis, May 3, 1999

I have a lot of respect for Professor Glen Beck, Chair of the Budget Committee for the University of Saskatchewan. He has been fighting on many fronts including educational changes compatible with the new Internet Economy(1) and now he is advising the Premier to stay out of the labour negotiations between the Saskatchewan Union of Nurse (SUN) and the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO)(2). Outspoken people like Prof Beck are essential for our social and economic renewal(3), however our political and bureaucratic leadership are flexing their powerful muscles(4) to debilitate our minds and to suffocate any remaining democratic rights.

There is the possibility that a new university's bylaw is passed with the consequential restriction of public statements made by any member of the University of Saskatchewan Council(5); further, Associate Health Minister Judy Junor, Past President of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses and recently labelled Judas Junior by some Saskatchewan Nurses(6), has introduced legislation to protect the "privacy of personal health information in Saskatchewan"(7). This new health legislation doesn't have the primary interest to protect the privacy of our health information, rather, it has the primary interest to protect the development of the new Saskatchewan Health Information Network (SHIN) which has already cost the province dozens and dozens of millions of taxpayer dollars(8) (9).

Incompetence breeds incompetence, and notwithstanding(10) the assurance by Premier Romanow that he cares about our children(11), he and Brian Rourke(12), Chair of the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations, are joining forces, within a state of planned confusion(13) (14), to turn our children to become the copycats(15) and backstabbers(16) of North America.

Endnotes

1. University hikes tuition 12 per cent, by Betty Ann Adam, The StarPhoenix, April 23, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

2. Premier advised to stay out of nursing talk, by Jason Warick, The StarPhoenix, April 24, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

3. Proposed gag will hurt U of S, SP Opinions, FORUM page, The StarPhoenix, April 22, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

4. Our hypocritical Premier Romanow has stated "...the future will not be built by the exercise of our muscles alone. The future will be built by the exercise of our minds...", Premier Romanow's Speech to the 1998 Provincial NDP Convention, http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/saskndp/speech98.html

5. Proposed gag will hurt U of S, SP Opinions, FORUM page, The StarPhoenix, April 22, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

6. Honourable Pat Atkinson is the Minister of Health. Former SUN president defends gov't legislation, by Mark Wyatt, The StarPhoenix, April 9, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

7. Saskatchewan Government, News Release Archives, BILL PROTECTS PRIVACY OF HEALTH INFORMATION, Apr 23, 1999, Health 99 - 345 http://www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/1999Apr/345.99042305.html

8. Refer to the Report of the Provincial Auditor, Saskatchewan, 1997 Spring, Saskatchewan Health Information Network Phase 1, pages 62-72

9. A Historical Perspective of The Saskatchewan Health Information Network, by Mario deSantis and James deSantis, March 1998. http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/desam/paper-SHIN.htm

10. The word "notwithstanding" reminds me of Premier Romanow's book Canada Notwithstanding written in 1984 and referring to the 1981 Constitutional negotiations

11. Refer to Premier Romanow's speech to the 1998 Provincial NDP Convention

12. Never Enough Money For SAHO, by Mario deSantis, March 31, 1999. Published in North Central Internet News

13. Stop using SAHO as puppet, by Mark Wyatt, The StarPhoenix, April 13, 1999, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Mario deSantis' note: SAHO has been a puppet and incompetent agency since the late 70s when Mr. Hewitt Helmsing took over the administration of the former Saskatchewan Health-Care Association.

14. The Political Mission of Premier Romanow: Divide and Conquer, April 18, 1999. Published in North Central Internet News

15. Systems Dynamics in Education: Failures of the Current System, by Mario deSantis, March 20, 1999. Published in North Central Internet News

16. SUN's Strike and Premier Romanow's Paper Legislation, by Mario deSantis, April 25, 1999. Published in North Central Internet News