Budget shows government ready for election: analyst

“It’s a very safe budget — it’s probably the safest budget I have ever seen.”

David McGrane, political scientist at the University of Saskatchewan, said he found Wednesday’s provincial budget to be “underwhelming.”

“The tax cuts were not very large, spending initiatives were not very large — there was nothing that would really make the average voter who pays more or less attention to politics kind of sit up and pay attention.”

He said he believes it is the Saskatchewan Party’s way of safely going into an election year. They spread the money around, making almost everyone happy about getting a little extra.

According to McGrane, it means one of two things come the fall election.

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“They have some really big ideas they are going to let us in on when it comes to the election campaign, and they’re thinking, you know there is not a lot of use to sort of bring out a lot of their big ideas right now, because we might forget about them between now and the election campaign,” he said, explaining over the summer voters tend to forget what happened at budget time.

“The other possibility is that, simply that they are not going to be promising a heck of a lot in the election campaign and it would be that they think they are quite a popular government, that Brad wall is personally popular, that they are simply going to run on their record and try to get elected that way.”

McGrane said in an election year it is more common to see a “flashier” budget. He said there is a lot of spending in this one, but it is spread around, making it clear the Wall government is confident.

There is no reason for them not to be. McGrane said he has not seen a single poll that showed the New Democratic Party with more popularity than the Saskatchewan Party.

He said some big things to look for by the Sask Party at election time are further tax cuts to personal income tax or to the provincial sales tax.

While the budget did share the wealth, McGrane said there are a few areas that were left behind, things the NDP could jump on come fall.

The main thing he mentioned was the environment. There is some money for biodiesels, but not much else.

“Greenhouse gases keep going up and up in the province and it does seem like the Wall government is doing anything on that,” he said.

Others include, child care – he said the 500 spaces that will be added are only a “drop in the bucket” – and affordable housing. There was affordable housing added, but nothing like the rent control that is coming up with the NDP.

He called the budget a “cautious” move by the Wall government.

klavoie@panow.com