The NDP's Aleana Young said the cost for a trip to Dubai by government officials is an amount that is difficult to justify. (Nicole Garn/ 980 CJME)

By Gillian Massie/CKOM News Staff

NDP blasts upcoming gov’t trip to Dubai as most expensive trip in Sask. history

Nov 9, 2023 | 1:59 PM

The Saskatchewan NDP is criticizing the provincial government after learning a trip for a global climate conference in Dubai is going to cost an estimated $765,000.

The provincial government will be setting up a pavilion for COP28 in the United Arab Emirates.

NDP Job Critic Aleana Young said the cost of the trip is difficult to justify.

“It’s a lot of money,” said Young. “I was taken aback by the level of outrage that we saw (Wednesday in the Legislature) again for some pretty fundamental questions about spending public money in a general cost-of-living crisis.”

Young said the big price tag to go to a climate conference is a stretch for a provincial government that has celebrated the lack of care when it comes to climate change.

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“I think if you look at the history of ministerial travel over the past couple of years, I don’t think it would be consistent with what the average person would spend,” she said.

Last year, Finance Minister Donna Harpauer took a flight from Regina to North Battleford costing $8,000.

If the trip to Dubai is going to generate dollars for the Saskatchewan economy, Young wants to see a transparent documentation of the costs of the junket.

Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison said the money put into travel will be worth it.

“We’re thinking that this is a very good investment,” he said. “We are there to tell our story about sustainable resource production.”

The event will host business and government leaders from around the world, and Harrison wants Saskatchewan to be there to demonstrate how it is as a long-term, reliable exporting partner — a story that Harrison said the federal government is not telling.

“We need to be there to make this argument to have these discussions at the national level, because again, is Canada making these arguments for us? Absolutely they are not,” said Harrison, who isn’t making the trip.

Harrison confirmed that so far, five government representatives are attending the conference. They include Premier Scott Moe, two staff members from Executive Council, and two employees from the Ministry of Trade and Export Development.

On Wednesday, Regina city council members voted 6-1 to send Mayor Sandra Masters on the trip.

Masters was invited to participate through a partnership between the Ministry of Trade and Export Development and Economic Development Regina, according to a council report.

The report said Regina’s participation in the conference is intended to position the Greater Regina Area as a “natural and preferred home for climate-friendly production of food, fuel and fertilizer and the corresponding investment opportunities.”

“If you’re intentional about wanting to attract, to meet (and) to allow people to get to know a little bit about where we’re from and what we’re about, there is no better way to do that than to show up in person and to answer questions and to have presentations and to allow people to get to know you (and) that we are friendly,” Masters told reporters when asked about the cost of going in person versus attending remotely.

“We’re hardworking, we have a great community (and) we have really smart people that work here. We want more international students, we want more scientists (and) we want more technicians. We have jobs to fill.”

Masters said she’s unclear of the cost now but said the trip would be cheaper than a marketing campaign that would reach the number of countries and delegates scheduled to be in attendance.

She stressed that no city funds will be used to pay for her trip to Dubai.

Representatives from 40 companies will be flying overseas to use the government’s pavilion and attend panel discussions, according to Harrison.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Nicole Garn and Daniel Reech