Less than a month after the Premier announced their deficit had reached $1.2 billion, NDP Leader Trent Wotherspoon says it is now clear that the Sask. Party is making the numbers up as they go and refusing to be honest with Saskatchewan people.
“The Sask. Party can’t shoot straight and they aren’t being straight with the people of Saskatchewan,” said NDP Leader Trent Wotherspoon. “They said they’d balance the books, then it was a $400 million deficit, then $800 million, then $1.2 billion. Now? Who knows? The Sask. Party’s dishonesty is nothing short of offensive.”
The provincial deficit is not the only example of the Sask. Party cutting first, and then measuring later. The Regina bypass was originally set to cost $400 million, but has since bloated to $2 billion. When he announced the Sask. Party would be cutting health care regions, the Minister responsible was not able to provide even an estimate on possible savings. The Sask. Party also didn’t know what the financial impact would be on the government or the recipients when they callously cut funding to the province’s most vulnerable by slashing the Saskatchewan Assured Income Disability (SAID) program. Now, they are threatening similarly unmeasured cuts to Saskatchewan workers and classrooms.
“The lack of honesty and the scope of the financial mismanagement that’s being created by the Sask. Party is inexcusable and certainly is not the fault of the people of the province,” Wotherspoon said. “The Sask. Party needs to accept responsibility for their scandals and waste and stop making the people of Saskatchewan pay the price with callous cuts and desperate sell-offs.”