Sask. NDP Leader Carla Beck says the party's fiscal plan for the 2024 election is a move to be transparent and to restore trust in campaign promises. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME files)

By CJME Staff

Economy

NDP lays out fiscal plan; Sask Party calls it dishonest

Oct 4, 2024 | 3:49 PM

With a detailed fiscal plan in hand, the Sask. NDP’s Leader Carla Beck said the transparency represented by her party’s plan for the 2024 election is novel.

“I get it, people in this province are cynical, they are reluctant to believe the things that are said during a campaign looking at the Sask. Party’s record of what they actually deliver after the campaign, and their fiscal record,” said Beck.

The NDP plan explains how the funding for the party’s promises in the election will be spread out, and lays out the high-level numbers for the party’s potential first four years in office.

The document lays out a path to a balanced budget within four years — but with projected deficits of $163.7 million, $83.2 million and $40.4 million in the first three years.

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The NDP used the government’s numbers as a base before adding its own analysis and projections.

It also laid out the hits to revenue the party’s campaign promises would result in and what they would mean to the provincial budget each year.

For example, removing the PST from groceries would remove $36.4 million from provincial revenue in the 2025-26 budget year, $37.1 million in 2026-27, $37.9 million in 2027-28 and $38.7 million in 2028-29.

The NDP’s documents also laid out the costs of other promises, including initiatives which still hadn’t been announced as of Friday.

One of the promises was to spent $2 billion more on education over the next four years, adding $200 million to the education budget each year, which would then accumulate.

The NDP also listed out the cuts it would make in the first year, saving $58.3 million and allowing the party to put that money into other things.

• cutting the Saskatchewan Marshal Service ($20 million)
• reduce government political advertising ($20 million)
• retooling SaskBuilds ($5 million)
• streamling and restructuring government operations ($4.7 million)
• international trade office restructuring ($3 million)
• cutting administration in CIC ($2 million)
• cutting waste in executive council ($1 million)
• returning to direct payment of rents to landlords from Saskatchewan Income Support ($1 million)
• cutting Nelson Mullins and other unnecessary consultants ($0.8 million)
• eliminate rate review consultants ($0.5 million)
• scrap the Sask First Tribunal ($0.3 million)

“Ours is a plan to prioritize the things that desperately need investing in in this province, that people care about, that people want to see a focus on, and it gets us back to balance in four years,” said Beck on Friday.

She said the NDP plan shows the leadership, fiscal responsibility and solution focused government people in Saskatchewan are looking for.

Beck said she’s happy to have the fiscal plan scrutinized, and expects that it will be.

But she also said she won’t take lessons from the Sask. Party or Scott Moe, when government under him has doubled the province’s debt in six years.

Response from Sask Party

Saskatchewan Party Campaign Co-chair Donna Harpauer referred to the NDP’s plan as dishonest, and claimed that it inflates revenues, hides expenses and leaves a $3 billion hole in their platform.

“Revenue has been inflated by about $800 million over four years, above the Ministry of Finance’s four year forecast,” Harpauer said. “The NDP did not explain where this additional revenue is coming from. That means they would have to raise taxes.”

Harpauer also stated the NDP has hidden or failed to account for a number of their campaign promises, including:

● $2 billion in new education funding over four years (NDP News Release, September 3, 2024). Their costing document only accounts for $800 million in new funding, leaving $1.2 billion uncosted.

● $130 million over four years for a healthy school food program (NDP News Release, September 5, 2024). Not accounted for in the NDP costing document.

● $260 million for a six-month gas tax holiday (NDP News Release, September 9, 2024). Their costing document only accounts for $62.5 million, leaving $197.5 million uncosted.

● $40 million for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation units (NDP News Release, September 10, 2024). Not accounted for in NDP costing document.

● $1.1 billion in new health care funding over four years (NDP News Release, September 23, 2024). Their costing document only accounts for $415 million, leaving $685 million uncosted.

According to Harpauer, that’s a total of $2.25 billion in expenses that are either partially or completely uncosted.

“$800 million in phantom revenue plus $2.25 billion in hidden expenses is a $3 billion hole in the NDP’s costing document,” she said. “That means the NDP would have to raise taxes and cancel important projects like new schools and hospitals if they became government.”