Tom Lukiwski: From Mouseland to Dirty Rats

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

I believe that Tommy Douglas is hands down the best Canadian politician that ever lived, and there is a reason why he was voted by the Canadian people, the Greatest Canadian. He was the antithesis of neoconservatism, but unfortunately the neoconservative government of Grant Devine in Saskatchewan, tore down much of what Tommy Douglas had achieved in the province.

And now the neoconservative government of Stephen Harper is on a course to tear down what Tommy Douglas achieved for the country: Medicare.

Same old, Same Old: The Saskatchewan Party

After the scandal that resulted in nearly a million dollars being embezzled from Saskatchewan taxpayers, all but destroyed the Tory party, there needed to be a revamping.

So in 1997, the Saskatchewan Party was formed by a coalition of four former Progressive Conservatives and four Liberal Party members of the Legislature.

However, it was not a formal merger between the two, and the PCs were not disbanded. It was instead allowed to go dormant for the next two election cycles, with assets held in trust. Because the new party consisted largely of former Progressive Conservatives, it was initially derided by opponents as merely a re-branding of the Progressive Conservative name in an attempt to distance itself from the still fresh corruption scandal. This view has continued to follow the party up to the present. (Wikipedia)

During the formation of the new party, they worked alongside another reinvented party, as the Reform was disbanded and a new Alliance Party formed. According to one journalist and budding politician:

Creating political parties was the style of the day, with Reform Party leader Preston Manning pushing forward his United Alternative which sought to emulate the model of the Saskatchewan Party, born from a marriage of progressive Conservatives and liberals in Saskatchewan. I met one of his assistants, Kory
Teneycke, at a Sask Party function and helped to arrange Manning’s appearance on CJME’s morning talk show with John Gormley. Kory and I would talk on the phone from time to time about the political scene in Saskatchewan and Ottawa where he worked. Soon I was approached to be a prospective candidate for the newly created Canadian Alliance, the fruit of Manning’s labour, and the party whose leadership he was now seeking. (1)

Tom Lukiwski remained with the Saskatchewan Party until it was discovered, and brought up by the opposition. After all, he was there throughout the whole mess.

And so I go through a list of people who worked for the Saskatchewan Party and I come upon a Tom Lukiwski. And who is this guy? Well he’s the executive director of the Saskatchewan Party. And who was he? Who was he, Mr. Speaker? He was formerly the executive director of the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan. (2)

Not long after, Lukiwski resigned his position to run for the federal party of Stephen Harper, and the Saskatchewan party is running the province under Brad Wall (another person on the infamous tape)

Sources:

1. The Saskatchewan Party and the Canadian Alliance, Brendon Cross, First Nations Party

2. Saskatchewan Legislature, Hansard, March 24, 2003