The Sask. Party’s mismanagement of the Crowns is hurting the people of the province in their pocketbooks and gives cause for concern for the future of the Crowns. The Crown Investments Corporation and Saskatchewan Transportation Company annual reports reveal the Sask. Party’s penchant for selling Crowns or forcing more debt on to them.
“We’ve seen plenty of evidence that the Crown corporations provide invaluable services on top of the dividends returned to the people of the province,” said NDP CIC Critic Warren McCall. “The concern we have is the debt that the Sask. Party keeps tacking on to the Crowns, and the added financial burden it’ll add to people down the road.”
According to the 2007 annual report, debt in CIC Crowns was $3.9 billion. Debt in CIC Crowns in the latest annual report had jumped to $9.8 billion. McCall also noted the millions of dollars that have been wasted at the underperforming carbon capture facility and the failed GTH, which could have been used to better serve the people of the province instead of weighing down the Crowns.
The 2018/19 STC annual report will be the last as the Crown was sold off by the Sask. Party without the mandate of the people of the province.
“This is a testament to the Sask. Party’s dishonesty around the selling of the people’s Crowns,” McCall said. “Since the sell off, there are gaps that haven’t been filled and hardships that have been endured by people trying to get to medical appointments or anywhere across the province. It was a valuable service that was not treated as such by this government.”