Sask. Party and United Party MLAs respond to Provincial Budget

“You look at the record investments in healthcare, record investments in education, record investments in social services, all of those things are going to be such a benefit for our community,” added Prince Albert Northcote MLA Alana Ross.

Some big components for Prince Albert in this year’s budget are $7 million to start hiring for the Saskatchewan Marshals Service, $1.6 million for enhanced pediatrics and NICU, $2.4 million for psych supports (split with Saskatoon), and an increase of funding for the Mobile Crisis Unit.

Right now, It’s unclear if the psych support funding will bring a new youth psychiatrist to the city with Ross saying they are still actively recruiting for that position which has been vacant since August 2022.

Among the many critics of this year’s budget is Saskatchewan Rivers MLA and leader of the Sask. United Party, Nadine Wilson.

Wilson spoke about the budget after it was tabled, believing it was not in the best interest of Saskatchewan residents.

“I thought it was a budget that was very evident of the Sask. Party’s complete lack of understanding and no empathy for a lot of the hard-working families and children and vulnerable people,” she said.

One of the biggest problems she saw in the budget documents was the deficit and debt, which continues to grow. By 2025-26, the budget is expected to be back to a surplus position but this year the debt load will hit $21 billion, an increase of $3 billion over last year.

Wilson said that unless the government gets a handle on its spending, future generations will suffer.

“Since Moe became premier, his spending and I’m going to say his liberal spending has imposed 2.4 billion in new taxes on the people, the good people of Saskatchewan who are working hard trying to have food and pay their rent and pay their gas to get to work,” she said. “There was no tax relief and it further squeezes this already stretched household budget.”

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation was also unimpressed with the debt, but there was another glaring issue that worried Prairie Director Gage Haubrich.

“The most important number is the $730 million that the government is spending in taxpayer dollars this year on interest payments, that’s over $10 million a month,” he said. “(It) can’t be used for tax relief, can’t be used for new programs. Put another way that could hire 7,000 nurses that could hire 7,000 teachers, but instead, because the government fails to balance the budget every year, we get nothing.”

The problems with Saskatchewan’s debt were also brought forward by NDP Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon. Following the budget announcement, he stood in the Legislative Assembly to call out the Sask. Party government’s “out of touch” budget, saying the party has only delivered more debt with zero relief.

Hargrave talked about that issue but noted that it’s not operational debt they’re dealing with, but capital.

“This is debt that we’re using to build schools, we’re using to build hospitals, long-term care centres. If we don’t build more schools, more classrooms, more hospitals, more long-term care centres, that’s the problem,” he said.

Despite the government not removing the fuel tax, as opposition MLAs have called for numerous times including at the budget announcement, Hargrave said the decision to remove the federal carbon tax from home heating is helping families.

That move, however, has prompted the federal Liberals to threaten to withdraw the carbon rebates from Saskatchewan residents, leading to concerns from low-income households on whether they can make ends meet.

Ross added that despite the deficit and debt, Saskatchewan is still one of the more affordable places to live in Canada. She added that the province, and Prince Albert, have many support systems that other jurisdictions don’t have.

“The reduced education property tax, children’s drug plan. We have expanded support for the insulin pump program for type one diabetes…Autism, individualized funding for children under 11, we have our senior’s income plan, personal care, home benefit seniors drug plan, subsidized ambulances, seniors housing benefits, disability tax credits, caregiver tax credits, we have a lot of supports that are in place.”

While that may seem positive for the city, Wilson is still not impressed and believes the government is failing her constituents in many areas including health care and specialized care, pointing to the reports that some women with breast cancer have been sent to Alberta for treatment.

She also took issue with the province’s plan to hit net-zero emissions by 2050.

“The Moe government is funding its net zero agenda by using revenue from Sask Power and you know what this means? This means a higher Sask Power bill for everyone in the province and none of us are looking for extra burdens,” she said.

Wednesday’s budget was the seventh and last for Finance Minister Donna Harpauer who will not be seeking re-election.

The spring budget will be in the minds of many voters as the provincial election is scheduled to take place this October.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

by Derek Craddock

Sask. Party and United Party MLAs respond to Provincial Budget

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