The Sask. Party’s mismanagement of Saskatchewan’s finances is continuing to become more apparent, as the Finance Minister revealed today that even with the Sask. Party openly breaking election promises, their deficit this year will likely balloon to over a billion dollars.
“The Sask. Party locked up and hid their budget before the election and, when they did release it, it was worse than they had ever hinted,” said NDP Finance Critic Cathy Sproule. “This summer they went back to the secrecy and refused to release a quarterly update and now they’re playing politics with leaks outside of the Assembly and are trying to soften the ground so they can bring even more cuts at a time when nearly 11,000 more Saskatchewan people find themselves looking for work compared to a year ago.”
Sproule noted that the Sask. Party government inherited a resource boom, a full Rainy Day Fund, a surplus, and record revenues when it took office. Since then, they have drained the Rainy Day Fund, the have refused to diversify the economy, and in the last seven years, they’ve allowed debt to increase by approximately $7 billion.
“The Sask. Party are the ones who blew the Rainy Day Fund, blew through the surplus, and refused to diversify the economy. They wasted it all on these scandals and mismanagement,” said Sproule. “Now, they’re forcing the people of Saskatchewan to pay the price with job losses, broken promises, and deep cuts.”
Poor working conditions, favouritism, $300K travel nurse pay at issue
REGINA - Today, the Official Opposition released a letter signed by 49 emergency room nurses in Saskatoon. The letter slams the Sask. Party government for failing to support Saskatchewan nurses and curb the province’s reliance on expensive out-of-province travel nurses.
REGINA - Today, Official Opposition Critic for First Nations and Métis Relations Betty Nippi-Albright hosted a Day of Action with Indigenous leaders from Nekaneet First Nation, Yellow Quill First Nation, Waterhen Lake First Nation, Onion Lake Cree Nation, Carry The Kettle First Nation, Key First Nation and the residential school support team from Yorkton Tribal Council. Together, they continue to draw attention to the Sask. Party government’s disregard for the Duty to Consult process.
MOOSE JAW - Today, the Official Opposition stood with Taylor Enns, president of the Moose Jaw Firefighters Association, and Brayden Dutchak, the son of a cancer survivor. Together, they called on the Sask. Party government to reopen Saskatchewan’s only hyperbaric chamber.
Records show former Sask. Party Finance Minister lobbied for Calgary surgery scheme on behalf of a major Sask. Party donor
REGINA - Today, the Official Opposition grilled the Premier and his Minister of Health after the Minister misled the public, claiming that he had not been lobbied by a former Sask. Party MLA when Saskatchewan's official lobbyist logs show the exact opposite.