… For many years, Les Benjamin was our NDP MP in Ottawa, representing Regina. He had a particular concern for farmers’ interests in the land locked province, but he was also concerned that all Canadians should be treated fairly.
One morning on CBC radio, I heard him say that while beer was priced the same throughout the province, milk was priced higher than beer in northern Saskatchewan because delivery charges were added to the consumer price.
I was on council for the NDP at the time, so I decided to put in a Notice of Motion to have perishable goods such as milk, fruit and vegetables (food for health) be considered at least to be as important as beer.
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When the motion came up at the next meeting, I had no difficulty in getting a seconder, and in the vote that followed, I don’t remember any opposition, and a member from the executive was assigned to look into the matter.
I believe in 1979, a few isolated communities were being subsidized to some extent, but this did not last long after Grant Devine became premier. …
Two or three years ago, while listening to CBC Morning Edition, I heard a lawyer from Lac la Ronge phoning in to complain about pallets of low priced wine being shipped from the south containing 20 percent alcohol.
Apparently this concerned him, as it should, as well as police and health care workers and citizens in general.
I expected to hear many listeners phone in support of his concern, but there was no response in all the days that followed. Were there no calls or did the Morning Edition find a topic of current interest at the time and simply avoided the liquor topic all together?
Lester Jorgenson,
Abbey, Sask.
