Premier or Puppet?

Brad Wall is now sitting on the eve of what could be his first real challenge as Premier. Does he stand up for Saskatchewan and what is rightfully ours or does he buckle under pressure from his Federal counterparts.

As much as Wall denies any affiliation or attachment to the Federal Conservatives, now is the time he needs draw that line...does he stand up and show that he has what it takes to lead and govern Saskatchewan, or does he become a Harper puppet?

During the last federal election, Harper promised to remove non-renewable resource revenues from the equalization formula. But in the budget the Conservatives put a cap on the amount a province can receive under the program.

Lorne Calvert, who was Saskatchewan's premier at the time, was so angered that he and his NDP government filed a constitutional challenge of the federal equalization program. Wall and his Party supported the notion of a court action over equalization when the federal Liberals were in power in 2005, but changed his tune after his Saskatchewan Party took power last fall. The newly elected premier called the case "dubious."

Now that Wall is in power, he seems to of "waffled" in his position. He is now saying "Equalization is for 'have-not' provinces and we're a 'have' province." "That doesn't mean there's any less case for federal government investment and partnership in our province.

"We want to have a vision of remaining a 'have' province and then pressing hard and aggressively for a federal partnership in key areas to make sure the current boom lasts."

Wall says that's why he'll go into the first ministers meeting at 24 Sussex Drive on Friday focusing on other issues, stating that Saskatchewan can do better than equalization payments if the strategy focuses on priority areas such as the labour shortage, long-term infrastructure and the energy sector.

Calvert is justifiably concerned that this means Wall will "sacrifice" the equalization fight and should use the meeting to push Prime Minister Stephen Harper to keep his promise on equalization.

"It should not be a circumstance where even before the meeting you're saying, 'Well, I'm willing to back off that and look at some other issues like infrastructure,"' Calvert said.

"Yes, I'd be participating with every other premier in terms of federal involvement in infrastructure, federal involvement in dealing with industries in this country that are being hurt by the high Canadian dollar.

"But I would not be leaving at home the promise that Mr. Harper made to the people of Saskatchewan."

Wall will have to stand up to Harper's blatant lie to Saskatchewan people, a lie that his own "Dirty Dozen" MP's in Saskatchewan used to admit too, if he is going to succeed in any equalization payments.

Question is...will Wall stand up for Saskatchewan or will he sit as puppet for the Harper and Federal Conservatives?